First Year Teacher? (May 24th)

After going to sleep at nearly 2:00 a.m., I really didn’t want to wake up to my alarm at 6:15, so I continued to sleep. I woke up at 7:02 again today. I like to leave to find a taxi around 7:20 because I hate to be late. Plus the fact that I feel like I’m sweating enough to have just run a marathon – and we all know that isn’t happening!

Today I find out that I do have to teach 15 lessons during the “Practice Week”. Allison seems to think that telling me I don’t have to be here for all of the lessons but need to provide a lesson plan will make everything better. That’s not the way it works folks, I’d still have to plan the lesson – that’s the WHOLE point of not having 15 lessons that week. We, Allison and I, looked at the schedule I had made and decided to just “drag things out” to make it last 15 classes. Instead of me providing the students data files (Excel templates), they are going to have to make everything themselves. That surely will help lengthen the process.

 
I’ve talked with my dear friend, Stacy, about writing a textbook. I told Kaplan today that I feel like I’ve gotten a great head start on the process. I seriously have to come up with all this information and plan activities and test questions for class. For my teacher friends, it’s like the “first year of teaching” all over again. There is a horrible lack of communication, things are changed time and time again, you have to learn what the students are like, and you have to plan, plan, plan! I guess, actually, it’s like starting any new school. I also have to change my vocabulary for this place because of the language barrier. I do have some very helpful students. Shakespeare (he picked that name himself) is like Papa Bear. He comes into class, turns on the lights, fans, opens windows, and gets the hi-lite board up and running. At the end of class, he turns everything off for me. His name just cracks me up anyways.

I had two classes today and Erin only had one so we went home early. Early in our standards – we left around 12:30ish. It’s nice to go “home” and work sometimes rather than sitting on the hard chairs in the office. I tell you, guys … we Americans are definitely spoiled with comfort.

Dinner tonight was Amy’s Coffee (our usual Saturday and Sunday morning hangout). I skipped the coffee for fear it would keep me up all night – I did not need a repeat of last night! I had the oh-so-delicious breakfast thing I’ve talked about before. It was so delicious I could have eaten a second one, but decided one would be plenty. Mmmm … that’s the most “Western” food we’ve had.