The author began their teaching observation with feelings of intrigue, curiosity, and energy. When they arrived at the school, the teacher kindly welcomed them and showed them around. In the classroom, all eyes turned to the author as they were introduced to the students as a future teacher. The author observed part of an English lesson where the students practiced numbers and colors. The students demonstrated high energy and enthusiasm for participating in the lesson's activities. Though there are challenges in teaching, the author felt this is what they want to do, as everything is compensated when a student uses an English word they were taught.

1. I began with a feeling of intrigue, fear, diffidence and at the same time it was a
feeling of curiosity, anxiety and lot of energy by wanting to start with the observation
and also by wanting to start with the practice. the
When I arrived at school, Maggie kindly welcomed me and explained to me the
location of the classrooms where we were going to be working and she also
described me how the students were.
In the teachers' room, I was welcomed as well and the views on the school,
classrooms and students were expanded a little bit more. The bell rang and the time
had come. We went to the classroom where we were going to work. Maggie entered
and when I entered, all eyes turned toward me.
Of course, I was the “new one” to the classroom and everyone wanted to know who I
was and why I was there with them.
Excited to know who I was, they asked: "Teacher, y el quien es?"
Maggie introduced me to them as a future new teacher and they automatically
greeted me super happy just only because I was there with them.
I sat in the background to avoid distractions for students. There was something
wrong in the classroom but I did not know what it was at the beginning. But then I
realized that the walls were empty, there was just a map of Argentina, but there were
no posters about topics or students’ productions that they may had worked on class.
At first, I thought it was due to the protocols for Covid. “Maybe they are not allowing
to stick posters on the walls” I said. But after the lesson, when we went to the school
yard, while I was walking and talking to Maggie, I saw that the other classrooms had
posters and students’ productions on their walls.
Going back to the lesson, the teacher began:
Bueno chicos y chicas, today is .... Thursday
What number?
They all answer aloud at the same time: “doce”
y como decimos 12 en ingles? The teacher says
twelve! Said one of the students
Very good, twelve! (And she writes it on the whiteboard)
And how is the weather like?
Los alumnos miran por la ventana, “sunny” the answered and the teacher draws a
sun on the whiteboard.
Good! Replied the teacher as providing feedback.
They started the lesson, the theme was numbers and colours. The teacher
distributed photocopies to each student that contained numbers and the name of
each number written in English. They had to match the number with its name.
“We have to match” said the teacher. “Do you remember what is to match?” she
continued.
Students: Unirrrr!

2. Teacher: Yess! We are going to match the numbers with their names. And then she
translated “vamos a unir los números con sus nombres en ingles”
So, let’s go! She encouraged them.
The energy of the children and the predisposition they had to solve the exercises
and participation in classes surprised me very much. On the one hand I thought that
any exercise that I would plan for the future, would have an immediate response
from them and they will want to participate in each task. My fear was, what do I do if
no one wants to participate? what should I do if they don't like it? and if they reveal
themselves and don't want to do it? those fears disappeared from me as I witnessed
all lessons. All students are extremely interested in knowing which would be the new
task to perform. All observations until here were ephemeral to me. I have stayed with
a feeling of "what else?" "this is it?" "I want more lessons!!".
I felt this is the place I wanted to be. I know that there will be good days, bad days
and endless days in the future, but I don’t care, this is what I want.
Even though wages are not the best, even though many schools are not in good
conditions, even though there will be bad and worse days, or even though we feel
that the English language is in unequal schedules with respect to other subjects,
everything is compensated when you listen to a student using an English word that
you taught to her or to him.
Regards,
Rodrigo Diaz Alcazar