Our First Week, Our First Real Difficulties

Our first week of school, classes for me seem pretty easy. Maybe it is my over confidence or maybe it is because it was only the first week. I had no behavioral problems; all the children were extremely well behaved besides the usual side talking, which I cannot complain too much about because it was one of my guilty pleasures all through school. Only if my teachers had been as strict as I am with the students I am working with. I will not tolerate children speaking when either I or another student is speaking; I put a stop to it immediately. The one problem I did have on the first day was that I was moving through my lessons and speaking too fast. My mentor had come up to me to let me know I was moving too quickly and the students were having a difficult time understanding what I expected. I have definitely slowed myself and made sure I am going over my lessons completely, making sure each and every student has a full understanding of what they need to be doing. Let’s hope this keeps up. I have yet to have my Monday and Tuesday classes. My last class on Tuesday is with adults. It will definitely interesting. Wish me luck that those classes go as well as the others have so far. Andrea’s first week, overall, went good. However, she had a very tough first day. The children were very disrespectful. Wish I could go over and set them straight myself, but luckily one of the teachers she works with gave her other older children lectures before they started her classes with them. She has been raving about how much she enjoys teaching the younger children despite the language barrier, these children have not had English courses yet. Those are the classes she speaks of the most and I do truly believe, although she would be great with any grade, she would especially excel, when we return back to the US, with grade levels 3rd and below. I have told her she should go back to get her Master’s in early childhood development, but she feels she will make more of a difference as a reading specialist and wants to receive her Master’s in that topic. She thinks working with smaller groups of children she could find herself much more effective. I will not let up though. I think she should be in classrooms with young children.
The school week is difficult for us though. Because we teach in different cities, about an hour bus ride apart, we do not get to spend as much time together as we would’ve wished. This problem has been amplified by Andrea’s hotel not allowing any leniency to their rules. I am not allowed to spend the night whatsoever at Andrea’s place. Plus, I get suspicious looks every time I walk in now. I noticed yesterday when I went to visit Andrea that in her keyhole, Andrea is supposed to turn in her key at the front desk each time she leaves the hotel, that there was a note. I don’t know what it says, or if it is even related to me, but I am guessing it goes like this, “Keep tall man out of room 919. He is very dangerous and, most importantly, he has no money for us.” Maybe not exactly that, but definitely close and definitely something horribly mean. All my worries about angry Czech women chasing me down and tackling me in their hotel lobby may soon be over.
Andrea’s school has agreed to let her change her accommodation, just yesterday I was visiting her and we found a nice basement apartment for her that is within her school’s budget, which we had been told probably wouldn’t be possible unless she wanted to move to the suburbs. The problems beside it being a basement apartment are there is no fridge, no stove or any type of cooking equipment. However, Andrea’s Mother has people on the look out for some cooking equipment and a fridge. Plus, Andrea should be able to talk with teachers around her school who may be able to help her out. Nevertheless, it will be better than those angry Czech women glaring at me out the corners of their eyes. Seeming to burn a hole through me with each heated glare. The positives, no more angry Czech women, free internet, I could stay at the apartment, still close to the bus stop, still close to Andrea’s school, and overwhelmingly bigger. She still needs to work out all the details with her school on Monday. Hopefully, it will still be available and the school can work out the arrangements. Everyone please keep your fingers crossed for us, this is a big one. If it works out it will make life for us all that much easier.
As for our weekend, no we do not get a long weekend like all you Americans; we are back to school on Monday. However, we will spend our two crazy days in my small town. Maybe a little bowling tonight and then a bike ride around the countryside tomorrow if weather permits. The barely touched land of the Czech Republic is miraculous. The rolling hills, the views for miles without a building blocking the view, and the mountains dividing the Czech Republic and Poland off in the distance.