Learning the Ropes

So yesterday, I got back to the hotel started up my laptop and wrote about t my second day. Today I am at a lost as to what happened to all of that typing; it has disappeared! I am a little pissed that it didn’t save properly. Anyway:

It is kind of pandemonium at work right now. The “7”Yr Olds (5/6 by American standards) are going to be graduating from our private academy and joining the world of public elementary school Saturday. Also, new teachers are arriving, teachers are leaving, and a new school is opening on Monday. So I will be at a hotel for another couple of days. We also have not made it to the hospital yet for our drug/blood tests. That is disappointing because I want my alien registration card. The card enables me to have internet in my apartment a bank account so I can be paid and other little things like that.

However, we have been observing more classes and even teaching parts of a couple. I have discovered that I am the kind that needs to prepare before a class; to have a plan of attack. I am not able to just wing teaching something. Example: Bill-teacher’s class: no preparation or anything thought I was going to observe and told to teach. It was a disaster and then some; plus Bill made me really nervous for some reason. Let’s just say it was humiliating and continue to try to forget about it. Dan-teacher’s class was much easier. I had been introduced to the kids the day before. I had 45 minutes to plan a “lesson” based upon the book and style I wanted to use. (I reviewed infinitives and gerunds which I think we discussed in elementary school; I had to re-learn what they were in that 45 minutes (Can you remember without googl-ing it first? Answer tomorrow)) Anyway, Dan gave me feedback on my teaching-things to remember and try and things done well. We also stayed overtime to observe those classes. Pria-teacher also let us prepare before teaching and gave some feedback. Overall, I felt better once I realized that’s I failed in Bill’s class due to unpreparedness.

Today was much of the same. I observed Pria’s class most of the morning and Brandon in the afternoon; then Jeremy asked me to take Caroline’s class until she was able to get back from some errand. Pria’s class was amazing. I had meet some of them the day before and a couple of them remembered me. They had a food party for the second half of class and also had play time. I taught some of them clapping hand games. Many of them are too cute for their own good…

I found out that I will be staying at this “old” school. I understand that it really doesn’t matter where we go; however, it has been a long process in deciding who will go where. I wonder how they made and what made them make their final decisions. But, whatev. I will get to move into one of the teachers who are transferring to the new schools apartment(s) as soon as they finish moving out. I know that I will feel better yet when I feel settled and not like I am in transit.