I have most of the same kids from last year in my 2nd grade class this year, with two exceptions. Here are their little faces...
Nicole
A sweet little girl with tidy handwriting and a warm hug.
Her whole face lights up when she sees me and she's eager to
please me. She's often the last to finish her homework, struggling
to understand numbers and letters, but her homework is neat and clean,
each letter in it's place, her pencils sharpened and lined up on her desk.
Norma
She wrinkles up her nose when she doesn't understand something,
tilting her head to one side and raising her voice and octave to ask
her question. When the boys pull her braids, she turns feisty and chases
after them. Her homework has really improved in the last year, but she
still often doesn't understand what she's writing or reading.
Manuel
The class instigator, Manuel is rarely in his seat. He
wanders around the classroom, fidgeting, playing, and throwing paper
airplanes made out of half-finished homework. His voice is always cranked
up a notch, yelling everything he says.
Jose Felix
A little boy with a split personality, he can be sweet and affectionate
or sullen and angry, his face darkened with a sour scowl. His
wordssquishtogether on the page, one word running into the next.
When I'm discouraged or frustrated, Jose Felix seems to have a radar
for my emotions and wraps his little arms around me, hugging me tight.
Wilma
The opposite of Manuel, she speaks in whispers. Her writing
scrawls across the page in a disorderly fashion, but she captures
numbers quickly, memorizing the multiplication table before the rest.
She still speaks in halting Spanish phrases, speaking only
Quechua at home
Hernan
Soft-spoken and often in his own world, when he engages,
his whole face lights up and he grins ear to ear, shouting his answer.
In second grade for the second year in a row, Hernan is still learning
Spanish, from his native Quechua.
Cristian
Mischievous and full of energy, he's a handful
when he's had too much sugar. While others quietly work
at their desk, Crisitian spontaneously breaks into song,
belting out lyrics to the latest pop song, Christian kids song or
national anthem. He's quick to get in trouble and equally as quick
to look chagrined and apologize.
Jovana
She's a sweet, gentle presence in the classroom. When
she arrives in the afternoon, she sees me and comes
running, braids flying behind her and arms outstretched.
She often wraps her little arms around me when she senses
I'm frustrated or upset and says "Profe Kati, you're beautiful."
Her handwriting is perfect and her homework equally careful
and error free.
Filemon
Another Quechua native speaker, when Filemon
forgets where he is, he rattles off in Quechua, his whole
demeanor softening and his face lighting up. When he speaks
in Spanish, he spits his words out, often scowling and stomping
around the classroom. His temper tantrums are like a whirlwind,
lashing out indiscriminately at anything in his path: little girls, desks,
cups of milk for snack...
Sebastian
A little man in a boy's body, Sebastian walks with a
swagger, sticking his chest out and throwing his shoulders forward.
His hand shoots up when he knows the answer and he's eager to learn.
If another kid looks at him funny, he's out of his seat in a flash,
punching and kicking with fury. His home life is rough, and he
carries the injustice of it in his eyes.
