A Teachers Life in Argentina

I've haven't blogged for quite some time, but I have SOOO MUCH to talk about!!

I must say I have the BEST schedule ever as far as classes go! Not to brag, but I only have class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thrusday. Then Tutoring if I want on Monday Morning, and class every other Friday! :) Its great!

Today I got up around 8:30 and had some coffee and bread with dulce de leche for breakfast... Edgardo told me again to eat some cookies for breakfast! I just can't help but laugh in shock when he tells me that!

It was SUCH a BEAUTIFUL morning!! I neglected to buy another bus pass this weekend, so I just walked to tutoring at the school. It took me 45mins! But it was worth it!! I just find myself lost in thought and awe about city life, and the differences here... I LOVE IT! I did wear the chucks to school, so by the time I got there I was ready to sit down!


Tutoring went REALLY well!! I finally cleared up the "pronouns" of my, yours, his, hers, thiers, ours, and all thier different uses in Spanish! It was great! Mariana, our teacher, knew with out me asking that I REALLY REALLY REALLY needed help with them! HAHA!! :)

So just before tutoring ended we were talking to Mariana about teaching in Arg. IT IS SOO DIFFERENT!! I'm not sure if I explained before, but even elementary and highschool are different. And there is no such thing as middle school here. From what I GATHER... students go to school at one time durning the day... either from 8-12 or 2-6 or something like that. I think younger kids are ususally in the morning and older kids are in the afternoon??

College is different too. In Argentina, there is no such thing as a "liberal arts core / general education classes," and they do not have majors or minors here. Instead they study only what they are going into... they graduate with a "certificate" in abagato, or lawers, or can have a job in economics like Lucia.... It is like they go to a "specialized" school... I cant think of what we call them in the U.S.... but on that note i will say my English has definately Declined since I have been here espically my spelling and grammmer, which was NEVER that good in the first place.

Back to schools:

I didnt have my camera, but on Thrusday of last week i saw the STRANGEST THING!!.... I had just gotten to school and out front there were a ton to ppl., mostly girls (hence my last post on girl-guy friendships), gathered around two girls. These girls were COVERED in food and water, and soda/water with carbonation, and more food... like flour and mate, and JUST TONS OF stuff!! Every one was yelling and laughing and throwing food at theses girls... they were laughing too of course... I just stood and watching...
THEN SOMEONE PULLED OUT SCISSORS! And she started CUTTING off one of the girl's shirts, that was being sprayed!! I COULDNT BELIVE IT!! So of course I had to ask... Apparently this happens when one graduates from school!! This is how they celebrate!! LOL!! I dont feel like I would ever want my friends or family members back home to do this to me :) It was just crazy!


So now on to teachers....
Like I knew, and Mariana was telling us as tutoring today, teachers often work at more than one school! As in two or three or four elementaries, highschools, and colleges!! I just couldn't believe it! At each school they may teach for 4 hours, but then of course they need to find another job/ school, to teach at as well in order to make enough money! I can't imagine working at one univeristy one day and two others the next! TALK ABOUT A CRAZY SCHEDULE!!!

Also, because of this, I asked about being in a Union and going on strike. Teachers can be in more than one union and go on strike in one school but not in another... SOO CONFUSING! (that sounds like a Sarah Kenney quote)


thats all i really have for now :) Lucia and I are heading to the supermarcado to buy stuff for dinner tonight! Im making MEATLOAF AND CHEESY HASHBROWN POATOES!! we will see how it goes as they dont have all the same ingrediants and I think im going to have to cut up potatoes old school style ;)