Day 19 - Troublemakers

I think I've said it before. In two of the four school hours, I teach individual lessons. My goodness, I never thought I would ever act as a teacher. The last time I had this career aspiration was when I was 7.

First up is Javier. It feels like I've mentioned him before. He's about 11-12 years old. But he could also be a short 14-year-old. He has trouble concentrating, his gaze often wanders, and the situation is probably uncomfortable for him. First, I had him practice reading syllables using prepared cards. It was incredibly difficult for him, he often just guessed. Okay, let's start with the letters. The alphabet doesn't seem to be working either. I'm giving him the assignment to memorize the alphabet. He hasn't done it twice now. What am I going to do with him? Again and again, children come to the project who have physical and mental, uh, limitations due to constant malnutrition or undernourishment. Maybe Javier too? Jim likes to tell the story of little Jimmy, who could hardly speak at an estimated age of three. His hair was falling out, his skin was pale. His condition improved thanks to regular meals and medical care. Today, after a good three years, he looks completely normal and is learning to read and write. When I read this, it sounds like something from a brochure.

When I tell Luis, Javier's homeroom teacher, about the missing homework, there's trouble. Speaking of Luis, I think he's great. He's strict but loving with the children. And super funny. Sometimes he adds a game or something with music. Then he dances through the classroom. He can explain things well. It's a good thing I didn't have such great teachers before, I might have become a teacher myself.

The other individual student's name is Osman, we're practicing math. The sloth doesn't do his homework either. So, if there's one thing I'm learning here, it's patience. Then I just need to work on my authority...

I hereby officially apologize to all the teachers reading this blog who work in the education system for my incompetent teaching methods. I'm giving it my best shot. In Spanish, they say "Algo es algo," which means "Something is better than nothing." That's how I comfort myself.

The photo is a puzzle for you. Solution tomorrow.

Temperature...oh, not today.