LaSalle

My official title at LaSalle is “Auxiliar de Conversacion,” (direct translation = conversation assistant), although no one really knows what this means. I don’t even think the people who invented the program really know what it means, or what an “Auxiliar de Conversacion” is technically supposed to do. Apparently, LaSalle received a short letter saying “Natalie Sous is coming all the way from the States to be the “Auxiliar de Conversacion” for the year, so have fun, learn some English, catchya later – oh, and she gets 700 euro/month, okay thanks bye!” So here I am, among the 1st group of American conversation assistants ever sent to the Balearic Islands, which is exciting yes, but which has also led to mass confusion. For instance, the Spanish consulate has decided to issue us student visas, so the local police department doesn’t understand why it has to grant us “tarjetas de residencia” (kind of like green cards). Furthermore, nobody really knows from where my paycheck is supposed to come. The program directors say it comes from LaSalle, but LaSalle says it comes from the Spanish consulate. I check in with the receptionists every few days, and they’re very sweet, but they’ve been “calling the Spanish consulate” for about 3 weeks. In all honesty, I’m not too worried about it, things just move more slowly in Spain. I just have to relax and be patient, and things always work themselves out in the end. (Could it be? Have I developed a Hakuna Matata/Don’t Worry, Be Happy typical relaxed island mentality? And yes, I did just make a Disney reference thank you very much).

But despite all the boring details, and despite the confusion, I LOVE auxiliar-ing conversaciones, whatever that may mean. I think I lucked out, because the teachers in the English department at LaSalle have been very welcoming, and eager to entrust me with projects of my own. They’re having me take out a group of 8-10 students in each class to work on an age-appropriate project so they can practice English and learn about the US. For example, the 1st graders are coloring the American flag, and the 6th graders are working on a poem to recite for their parents at the Christmas festival. So far working with small groups has been so much fun for me, although I’ve had to readjust my thinking a little bit. When I first started I was determined to speak only in English, right from the start, and the kids were just going to understand, and we were going to have lots of interesting conversation, all in English. Yeah, right. This approach resulted in a chorus of “Natalie, es que no te entiendo.” (Natalie, it’s that I don’t understand you), with eventually the James or Jenny of the class translating everything I was saying. (There are a lot of British people living on Menorca, and every class has at least one student who already speaks English). So I’ve eased up a bit, and sometimes I repeat in Spanish what I’ve said in English if the kids really can’t understand me. So far it’s been easiest to work with the youngest and oldest kids. The youngest kids hardly notice I’m speaking a different language, and the oldest kids are less shy about attempting to form sentences. But I’m enjoying every class, although I do have my favorites of course.

Like 5A. I love 5A (5th grade, class A). They’re crazy, and not well-behaved but I love them. I have them twice a week, for Art/English and for just plain English as well, so I’ve gotten to know them pretty well. The first day I was there the teacher (Carlos, incidentally) had them ask me questions all class. Some were normal: “Have you been to New York City? Are there Supermarkets in New Jersey?” And some were funny: “Do you live in the White House? Do you think Zac Ephron is handsome?” And then there were the questions about sharks. Sharks, of all things! The conversation went something like this:

Juan: Are there sharks in the ocean in the US?
I thought it was strange question, but I answered as best I could, saying that yes, there are sharks but that they don’t usually come near the coast. End of story, or so I thought.
Clara: “Natalie, how old are you?”
22.
Victor: “If there are sharks in your ocean, can you still go swimming?”
I tried to explain it again.
Maria: “Natalie, are you married?”
No.
Jose: “So have you ever seen a shark?”
Um… maybe in an aquarium?
Gemma: “Have you seen a great white shark?”

Finally, Carlos had to say “okay, no more questions about sharks.” I would say that 5A was yanking my chain, but when I went to 5B right after, THAT class started with the shark questions. $100 goes to whoever can develop a plausible theory as to why Spanish kids associate sharks with the US. I would blame JAWS but I think that’s a little outdated for this age group.

So anyway, long story short, the truth is that at LaSalle I’m just plain cool. To the kids I’m someone new and different who will pay attention to them, but won’t give them homework or call their parents. (Although to be fair, I think I lost some cool points when I had to falsify a rumor circulating the 4th grade that claimed the Jonas Brothers were my cousins.) They all yell my name when I walk down the hall, and the little kids give me hugs and kisses and fight over who gets to hold my hand. And I’m totally shameless about it, as you can already tell. I love every second of it. One thing I’ve noticed is that in Spain, teacher/student boundaries are definitely less defined, but in a good way. It’s not uncommon for teachers to kiss their students on the forehead if they do a good job, or hold them in their lap if they’re feeling sad. I know I’ve never worked as a teacher in an American school, but I feel like the boundaries are much stricter. And maybe they’re stricter for a good reason, I’m not trying to judge. But I know that in my position I love that it’s okay to show affection to the children, because I think it’s a basic instinct on my part and a basic need on their part.

So my job at LaSalle has turned out to be the best part of this experience so far, which makes sense I guess, that is why I'm here. I want to do my best to teach these kids some English, but I think I'm starting to recognize my limitations. There's only so much I can do with an hour each week per class, so I've decided that the least I can do is make sure the students have fun with me. That way these kids can hopefully develop positive associations with English class and thus be more motivated to learn in the future. Idealistic? I hope so :).