The school year has officially started. I’m still figuring out how I best fit into the lesson plans and curriculum, but what has come the most naturally is getting to know my students. It didn’t take long for the kids to learn who I was. Now when I walk through the hallway (usually fighting upstream through a sea of people to get to my next class) I am greeted in English by passersby. When I am able to, I do my best to stop and respond by asking “How are you?” It’s one of the first English phrases every student learns in 3rd grade so I know that each student I interact with should understand me. Their responses are almost always “I am fine, thank you!” as they’ve practiced from their textbooks. The rhythm of this interaction is so ingrained in me now that sometimes my brain automatically responds with this exact phrase when someone asks me how I am.
Occasionally, I’ll come across students while walking through town. I love the look of surprise in their parent’s eyes when they see their child approach a seemingly random woman and begin conversing in English. Sometimes I see them point towards me from a few blocks away and begin excitedly explaining to their parent that I am a teacher and that most exciting of all, I am American.
The younger students like to run up and give me hugs when they see me at school. I try not to walk past the lines of 3rd graders walking between classes because my presence will immediately derail any organization their teacher had imposed on them. When my supervisor came to visit and observe my lessons, we ran into one of my classes and 3 girls ran up and nearly knocked me over with a group hug. The one who found herself closest to me held on tightly and refused to let me go. I jokingly told my supervisor that I promised I hadn’t instructed them to do this for her benefit. When I finally pried the girls’ arms off from around my legs, she reached up and pinched my cheeks affectionately before running to return to her classroom.
The day after my first session running an after-school club for advanced English learners, one of my students who had attended presented me with a bracelet she had made. It was made of bright yellow beads with one white bead in the center with a black letter “M”. I’m not entirely sure what the “M” is meant to stand for but my working hypothesis is that it stands for “Miss Camden.”
I think my favorite part of working with kids is that they’re just so funny. During one of my clubs, I was leading an activity where students came up one by one and greeted me with a different gesture they would select from a big poster. A 10-year-old boy who had been enthusiastically participating throughout the lesson came up for his turn and selected the handshake option. He extended his hand to me and when I went to shake, he swiftly pulled his arm away and slid his hand through his hair. I couldn’t help but laugh along with the rest of the students. He got me fair and square! Sometimes I do have to restrain my instinct to laugh along to avoid allowing complete chaos in the class. When my students point out that there is a cat sitting in the tree just outside our window I have to fight my innate instinct to run to the window with them and look.
I am excited to continue integrating into the school and developing as a teacher. Running my beginner and advanced English clubs has been really rewarding so far. It’s exciting to be able to come up with new activities for them and try to encourage their enjoyment of speaking English. Right now, my focus with the advanced group is to begin a video pen-pal program with students from my middle school back in the U.S. During our most recent session, we worked to brainstorm what they wanted to tell their American pen-pals about Armenia. When we began discussing Armenian food, the energy in the classroom immediately soared. They spent a good 10 minutes trying to explain a specific dish to me so that I could translate it into English so their pen-pals would understand it. We practiced how to speak about their favorite music, their classes, and their goals for the future. At least 3 of the students told me that their goal was to become an English teacher.
This past month, I have had to deal with some difficulties with my housing situation which have caused me a lot of stress and frustration. There’s also been heartbreaking political turmoil related to Armenia’s prolonged conflict with Azerbaijan. I won’t write too much in-depth about it myself as I think it’s better to hear from more informed voices on the matter (which I will link below). Needless to say, however, the tragic expulsion of ethnic Armenians from their homes in Artsakh has had a tremendous emotional impact on every community we PCVs are serving in. But through all this, I am still finding so much joy and fulfillment in being in the classroom with my students.
More Information about Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)
Camden jan, so happy to hear you're enjoying the famous Armenian good sense of humor, even in these trying times. I'm happy to lend an ear if you need to vent about the housing situation or want someone to brainstorm with - I'm sure if anyone in your group was hoping to live independently, the refugee crisis has put a big stopper into those plans. Hang in there, and brace for your first winter, it will be trying but hopefully full of a lot more beautiful moments.
Remember when you were worried they wouldn't appreciate your humor...So glad to hear they do and if you had any our familial tendency for hug aversion, you are sure to overcome it. Our hearts are with you and your adopted community this difficult day of humanity challenges.