BEING AN 'SLL' IN ENVIRO ED CLASS

Store name in B.A. with the common word for teacher

Yes, the Environmental Education class was definitely worthwhile (see last post).  I learned from and with other educators who are interested in the environment, citizenship and innovative interdisciplinary learning. To implement strong interdisciplinary curricula, their battle appears more uphill than mine. Typical Argentine schools (both public and many private) do not lend themselves well to this kind of teaching and learning, particularly at the upper middle school and high school levels where subjects are very departmentalized and teachers are known as “profesores taxis,” because they have to run around like a taxi driver to 2-4 schools a week in order to earn a decent wage. They have no paid planning time for themselves, let alone to plan with colleagues. I feel fortunate because at Paul Cuffee School cross-curricular, project-based learning is encouraged. We have a lot of room for improvement, but we are on the right track.

On another note, the class provided me with an amazing chance to elevate my Spanish skills.  I’m not going to lie; I was very self-conscious of my castellano in the academic setting when I first arrived. I have strong comprehension and make myself understood, but I’m aiming for a higher level still. The good news is that educators tend to be sensitive and encouraging of someone learning a new skill! So, after a few weeks or so, I just had to buck up and start to be more courageous. Like I remind my students at home, the only way to improve is to immerse, listen, read silently, read aloud, talk, ask questions, make mistakes, write, make mistakes, listen, repeat....  That’s how it works. 

I teach a number of English-Language Learners (ELL) students in Providence who were born abroad, and it’s a pleasure to watch their skills and confidence grow.  Here at school in Argentina, I am the “SLL” student!  I have tried to be aware of my own progress over the last two months, which follows a similar pattern to their long-term learning: at first I was silent. Then, I asked one question. Later, I presented a new idea in class discussion. I tried to work in a small group. Ultimately, I found myself presenting a PowerPoint independently to the whole class. That was a triumph! I have even more respect and admiration for my ELLs who are just tremendous learners and started with even less second-language knowledge than I did. Anyone who works with immigrants or ELL students should at some point become an immigrant him/herself and try to operate in a classroom setting. Your successful ELL students will become your heroes.

A nice poem shared by one lecturer:

"Utopía" 

by Eduardo Galeano

Ella está en el horizonte.

Me acerco dos pasos, ella se aleja dos pasos.

Camino diez pasos, y el horizonte se aleja diez pasos más allá.

Por mucho que yo camine, nunca la alcanzaré.

¿Para qué sirve la utopía?

Para eso sirve, para caminar.