During the last 5 months, I have worked harder than I ever thought I would work. Here in Ecuador, it's common for many English teachers to work at a high school and at an academy. I just followed suit, but I signed on to work a few more hours at the academy than my teacher friends. They warned me that the work load would be very demanding. I thought I could handle it, but it turns out I couldn't. They were right. I was wrong. After a month of 52 hour work weeks (and that was only classroom time), I changed my schedule to 44 hour work weeks in class. Even still, I was exhausted and burnt out, and about 3 weeks ago I finally quit my high school job. I decided to live on less, enjoy more free time, and only work at the academy.
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| Quick field trip to a nearby park |
I made it working 2 teaching jobs here for a little over 4 months. Throughout those 4 months, I experienced a whole new meaning to being flexible, learned the meaning of a warm staff welcome, and observed many differences between how private schools are here in comparison to my experience in a Kansas school. Here's my list of the many differences to expect when teaching in a private school here in Ecuador: These are my experiences in a small private school in one area of Ecuador- these differences may not apply to every school in Ecuador.
Uniforms: Not just a student requirement
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| Seniors' class |
Public and private schools here in Loja have uniforms for not only students, but also for teachers. The rules regarding the uniforms are incredibly strict. For example, if a student arrives wearing black socks instead of navy blue- he or she will have to make a call to his or her parents and wait in a designated area until his or her parents arrive with the right color socks. My first week at this private school, we had an hour long meeting discussing getting new navy blue pants for the teachers and which days we should wear them on. That was an incredibly shocking topic for me who was used to a simple modesty reminder at the beginning of the year in Kansas. The uniforms are a way of equalizing the students and a way of presenting a unified school body. I personally believe that the uniforms here teach the students from a young age that it's important to look presentable in public which really isn't a bad idea as long as it's not taken to an extreme degree of criticizing others.
Early mornings: 7 a.m. starts the day!
All schools start at 7 a.m. here in Loja. If you knew me in Kansas, you know that I would arrive to school around 7 most mornings, but that time was prep time before the students arrived. If you know me at all, you also know that I am a morning person, but starting class with students at 7 a.m. is not so easy. So if you teach in the U.S., this is an encouragement to be grateful that schools there start around 7:40 or later. That little time does make a difference!
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| Teacher/Student Skit |
Fun skits and Singing with the teachers!
While this is not necessarily a big difference because many U.S. schools also have teachers do skits or dances for pep-rallies, I still wanted to share about my experiences here. In the private high school where I worked, at least once or twice a month there were special events that the students and staff celebrate. These events are usually a time to remember special historical events in Loja or Ecuador, or sometimes to focus on the importance of a specific subject area. For each event, one aspect has to include the arts. Therefore, the teachers or students would put on a skit, do a dance, or sing as a part of the event. These events help bond the students and staff together. I was able to be in a skit, and sing with my students. It was especially fun for me to learn through the events about Loja's history and celebrate education with the school body.
Interruptions: Expect the Unexpected!
One of the things I learned in my education classes in college was to expect the unexpected. Here in Ecuador- there is a whole other level to this rule. At any given time, on any given day, a few students could be asked to go with another teacher for a special project. Sometimes the teacher might be called out to do something and need to give his/her students an assignment to complete while he or she is completing another task. I remember in Kansas when small interruptions would extremely frustrate me."I'm trying to teach these kids something!," I used to think. Here, teachers cannot let the interruptions upset them, because then, they would basically be upset every few days. Eventually, I learned to always have an extra back-up plan each day and simply accept it even when I didn't have a back-up plan. Going with the flow is an important concept here that I feel I have definitely improved on.
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| Pan y Colada Morada: Celebrating the Christmas Season with 9th Grade |
Teachers move and Students stay put
In the States, our high schools are such big buildings that each teacher has his or her own room, and the students move around. Here however, there isn't as much space in the city to have such big buildings for schools. Therefore, the students have their own classroom and the teachers move between classes at each school. (Academies are a different story.) For me, that meant that one of my first purchases as a teacher was a strong backpack. If I want the students to do something especially crafty, I bring extra supplies in my backpack. There are two main issues with this system. The first is that students can get very restless after sitting in the same spot for hours on end. The second is that class time is taken away by set up and tear down time by each teacher. It was just another adjustment to make.
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| Food Unit! 9th Grade |
Student Behavior: Environmental factors
I was blessed to work in this small private school where the class size is between 10 and 18. Most teachers do not have that privilege. That allowed me to get to know my students very quickly which was great. The students I worked with are all capable of great things. They are so smart and many of them have kind hearts. Doing activities and events with them outside of the class was awesome! Making them work inside the class was a different story because of many factors that had very little to do with my lesson plans or our class dynamics. These students have to sit in the same room, sometimes having two hour classes where the only plans are to complete are textbook assignments, or having special events interrupt each class all of which happens before I would even walk through the door. It was a daily guess as to if they would be motivated to work or not because of the inconsistency. That's just the way it is. That instability was difficult for me, but I kept teaching as long as I did because I care about the students.
