Wednesday, February 15, 2012

My Rant about NALCA

Over the last couple months I've read several of blog posts by other auxiliars complaining about this program, the North American Language & Culture Assistant program. //Or NALCA, since that's a fun acronym.// I'd like to add my 2 cents.

I'm gonna be honest. When I applied for this program, it was solely with the intentions of living in Spain and traveling Europe for a year. I barely thought about how I had absolutely zero qualifications to be in a classroom. (My first few weeks in classes were pretty terrible, and a definite eye-opener. I had no confidence standing up to speak in front of 30 little pairs of eyes, much less to demand their attention when they were more interested in talking about the upcoming weekend.)

With that being said, my first few weeks were also my most enjoyable in terms of actual job experience. I got to plan lessons, feel included and special, and connect with the students while doing the lessons I had planned. 

As the months wore on, teachers would (and still do) routinely come up to me and say "I don't need you in class tomorrow, we'll just be working in Spanish." This week for example, I'll have only gone to 5 out of my 12 scheduled hours. One class is having a safety presentation, 2 more were preparing/taking exams, and 1 teacher just never showed up for class. Clearly, my time in their classes is of top priority minor importance. It is an oddity, not the norm, to have all 12 classes in 1 week.

On a daily basis I feel more like a nuisance to the teachers, and I don't feel like I'm making a difference in the student's learning environment. Today in class I read paragraphs out loud. The students would listen and then ask about words they didn't know. It's so great to feel like a human cd player. 'Play'. Okay, now 'Stop'. Aaaaaaand....'play again!' So much fun.

I would LOVE to be asked to plan a lesson. Love love love it. I have all these ideas, but for the most part its been made crystal clear that there is too much material to teach and not enough time.
So...I'll just continue to awkwardly stand at the front of the class and look at you attentively all hour, because god forbid you catch me day dreaming out the window when you're asking me to pronounce a word for the students. God forbid.

So basically, to all you wanna-be future auxiliares, yes, you get paid 700euros/month for 12 hours/week. Is it worth it? Well, if you're looking for a job where you can feel appreciated and challenged on a daily basis, look elsewhere. However, if all that matters is making the most amount of money for the least amount of work, then this is your calling!

WITH THAT BEING SAID: I don't regret doing this program. It has been such an amazing experience regardless, and has given me the opportunities I wanted to travel abroad. This is an experience I never would have gotten elsewhere, and while it annoys me daily, I'm still thankful for it.
I love my students to death, they are funny and cute and so so sweet. I'm always grouchy when I enter the school, but no matter what I leave with a huge smile on my face because of something that happened in class.
(It's just the whole rest of the situation set-up that needs work.)

12 comments:

  1. I agree with you.

    My problem with it was that the kids never, ever listened. Never! I felt worthless and there was no point to me being there. Because of this, I didn't try to do anything because nothing I did ever worked, even games and fun stuff. Also, I was asked if I "practiced the sex" and the kids loved to use dirty language in front of me. I felt very disrespected.

    (I was also kind of afraid of this other teacher, but that's another story.)

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    1. That's awful!! I wonder if the ministerio knows just how their precious money is being spent (aka wasted).

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  2. A+, hit the nail on the head, etc. I love my students and all of my coworkers are really nice, but do I love the job? Farrrrrrr from it. I think that I spend more time staring at the window than anything else!

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    1. Same here, luckily I have a rare gorgeous view of the port and the bay so I just watch all the hustle and bustle of everything outside.

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  3. Oh man we're twins!! I feel that way in certain classes; my prescence is just NOT necessary week after week. And it makes me feel guity. But in my colegio it's mostly with the older kids where that happens (4th and 6th grade). When I'm with the 1st and 2nd graders my participation is in constant demand!

    I think it's such a bust due to a lack of communication between the ministry and what they think we'll be able to do, and what the individual teachers are told. I had teachers who had no idea what my function was when I first arrived! They thought I was there to be the teacher - and would leave me alone with the students! ((I nipped that issue in the bud though!))

    You're right: If you're looking for a challenge and sense of accomplishment - this is not the job for you. But for relaxing and taking life easy; it ain't too shabby!

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  4. Did you try talking with them about it??

    We are ASSISTANTS. We're not technically allowed to teach. It's not in our contract. As you said yourself, we're not qualified for that. That's why they call us auxiliares... What did you expect? This is exactly what we're here for. We're 'language assistants.' Adding little things here and there. We're not English teachers.

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    1. There is a difference between being an assistant and being a waste of space. I've tried talking to a couple teachers but just been told that there is 'too much curriculum for too little time.' Which I understand, but then...why not do something else with my hours? Something useful?

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  5. Also, just a blogging suggestion: changing the font size and style every other sentence makes it difficult to read. Simplicity works best.

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    1. To each his own, I disagree.

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    2. I disagree with William. I have no prob reading this AWESOME blog. :)

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  6. Totally agree with you. I feel like I make very little difference in the classroom, but I am always stuck there! Lucky you getting off the hook so much! Sometimes I spend the whole hour sitting and starting out the window until the teacher asks me to repeat a word or something. not to mention the kids are little demons and never listen, though maybe they would if there was actual discipline in the schools. This program is a complete catastrophe and poorly organized. Many teachers don't know how to use us in the classroom as tools or even fully comprehend our role in the schools. (I have blogged about, and other problems extensively too). I was in a village in andalucia last year and it was awful, but this year I am in la rioja in the north and it is 10 times better, though it can still painful.

    That being said, this program is a total hit or miss. I have friends who have fantastic schools and work with great teachers. Have you ever tried to take the initiative in the classroom, and said that you want to prepare things? Usually most teachers can be pretty open to this, since it takes the pressure off of them and they do less work. sometimes when i get completely fed up with how inept the teachers are here, i just take control of the class, but i dont do it all the time because its not my job and its exhausting.

    ok phew, there's my two cents. good post :)

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    1. Liz, I love your blog! I read both your auxiliar-related posts, and I agree with all of it. Especially the part about how the Ministry hasn't figured their s*** out after so many years of this program. Ridiculous.
      The problem with my teachers (I've talked to a few of them about running more classes), is that they just don't have the time. One time the chemistry teachers handed over the class to me and told me to teach them a page on light refraction while she messed around on the computer, but that just turned into me attempting to translate physics words from English into Spanish. The kids were super confused, obviously. She hasn't tried it again since.

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