Hola... Yeah, I don't speak Spanish...

I am currently finishing up some observation hours at Marrs Magnet School in South Omaha. South O is primarily inhabited by Hispanic populations, so therefore, most South O schools have a lot of kids in them that speak Spanish as their first language.

I don't speak spanish. At all. Okay, I might know like 10 words, but that's seriously it. Probably the worst life decision ever to take French for 8 years of my life. I really like being at Marrs Magnet. I really have liked the kids overall and my cooperating teacher is pretty good. Well, when I went into the school and classroom this morning, I walked in on a class of kids I had never seen before. Doing observation hours is always a little awkward because not all the kids get to see you and know you, and also, you don't really have much say in the classroom. Well, I walk in and get stares from 25 6th grade strangers... Oh... Hello.

The entire morning, I am walking around and helping kids with their current drawing projects. There are three boys in particular that are especially chatty. I try to give them the stare down, but that didn't work. Every time I glance up, they are looking at me and talking to one another. After about 5 or 10 minutes of this going on, I finally walk over to them and ask them to stop talking. Of course they are not going to listen to me, they have never seen me before. They start talking in Spanish and laughing and giggling at me.

I am annoyed at this point. Okay boys, this is the deal, you are 11. When you talk, you still sound like you are 5 year old girls. You are about to experience zits and rejections from girls who REALLY don't want to date you. You are still in that awkward, post-child, chubby phase. Why are you laughing at me? I should be laughing at you.

I walk over to tell them a second time to get to work and stop talking. Their response? "Do you speak Spanish?" I said no... and immediately after I said that, I dreaded my response. I should have lied. I should have told them I was fluent. They grinned and started speaking openly in Spanish. Occasionally, students from around the class would turn around and laugh at their comments. I had NO idea what they were saying. I have never felt so taken advantage of for not speaking Spanish. All I know is I feel completely self-conscious at the fact all the kids were all laughing at those 3 boys' remarks...

I tried remembering some keys words that they said, but when I typed them into Google Translator, they weren't there... I probably spelled them completely wrong. Dang my life. I need to learn Spanish.