Primero, Segundo, Tercero

Today I got to see the school where I will be spending most of my time for the next few months. I met with my coordinator to work out a schedule of which classes I will be observing and teaching in and when, and the first thing I learned is that the grades are numbered differently than in the United States.

Ecuador has "Basic" which is grades 2-10. This is like 1st through 9th grade in the United States. Grades 2-7 (US 1-6) are Elementary, and 8-10 (US 7-9) are Secondary, or similar to Middle School. Finally, Diversificado 1, 2, and 3 are High School (like grades 10, 11, and 12).  If this seems confusing, my schedule for the next few weeks is infinitely more so. 

Today I observed grades 2 and 3 (US 1st and 2nd grade). Tomorrow I will observe grades 4 and 5 (US 3rd and 4th grades). On Monday, grades 6 and 7. On Tuesday, grades 8, 9, and 10. And on Wednesday, all three grades of Diversificado. 

Not only is this a little hard to keep straight, it is super overwhelming to meet ten different teachers and over a hundred students everyday. Whoa. 

The time I spent in grades 2 and 3 today was interesting. I can tell that my biggest struggle here will be when to use each language. The teachers speak mainly in Spanish when in conversation with each other, but they speak in English to their students. I kept getting confused and answering students in Spanish today, which is the opposite of what I am supposed to do. Oops. 

Also, if you thought you could escape Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers by leaving the continent on which they became famous, you are sadly wrong. They are all I heard in classrooms today, on the radio, and in between classes. They are also slathered all over backpacks, lunchboxes, folders, and pencil cases. Fantastic.