What did we learn?

My experience as a mentor helped me grow out of my comfort zone.....

This semester was a good one, I didn't only get to interact with kids from a different grade level but I also got to experiment a bit more with public speaking, and just interacting with people I usually wouldn't interact with. At the beginning of the year I wasn't really sure of the experience but as time passed it was really interesting not only because for once I wasn't the one sitting behind the desk but because it helped me get out of my comfort zone. As a mentor I didn't only help the students out with homework, but I also got to play a different role in the class room, which gave me some experience on what teachers have to deal with and go through every day.

I don't think I was the only who learn something throughout this semester thought since the students seem to have developed some skills as well. At the beginning of the year my students weren't as out going as they are now, they weren't shy either but they sure didn't get as involved as they do now. And to prove how comfortable they are with the class they have a presentation which in a way will be a part of their final. This presentation must be at least three minutes long and must be about a current event that is currently affecting society. As the presentation start they are all very educated on their subject and most of them can project a pretty good voice and can interact with the crowed really well.

As the semester ends so does my blog which is why I've decided to let my last blog be like a summery. This was an amazing experience over all it helped me gain some extra experience amd knowledge while teaching me others point of view, it also helped me realize that I don't want to be teacher!

From Teacher To Student

It was great to have you as students
You made my job worthwhile
I looked forward to every day
With anticipation and a smile!

You made my job rewarding
In each and every sense
With students like you
Classes were far from boring!

Now it's time to say goodbye
What more can I say
Other than that I shall miss you all
Cos you brightened up my days

This poem really reminds me of what my experience was like as a mentor, which is why i wanted to share it with you guys, and since I'm so passionate with poems here is an other one, just to say good bye to my blog forever:

To My Friend

I am so glad that I met you
Although our acquaintance wasn't long
You have made a big impact in my life
And it is thanks to you
Why I remain strong

Your friendship means the world to me
Believe me, it truly does
And I just wanted you to know that
From me you will always find love

Now we are going our separate ways
Maybe never to meet again
As long as our friendship holds true
Our connection will forever stand

We may not have been best friends
But that is just a title
For the kind of friendship we do share
Is more active than it is idle

I am going to miss you
I know we said we would keep in touch
But that is what everyone always says
But it never seems to mean much

So this is why I am telling you now
How much you truly mean to me
Because anything could happen in the future
Tomorrow is something I may never see

Yes I am going to miss you
And I wish you the very best
And please always try to remember
That you are truly blessed!

Thanks for being patient with me, and taking the time to read my blog. Not only did I learn things on my mentoring class, but writing this blog also helped me grow as a writer and tough me how to express my self with something other than words.

Work Citation:

Anonymous. "From a teacher to a student." Thank you notes and wording ideas. University of Phoenix. N.D. Web. 12,Dec.2014

Sarah R. Leavell. "To my friend." Family friend poems. N.P.  Jun.2007. Web. 13,Dec.2014

The One In Charge

As a mentor, we help the students with homework, but we are also supposed to help them feel safe and comfortable in High School... I honestly think teachers underestimate students, most of this students seemed really belonging, and they didn't seem scare at all for the high school experience, now I won't lie there were a few that were more alienated than others but they all there little "gang" of friends with whom they break the ice...


As bulling month arrived mentors were required to give a little presentation on bulling, I'm not a big fan of public speaking and more when half this kids are pretty well educated, let me tell you that's intimidating. Well the other mentors and I decided that we would break the class up into small sections so we would each have our own little group. When we got into the little groups I decided to talk to them about how bullies feel bulling other people, what motivated them and how did that make them feel better about them self. As the group got together I notice right away how it was going to go, half of them were going to be talking to each other and the other half was going to hide behind there desk. I decided to break the ice by asking them if they ever been bullied I went one by one trying to make feel everyone welcomed but if was hard half of them would just sit there and nod to everything I said. Well they didn't get involved the way I expected they tried to make a joke out of everything I would say and that wasn't the business... I don't blame them at all though they are freshman and they don't know any better but to make life a joke, and in a way I don't have the character to discipline a crowed of spoiled kids so it is my fault too.


This wasn't the most pleasant experience at all, I did not learn much about the students since they were pretty close when I tried to interact with them, I don't blame them though we haven't really had much inside conversations with them and to try to get them to open up was a complete failure.. This activity did help me though to be more out there since I'm usually the one hiding behind the desk and this time I had to be the one in charge..

A little mistake

This week wasn't really interesting, Tuesday was Veterans day so there was no school. I haven't really had much time to interact with the class so this time I'm just going to write about something that happened that I though was really funny and that could happen to any gringo trying to learn Spanish..

Well, as I've said before Mr.Demachelli is a really cool teacher, and he always tries to interact with the students. Since he knows that most of the class is Hispanic he tries to bring out the Latino in him. Every now and then he will say some words in Spanish and it's okay to try as long as you know the meaning of words. A few days ago one students was talking it was a female student, everything was all good until the teacher called her ''mamacita" mamacita isn't necessary a bad word in Spanish, but it's not the most appropriate name to be calling a student..
 
"Mamacita:little mami; usally reffered to a hyna or fine girl" as Urban dictionary explains to us the meaning isn't anything bad but something not appropriate for a teacher to be calling his students..

