As many of you know, after my first year at a public school in Sofia, I was lucky enough to be hired by a private school–the American College of Sofia–to teach English. I’ve been at ACS for the last two years and this year marks the start of my third year teaching English here.
I wrote a post yesterday about teaching in a public school in Bulgaria while on a Fulbright. At times it was a frustrating experience. Luckily I expected this would be the case so it wasn’t too shocking. I’ve heard horror stories about other Bulgarian schools but I was lucky enough to be working at one of the top language schools in the country on my Fulbright grant.
This said, the differences between ACS and my other school are like night and day.
A huge part of this has to do with the fact that because we are a private school we have resources that are unheard of in other schools around the country–decent teacher salaries, computer labs, LCD projectors, a multilingual library, classroom supplies, new (and unabridged) textbooks as well as unquestioned access to photocopies and white board markers. Teachers get their own classrooms and students come to us.
We hang posters on the wall and show-off student work. We have calendars on our walls and pictures on our desks. I have colored markers, labeled binders and trays where students turn in homework and pick-up handouts.
Another major difference is our campus culture. Students are polite and well mannered.They hold open doors, are quick to say hello and will always ask if they can help you with something be it carrying books, passing out homework or rearranging desks.
By in large, they always have their homework typed and ready to turn in. They ask questions, participate in discussion and actively take notes in class. Even student cellphone use in the classroom is limited. Once in great while a phone vibrates in class (and even less frequently rings) but all you have to do as a teacher is put your hand out and students will produce the offending phone. I’ve never had to ask for a phone all it takes is a look.
On a whole, students are respectful of the grades they earn and upon returning homework, papers or quizzes the kind of questions students ask are often: Could you read this comment for me? I can’t make out what you’ve written. Or they are extremely apologetic: I am really sorry Ms. Emigh but I think that you added up my points incorrectly. Could you take a look at this? (And yes, I’m human, I’ve made that mistake a time or two).
It’s not all puppies and rainbows but in comparison to the first school I worked at in Sofia, it’s sort of like comparing apples and oranges wherein the apple is crisp and juicy when you bite into it making you want another bit and the orange, well once you peal the orange you realize that it’s not juicy and it’s rather chewy and if you decide to eat it you eat it because you’re hungry not because it tastes good.
Sure our students could stand to work on getting their garbage actually into garbage cans at the end of lunch and at the end of the day but look around the country, it’s not as if there is a long standing tradition of this. I mean, they are teenagers and at times they behave just like teenagers. Sometimes they make bad decisions for themselves, sometimes they make poor choices, sometimes they don’t do what you expect but ACS has a clear set of standards which the students know and by in large, respect.
But I think I’ll end on this note today, the thing that never ceases to amaze me are our students. In the morning, school starts at 8:15 am and I am often at school by 7:20am. At 7:20am there will be students showing up to school and it’s clear they are at school that early because they like it and feel comfortable here. Likewise, at the end of the day classes let out at 3:15pm and even when I leave campus between 4:30 and 5pm there are students here playing sports, organizing clubs, and sometimes I suspect just hanging out with friends (or hanging out waiting for friends).
It just brings me a lot of joy to see students enjoying school and their lives at ACS.
The idiom is “by and large” which I mention only because you have non-English speakers reading your blog; it is better that they get the correct version of the idiom.
In reading your last two blogs it took me back to your first year in Sophia. I realized it was challenging, but this reminded me how hard you worked at it and with what good humor you managed it. You do good work, Carolyn.