Everybody knows a little bit of english

Since I had issues finding 15 hours of the week when I could go to my internship with my first grade class, I'm now working with 4 different english classes at the school as well. All students here learn english beginning in elementary school, although maybe "learn" is not the appropriate word. I'm amazed at how ineffective the english instruction is, how little the students know after years of instruction. The youngest class I work with, fourth graders, last week failed horribly on a test of basic vocabulary (numbers, fruit, animals, and things in the classroom), and the oldest ones know some written vocabulary but can barely respond when I ask them their names. My role so far is to talk, very slowly, in english, and to serve as a conversation partner for the teachers, who, for lack of english speakers to talk to, are struggling to maintain their own speaking skills.

"Everybody knows a little bit of English" was the title of a video the student teacher showed in one of the classes, in an attempt to 1. convince the students that, after many years of learning English (they're high school seniors), they actually do know something, and 2. convince them that it's useful to learn more english. I think it was helpful, because confidence and motivation are the two key things lacking in the classroom, and the video gave plenty of examples of things they see every day that they don't necessarily realize are english. It's hilarious to see some of the english words that have made it into the Chilean vocabulary. Today, my host mom used the word "bling bling" which seems to mean the same thing here as in the U.S., although possibly it is more specific in the type of jewelry it refers to. A lot of times, I don't recognize english words when I hear them. I expect to hear spanish, so when a random english word, distorted by the chilean pronounciation, appears, I often think it's spanish, and then realize later what was actually being said. Even when I know someone is speaking English, sometimes it's easier to understand their spanish than their english, although as my spanish improves, so does my understanding of english with a heavy chilean accent.

Two things I have learned from my english class experiences: first, that I am very glad I didn't decide to become a high school teacher, and second, that I should look into teacing ESL. I'm fascinated to see how people learn (0r fail to learn) english, and though my knowledge of grammar terms in english is sorely lacking, it's a challenge that, unlike many of my experiences with my first graders, is exciting rather than discouraging.