Last Tuesday Lesson In Ebes

"Children are like wet cement. 

Whatever falls on them makes an impression."

--Dr. Haim Ginott

Yesterday was my last day teaching. Since Ben had the football with him at his school I came up with a hodge-podge of activities and games to do for my students. On Tuesdays I have 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade and then two groups of 1st grade. I have always considered my Tuesday students more challenging than my Thursday students. Why? I don't know, but I think it is ironic how you get the students just where you want them to be in their learning---and then the year is over. Sometimes I feel like I was just getting in the groove of teaching and now the carpet is getting pulled out from under me. Here is a break down of my last Tuesday with my students. 

3rd grade: "Okay class we're going to play a game." Everyone cheers and then I explained the rules of trash-ball. A student would be asked a question and then if they got it right they could shoot a paper ball into the trash for a point. This game was really fun and the students forget they are actually learning too. The second game was a bit more silly, so it was good I saved it for the last day. The concept was the same as trash-ball, but this time when they answered a question they got to bat a ball. Using a 2 liter empty water bottle (holding it like a bat) and a crunched up piece of paper for the ball the students practiced their "baseball" skills. Towards the end of class we did a craft project and then said our goodbyes. 

3rd graders playing with molding clay.

My 3rd grade Tuesday group.

4th grade: "Are we playing American football?" This was their first question when they saw me. When I told them I didn't have the ball they were disappointed, but I said if you find another ball we can go outside. So in two seconds a regular football was retrieved and we were ready to go play. In order to make it more of a lesson I had the students make a big circle and then every time they kicked the ball they had to say something in English. They came up with really funny things to say, but my favorite thing they said was, "Dana is a good teacher." 

4th graders kicking the ball.

My 4th grade Tuesday group.

5th grade: This grade and especially this class has been my most difficult group. The students are really smart, but they are also hard to motivate at times. I was looking forward to having class with these students and ending on a high note. They did not come to class because their other teacher scheduled them to practice for an end of the year show during my lesson. I will miss these students--oh sure they were a bit smart-alecky at times, but then what 5th grader isn't?

1st grade: My first group of 1st graders can be pretty wild at times. I have often used the phrase, "It's like herding cats," to describe them. Our last activity together was reviewing and then doing an art project using stickers. I had a lot of extra stickers that my mom had sent me and figured the last day would be the best day to put them to use. The kids were overwhelmed by all the colorful, shiny stickers. Every time I passed out a new batch they would go, "Oooo, Ahhh!" or exclaim, "This is beautiful!" The second group also had the same reaction. This group is less "wild," but still just as entertaining. 

Towards the end of each lesson the groups wanted to hear me speak Hungarian. "Say Szia, Dana," they would all beg (I have said this Hungarian goodbye to them before a few times while they leave class). "Okay then," I would say, and then say something else like, "Adios Amigos." They would roar with laugher and then continue to beg me. Finally I broke down and said a few things in Hungarian. They were wide-eyed and excited. I could tell they all were thinking, "She knows Hungarian and she has been holding out on us this whole time?" Actually, I know just a little Hungarian and I told them that in Hungarian. I think they figured out that I wasn't completely fluent, but they still enjoyed hearing their native tongue spoken by their foreign English teacher.  Some students even came up to me after class trying to teach me new words in Hungarian. So on the last day, in the last few minutes of class the teacher became the student.  

1st graders - This is my first group.

1st graders--this is my second group.

As I stood at the bus stop for the last time staring at the school I couldn't help, but feel wistful. I thought back to all those first days of school. The worry and the loss of sleep I had over lesson plans, the challenge of discipline in the classroom, the games we played, the songs we sang, the jokes we told. It all sounds so romantic now after it is all done. I will admit I have been wearing "graduation goggles" for a while now. I have tried to soak up every moment and enjoy the good, the bad and weird times of teaching in a foreign country. Next year these students will have a new teacher and I will be just a memory, the cycle of learning and teaching will go on. I will miss my students and will forever be proud of them. And I am proud of myself for having the courage to step into the classroom and do something I've never done before. 

As I the bus drove me back to Debrecen my iPod played the song, "Time of Your Life." I think this sums up my experience. 

Another turning point;

a fork stuck in the road.

Time grabs you by the wrist;

directs you where to go.

So make the best of this test

and don't ask why.

It's not a question

but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable

but in the end it's right.

I hope you had the time of your life.

Goodbye Ebes! Szia!