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| Hanging with some students at the Student Sports Games Inauguration! |
Amazing Staff: Making new friends
This isn't all that different from the States, but I just feel like sharing it!
One of the great things about working in this small private school was how much interaction I had with other teachers. Instead of each teacher staying in his or her room like in the States, teachers (who don't have their own room) share "offices" where they work at the same table whenever they have a free hour. Each subject area also has a weekly meeting and an agenda to discuss. Because of this, I got to know many of the other teachers quickly. We also shared other wonderful moments outside of the school day. We had a special elegant Christmas dinner together as a staff, and another dinner just with the English teachers. One woman invited the staff out to her house for a fun Saturday afternoon "barbecue." I feel as though I have made friends that will last even though I don't work there anymore.
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| Having fun with Kathy! |
Separation of Church and State: Not so much
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| All Ready for Our Dance Number at the Christmas Dinner! |
As far as I understand it, Ecuador also has rules against religious discrimination in schools like the States. And while the school I taught at was not affiliated with any particular religion (like some catholic schools here in Loja), there is a lot more freedom to show expressions of religion here. The very first hour of my very first day working in this private school, we listened to an inspirational podcast about taking care of your soul. We discussed how as teachers, leaders, and role models we need to be secure in our souls, have peace in our hearts, and show love to others. It was my first complete culture shock moment. In the States it is drilled into us teachers- not to talk about religion- not to show any display of our faith- some even go as far as to not say, "Merry Christmas." Here it's different. It was most obvious around Christmas- the students had a group project to use recycled products to complete a Bethlehem and manger scene! How cool is that?! Many teachers take time to talk about deeper personal topics here, and I'm still working on adjusting to that. I think it's wonderful, but it is definitely outside of my comfort zone. It's sad that keeping religion private is so ingrained in me.
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| Game time in 10th Grade! |
Teacher! Teacher!
Any Ecuadorian teacher will tell you that they hear, "Teacher! Teacher!" numerous times throughout the day. Most students do not use or know their teachers' names. They simply refer to them as "teacher." Personally, this drives me crazy. In the small school where I worked, because of it's size, the students will often use the teachers' first names. In an effort to blend my culture and theirs, I have my students call me, "Miss Melody." I still have to remind some academy students that since I learn their names, they should use mine. This is one difference that I choose to change in my classroom.
Can you say, "last minute?"
A regular occurrence here is last minute favors, requests, demands, and notices. In fact, within a month of living here, I learned that there is no Spanish word for procrastinator. The reason why is because the vast majority of Ecuadorians wait until the last minute for almost everything. There is no distinguishing between those who plan ahead and those who don't because everyone basically doesn't. I have also adapted to waiting till the last minute as well. At the school, we got an email each morning about the events of that day. If I didn't read the email, I didn't know what was happening. Sometimes we would get an email in the morning about a task that we needed to finish before the end of the day. Technology makes this last-minute thing even easier to accomplish. Needless to say, I have become much more vigilant about checking my email.
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| Working at the Park: 10th Grade |
There are numerous other small differences, and I am obviously not saying that one country does things better than any other. I am simply commenting on my experiences. Working where I did and continuing at the academy is a blessing. I'm never going to forget many special moments and even more special people who work at that small private school. I am happy that I have grown to adjust my ideas, become more flexible, and with each experience I get better at going with the flow.
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| Whole School Meeting |
Aside from the workplace, each occasion calls for different attire. I can honestly say that very rarely have I seen a Lojana woman wear a T-shirt and lounge pants outside her house. If it can be worn as pajamas, it does not leave the house (this "rule" does seem to be more for women than men). Casual clothing (a.k.a jeans and a t-shirt for men, and jeans and a blouse for women) is only worn at very casual events like friends or family hanging out at the park or going to see a movie on a Sunday afternoon. Exercise clothing is also only worn when exercising. Events like a nice dinner or a birthday party must be dressed up for, and going out on a Saturday night will require at least 30 minutes of preparation. For me, I've generally come to accept that I can't really overdress for any situation. I personally love this part of Lojano culture. I enjoy dressing up! 
Speaking of enjoying the view in the mirror, another specific Lojano mentality is related to healthy living. Lojanos in general are healthy people. They emphasize eating right and exercising. This means taking the time to eat at home using fresh produce. This also means the public in general even if they are very busy during the week, use the weekends to exercise. When I began to lose weight a few months ago, almost everyone responded with either 1 of 2 questions. One: "Are you dieting?" Two: "Which gym are you going to?" There are many popular gyms in town, but I actually don't go to any of them. I exercise outside. This perspective does become contagious because they care not only about looking good, but also about feeling your best too.