Well as I was saying, once the word came out the whole class busted out laughing. The funniest thing I would say was that the teacher had no idea what was going on, in fact he didn't even know the meaning of the word... Of course with the whole class being mainly Hispanic everyone knew what it meant, except for him of course. Once the class calm down a little I tried to explain to him what it meant and his first reaction was "gross" The whole situation was funny already but he's reaction was priceless.... ever since that day he has never said the word ever again and every time he tries a new Spanish word he makes sure its appropriate for the occasion.

Anonymous. "Urban dictionary." Google, 16 Oct. 2003. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.

Just Another Teacher

I've been thinking about my blog, I feel there is way too much going on for me to keep up with, so I've decided to focus on my teacher. Since he is the head of the class in a way he represents the class as a whole, and this way it will be easier for me to keep up and get more details. Thus here is a little background on what he is like and what he likes....

Mr. Demachelli is a history teacher, currently teaching geography. He is the typical cool teacher whose, funny, carrying, and understanding. He might be about 6 feet or 5'5 not sure... well he is about 40 I believe and he is Italian. He has a pair figure, some beard here and there and some gray hairs that can't be hidden. I wish I could put up a picture of him but I don't want to invade his privacy.

He loves different cultures, which explains why he's a geography teacher. He has traveled alot from what he's told us. To him the best way to know more about other cultures is through food. 

He is a really nice teacher, the kind every one would want to have.  I feel like he would do anything not to get he's students in trouble, and he's always pushing them to do their work wich I like because not all teachers care. Over all Mr. Demachelli is really nice and rarely gets mad, he has a passion for dishes from other placed and he cares a whole lot about he's students. 

Just Another Student

As time goes by the students seem to be getting more and more comfortable with each other, they interact more with each other and get more involved with class conversations/arguments.

As a mentor in that class I'm supposed to help out the students, there is a student in the class who doesn't speak English, since I'm bilingual I help her out at times, when she doesn't really know what's going on. I don't mind helping her out since that's the way I started when I came from Mexico, but if I'm going to be taking my time to help her out I expect her to put some effort in as well. I won't say her name for respect but I will describe her a bit, well she's about thirteen or fourteen years old I don't know for sure but that's about the age I see on her. Well she's about my height or a bit taller so about 5'3, she has a petite figure with long legs, she has some caramel like skin color and two big rounded eyes, she has some big full lips and she's Salvadorian. She is really sweet and all, but I don't like it when people have the advantage to get some extra help and yet they take it for granted. When I came to Reno I didn't speak any English either and I didn't have the help I'm providing to her, I still made it this far, she seems to be pretty smart but she doesn't want to put any effort into the class. I always try my best to tell her what to do and how to do it, at first she would work with me and pay attention to everything I told her, for about a week I would talk to her everyday from the beginning of class to end explaining everything the teacher would say she would pay attention and it really amazed me how she would actually pay attention to me. I would talk to the teacher about her and all, he would cut her a lot of slack when it came to her work too since she didn't speak any English, I honestly think that was a mistake. After a while of me helping her out and all a homework assignment was given to them, they were supposed to make up a continent. I explain the assignment to her and she told me she understood. Once the assignment was due I talker to her about it so that I could acknowledge her effort, she told me she forgot it, I didn't flip over that since I know things like that happen. after a few days she keep on "forgetting it" that's when I knew I was wasting my time.... 

After this I didn't approach her as much, I even notice when I approached her she would make that "leave me alone face". I know she's really smart and she has potential but there isn't much I can for her if she doesn't put any effort into it.. I feel really disappointed in her because most students that come like that don't put any effort into school because of the language barrier, thus they just give up on it and attend to it just cause they have to. I will continue to try to help her, I don promise much though.

Freshman life

This week was over all pretty good, I got to get the feeling of what it is like to be a freshman all over again.

To begin with I am observing my 6th period class which happens to be a freshman class, since I am a junior I don't get to do all the work they do, I'm their mentor.. It is really interesting being in that class first of all because of the grade level there in and second of all because I get to see the way they act, the way they think, how smart they are, and in a way it brings me back to when I was in the same grade as them. I've been in that class for a while now and I have a pretty good sense of the class it self already, so for this "weekly report' I won't necessary give you guys a weekly report better yet a sense of what this class is like over all.

Over all this class is very nice, there are about 30 students if I'm right or less maybe, well over all this class is very smart, most of the students in it are pretty well educated. When the teacher asks questions there are always hands in the air trying to answer and start a juicy argument with the teacher him self. This really fascinates me because when I was in the school neither my classmates nor I new half of the thing this kids know, it is really amazing how times change, and necessary for bad. Over all like all classes you have that one student who always wants to answer all the questions or the one student who knows it all, well this class is no exception, I don't want to mention names but instead I'll describe her.. She is pretty tall, taller than me of course, she has shortish (not to short, not too long) pink hair, she has light skin and seems to like the new for all the information she brings into class. Well she is the typical I can never say enough girl, she talks so much, and no matter what the question is best believe she'll the first one to throw her hand up, she kind of reminds me of Levy (excuse the spelling) in an annoying girl version. Enough about just one student, to be honest when I see this class in just can imagine each one of them graduating and to be honest that would be pretty exiting to me, Now I get the feelings teachers get when a student they taught comes back to visit them. Over all they are all pretty smart but at the same time rebels which to me is normal at their age.

Even though this aren't the smartest they are pretty bright for their age, and it's goin go be pretty interesting to observe them throughout this time, I will be trying to interact more with them so that I get a closer look at their personal life, it probably wont be easy but I will try my best to give as much detail from this class as possible.