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I taught 5th grade for three years at a prestigious private international British school founded in 1932 in Lima, Peru. It was a great experience. Having been offered two positions in Lima at the same time – San Silvestre School (British) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), their main rival – I chose San Silvestre because they offered me upper elementary and FDR needed a middle school language arts teacher. Middle school? No thanks. I had taught 4th and 5th grade overseas for 15 years, so the British school is was, and an incredible ride it was. I’m American. I began my teaching career as a 5th grade homeroom teacher in Lake Havasu, Arizona, and then in 2000 I went overseas and worked in State Department schools as an upper elementary homeroom teacher in five different countries. At San Silvestre I was on one of two Americans on a staff of nearly 100. (It was a Kg – 12 school.) It was a real eye-opener, in a good way. And I loved it. On my first day with the kids I heard the murmurs: “Accent.” Accent? Me? And then at some point during the day we had a welcoming assembly. The kids were all asking me “What house do you belong to, Mr. Ross?” “House?” I wondered aloud. Well, I figured it was a thing admin and orientation forgot to tell me. The surprise was that new staff was introduced during the assembly and we were given our house then. What cheers went up when I was assigned to Evans House! I had absolutely zero idea what a house was. No, I never read Harry Potter, nor did I see the movie. I threw myself into the house thing quickly. Loved it! There were looks around the room, and then the questions, several times a week. “Mr. Ross, what do you mean, ‘Get squared away?’” “Well, get yourselves organized and ready to work.” I never realized I used idioms so much, and that they were American idioms the kids had never heard. They loved them and would start finding reasons and situations to use them. I heard they would tell their friends from other classes about Mr. Ross’s “sayings.” “Do I have the hang of it now, Mr. Ross?” (Improving.) “Are Jessica and I Mutt and Jeff too?” (Two friends never apart.) I’m putting my nose into it. (Getting to work.) I was always reminded of idioms I never knew I was saying. Only those used to British English would have noticed. I was also inundated with British sayings and words from the students and friends on staff. Bloody instead of damn. Botched instead of screwed up. Football instead of soccer. Exam instead of test. Maths, not math. Tea instead of dinner. Pub instead of bar. Have a Pint, not a beer. Cheeky, not risqué. Proper, not right. It was never-ending. Thing is, my British friends were much more aware of American slang, idioms and words than I was of theirs. American movies made sure of that. Maybe songs too. I came to admire the British education system and curriculum. I wasn’t crazy about ranking students – 5th graders? - and so much emphasis on testing, or “exams,” but the kids were getting an excellent education. Most of our graduates earned scholarships, and several to the UK and Australia. And many to the US. I’ll be living and working in Ecuador, where I have a retirement home. I think most of my students will be more familiar with American English than British simply because of proximity. However, I’m so glad I’m taking a British-based course. The Brits do English better than we do, but after all, it is your language.
