Joven is the Spanish word for Adolescent. Adolescent is one of the scariest words in the Oxford Dictionary, it conjures up petrifying images of pre-pubescent, monsters that are not yet adults but far from adorable children. Basically adolescents are hormonal nightmares with the faces of youth. They are rowdy and smelly, utterly disobedient and have the attention spans of hummingbirds. But the Spanish word Jovenes leads one into this false sense of security, it sounds far less threatening and almost pleasant, but I learned at the end of the day Joven is just another word for Adolescent.
The class I choose for my practical teaching week in Cuzco, Peru were Jovenes. These Jovenes truly lived up to their name and reputation as being the inexplicabily awful and uncontrollable creatures adolescents can be and usually are. There were eight of the beasts in my class ranging from 12 to 15, they ranged from quiet and crafty, to unwieldy creatures I had to physically restrain (in order to keep them in their seats).
A typical day would go a little something like this:
The class would slowly shuffle in about 5-10 minutes late all strung out on the free coffee they supplied in the school cafeteria (meant for the adult students) and would usually begin class by starting a long and involved conversation with the person nearest to them in of course, Spanish. Others would begin the class by immediately punching the person next to them or grabbing a person of the opposite sexes belongings and racing around the room with it. This was, the Jovenes thought, the perfect way to set the tone for a truly magical academic experience.
Then the evil Gringa lady who looked about the same age as the 14 year old girls in the class (at least in terms of development) would stand at the front of the class room trying to regain order. The Gringa would say a meditation mantra and use deep breathing techniques to keep from physically beating her pupils senseless. Usually "You don't want to end up in a Peruvian jail." or "Violence is never the answer" were the two phrases that the Gringa chanted in her head in order to keep balanced.
Then homework would be taken out to be corrected, usually this was the first the Jovenes had thought of their homework. Everyday the silly Gringa Teacher would ask: "Anyone do their homework?" The Jovenes would answer back "Teacher, no." Like that was somekind of absurd question for the Teacher to ask. Then the lesson, on vocabulary, grammar or otherwise would take place. Usually the Jovenes knew the answers and there were a few who would even put down their cell phones for a minute and speak English once in a while. The evil Gringa Teacher was able to keep the masses somewhat under control using death stares and lots of threats. Another amazing technique was bribery, these kids would concentrate on a task for a good 30 seconds if you held a lollipop within eyesight. Diabetes is a small price to pay for knowledge of English.
Then it was time for some group activites and book work, which was peppered with the usual fist fights and musical chairs (just to keep it interesting). Sometimes Carlos one of the youngest in the class would start doing the 100 meter dash around the classroom. At that point in the lesson the Gringa would have to stand in front of the track star and physically help Carlos into his seat and stand behind him for a few minutes until his need for speed diminished. Towards the end of the day the Gringa Teacher would give into the chaos and their hyperactive nature and let them play a game running wild but somehow still using some of their English knowledge. At the end of class she would put a homework assignment on the board knowing with certainty they would not complete it and she would tell them "tomorrow they better work harder." This last part was partly for show, she knew that they would repeat the same shenanigans as the day before.
Overall the most surprising thing was how bright these little shits were. Some of them were so brilliant it made the chaos worth it. They were constantly fighting me nail and tooth when it came to learning but it was amazing how with very little effort they were learning English. Despite all the protesting: "No teacher, teeeacher, no." And the constant challenging of everything I asked them to do. And even though I had to constantly beg for English and ignore their constant asking of questions, in Spanish. It was inexplicably rewarding because they were unruly little people, but they were receptive none the less.
Somehow we made each other look good. I was being graded during this week of teaching and it was nerve racking to say the least. But some how these little animals helped me pull it off. Every time I needed them to come through they did. I would be looking for a vocabulary word and they would say it off the top of their heads. I would be attempting to teach a grammar technique using charts and arrows and pictures, and the little jerks would get it right off the bat.
And you know what, I enjoyed them, it was draining and enraging but I was so proud of them. When they put a sentence on the board using new vocabulary and grammar I had to restrain myself from hugging them. When we said goodbye at the end of the week I found myself getting a little teary eyed, but in true Jovenes fashion they could give a darn and were more likely thinking "peace out evil white lady." But I made them take a picture which they could barely stand still for. Sadly 3 of the my students are missing but I was happy to have some evidence of this week of torture.
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