Teacher in Training: Model School

I collapse into my seat with a huff. The three hour block with 6eme students is finished. I look over at my teaching partner, Ghislaine, and we lock eyes. “It isn’t easy,” she says to me. “We did good,” I reply. I initiate a high five, which makes her laugh.

Teaching churns me up. It’s in the best way possible as I discover more about myself than I knew before, expanding my capacities and empathy, but both times I’ve started teaching, during student teaching in Norman and now here, it feels like jumping into the deep end of a frigid pool. There are so many variables to account for. Student engagement. Gender equity. Clear and concise instructions in English that total beginners can grasp. Classroom management. Pacing. Practice. Production. Pressure. 

In the context of teaching English as a foreign language, it’s critical to make the most of every moment, because these scant hours are likely the only English interaction students will get this week. English is a language of power. By speaking it, students will have greater access to a global society. For my students to know this, though, I have to relay it properly with simple, short words and accompanying gestures so my students can understand, more or less starting from scratch every day as my model school class grew by 10 students every time I looked. 37 to 45 to 56.

Their energy was contagious, and like lightning in a bottle, apt to flash out in any and every direction. I did my best to focus the group, calling attention to the norms we made together, making visual scaffolds (education speak for posters lol) for classroom management and content, incorporating regular energizers, and more. If I’m being honest, though, there were a lot of losses and moments when I knew I was no longer in control.

I’m really grateful for my student teaching experience back in Oklahoma, because in the past, when I lost control of a class, it was just done. Now, when I realize things have gotten rambunctious, I inwardly grown and then start making the rounds to put things back in order. Or at least, to attempt to.

I remind myself again and again that the criteria for being a good teacher is: 

• Try your best

• Learn from your mistakes

And step by step, that’s what I’m doing. Sometimes it feels like I’m a strainer trying to hold water with how many mistakes and advice pass through me those model school mornings, but I’m patching those holes one at a time. I’m never going to be waterproof, but that’s a good thing. Sometimes, patch needs to be washed out to let something new through.

The perfect teacher doesn’t exist.

Next week, I’ll teach 4eme, which will be a nice change of pace with both more mature students and heavier content. For reference,

6eme: 6th grade

5eme: 7th grade

4eme: 8th grade

3eme: 9th grade

Premier: 10th grade

Seconde: 11th grade

Terminale: 12th grade

One other interesting thing about the Beninese educational context is that students can and often do run far behind or ahead of the typical grades we’d expect based on their age. Students failing isn’t uncommon, and teachers can often expect to see “redoublants,” or students who are retaking the same grade. For these reasons, my 6eme students range from 9 to 15 in age.

Balancing French and English inside me is very difficult. In the earlier weeks when I mainly focused on language acquisition, I made great strides, but now that I’m practicing teaching English, planning with my counterpart in English, coordinating with other trainees in English, it’s difficult to make that switch back to French as my functioning language. I’m sure I’ll find the balance as time presses on, but it’s clear to me that even though I’ve already reached the required French level to become a volunteer, I need to continue to engage in personal study: writing, reading, listening, speaking intentionally in French so I don’t stay stagnant or backslide.

I’ll say, that’s hard to add to my schedule when lesson planning keeps me out of the house until 7 pm. I’m working very hard, but as hard as I’m working, I’m equally as happy. It’s so invigorating to engage in professional reflective discourse with my peers and work partners. We feel like a team, each with different ideas and strategies to bring to the table. 

I had the joy of making relationships with students, paying special attention to drawing the back of the room into classroom discussions. My students know the words listen, table, chair, window, door, chalkboard, the days of the week, the alphabet, and numbers 1-20 now, and if you were to ask them “how are you?” they would respond in a low roar, “I’m fine, thanks, and you?” These are but a few of the examples of the increased English capacities of my total beginner 6eme students.

There’s a lot I could have done better, but model school is our lab / summer camp to find that out before the school year begins. I’m so excited to continue down this path.

Write to me! I love when I recieve updates from home. Throw something in the message box below or use Facebook Messenger. 

With love,

Lena

The content of this blog post is mine alone and does not reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Benin Government.