Wriggling and Giggling

So here I am in Colombia, teaching middle school English, which might not be so bad.  Except for one thing.  I've forgotten how wriggly and giggly twelve and thirteen going on fourteen children really are.  To sit still for more than ten minutes is a challenge, to actually work for 50 minutes even more so. Add to this the penchant for children to spend most of their time socializing, interfacing on thier cell phones and the need to check for text messages ever five minutes or less, even when they shouldn't, makes for a very - dynamic - classroom.  Way too much energy, not enough places to use it up, which is why I generally like to stay away from this age group - as far away as I can.  Unfortunately my job is to teach these darlings.  Really need to check my sanity pills to up the strength for this one.  What will happen this year?  Well, let's see ... the thirteen-going-on-fourteens will continue to wage the battle between wanting to be little kids and raging hormones that say otherwise, which makes them, as my mother would say - snorty.  The twelve-going-on-thirteens will suddenly hit the hormone wall, which will turn them from children into - well even more wriggly and giggly teens.  Then, they have to relearn to work in English which is not their first language (even though they've been taking English as a subject for the last seven years it's like they haven't had any before - see hormones above).  So who will survive the year?  That's up for grabs - and it's only September.  Until next time I have enough brainpower to write this blog.