My looking and asking and all of that jazz paid off! There was a bit of a delay with that whole evacuating from the volcano thing... but tomorrow I teach my first real ESL class. Ever. And I am NERVOUS. I have never worked with adults before, and these guys are grad students on a scholarship from the Indonesian government. I am getting them ready for their IELTS. And I am also teaching a class on cross cultural exchange. Kids are easy. They think you're cool no matter what you do.
I'm subbing for a month, and then after that I will have new classes.
Did I mention that I am nervous? I am nervous. I also (as of like two hours ago)have a nasty sore throat and my tongue has thiese weird bumps on the back and I'm pretty sure it isn't strepp, but this isn't helping me stay calm and confident.
My background is theatre, so I know stage fright, and I have it. I just have to trust that my lesson plans are in order and everything is okay. It's okay, right?
Loading recent content...
What do you think?
Add Your Comment!
Log in to leave a comment or Create an account
Thank you guys! Everything is going smoothly. I think. The thing is, no one would ever tell me if it wasn't. Eh.
The coolest/hardest part about this job is that they are all grown ups. Not just grown ups, but most of them are university professors, heading off to other countries to continue graduate studies. They are brilliant. I am having trouble finding the confidence to correct them, especially in a culture where losing face considered the ultimate insult and they are not used to being corrected.. at least not in my course American way.
It is very cool, though, because I like to watch them learn. I already know that they have a great capacity for learning, but not everyone is gifted in the language department. I am struggling with Bahasa Indonesia, so I know that I'm no champ... but we do learn the language that we need for survival. I am great at ordering beer and asking where the bathroom is. In English, these guys are great at talking about the gene sequence of a rare moth found on some small island west of Borneo. But ordering beers and asking about the bathroom? Not so much.
Congratulations on your new job! You'll be absolutely fine - don't expect to be a pro in your very first lesson - things will go wrong, but just have a few games and activities tucked up your sleeve and you should come out in one piece :) keep us posted with how you get on!
» Comments RSS