Universidad de Guanajuato

Observacin de clase

Story

Cristina Montelongo Garcia

October 28, 2017

Neither my father or mother speak the language, but they had an English course in cassettes, I
always listen to it. When I was 4 I noticed that I understand English, when I listen to Americans I
understand what they said (I was born and raised in the border with US). Even one time I translated
everything to my mom and she only said sshhh in a low voice, I ask her why my dad did no
answer in English.

Afterwards when I was in middle school I noticed that I had not any problem with English, most
of the time I helped my classmates or I work ahead in my English book. This happen again when
I was in high school, because I already knew how to answer, I had always got 9 or 10 in my English
grades.

I started as an English teacher because I wanted a job (my mom told me about it), I started in
elementary school; fourth, fifth and sixth grade. At first it was complicated because of my lack of
experience (this was the first time I taught, before this I helped my classmates with their doubts).
I had discipline problems with my students, they saw I was young (not as their own teacher that
were adults, 40 years older more or less)

This program that I worked is part of the government of Tamaulipas, when they hire you, they give
you training every 2 months, and at the end of the school cycle was an intensive training for
everybody. The second year was better, as I gained experience I became more confident in front
of the groups. I worked in the public system approximately seven years, however, my last year I
did not teach the same grades, they changed me to first and second grade of elementary school.

First of all, the interaction as teacher student is different, personally I did not have any problems
with discipline. That school year was relaxed, the students were participative, all of them had
questions, they were interested in learning, at 2010 was my final school cycle in Tamaulipas. My
husband and I move to Guanajuato permanently (we used to be in the city on vacations).

When I arrive to Guanajuato, the first years I was a housewife, enjoying with him his retirement.

In those years, my stepson visits us in vacations, he was studying English in Harmon Hall. My
husband went to the school to ask if he can assist even tough that we study on another city, that
event was the reason that I started working again.

He asked, do you need an English teacher? they said YES, do you speak English? no, but my
wife does. Because of him I started in Harmon Hall, in less that three days I had a new job, there
I started teaching adults, having small groups of all the levels (kids, pre-teens, adults) and I learned
that the relationship teacher-student between adults is different, sometimes very fulfilling, in others
the opposite.

In the last semester of high school of my stepson, we started looking for engineering in the
University of Guanajuato, which was the precise time that I knew about the B.A., at the Jardin de
la Union, the university was offering information of all the programs. The one thing that grasp my
attention was that the program was only in the weekends (this would not affect my working
schedule), so I though, I can apply and see what happens.

I made al the procedures to enter the B.A., hopping to be part of it; when I saw in the web page I
was accepted I felt so happy, I cannot describe the feeling that I had.

To be again a student, grasp the routine of homework, readings, just to mentions some of them,
was not an easy task but nothing that could not be solved. However, in my job things change, I
was giving priority to the university, and they did not like it. I was one of the teacher that had large
groups (25 students), and as a business they did not like it. At the end , Harmon Hall just leave me
with one hour, at that moment I quit the job and I continued with my classes at the B.A.

After a couple of months, I started working at PNIEB, as the same at Harmon Hall, a couple of
days passed, they call me to offer me a kindergarten group. This was a new experience, it is not
the same to teach first grade of elementary school than third grade of kindergarten, and students
tend to be more uncontrollable, noisy and questioned everything. What I learned is that with
small children is necessary to have a routine, to mark the rules and stick by them, because if as a
teacher you forgot about the rule, some students will remember and will remind me.

From all the the different levels that I had worked, the one that I feel happy and comfortable, is in
the kindergarten level, some of my classmates think that I am crazy because I teach in this level
(instead of teaching adults or teenagers). It is more demanding, however when you have a routine
with them, the topics are clear and you give them all the information, and they grasp everything.

However, I had to leave this job, they had administrative changes and because of this, our payment
was delayed, I had not had a contract or any benefits. I went to each school, talk to the principal,
the teachers and my groups and say goodbye.

Nowadays, I work in a coordination that is part of the University of Guanajuato, I am not teaching
right now but I still have contact with students, but more as an administrative. It is a new experience
were I am learning a different perspective of education.