somewhere under the sky

trial by fire

is what this TEFL program is like. TEFL is teaching english as a foreign language, which yes, is different from english as a second language, or can be.
so my day-i have class from 830 to 1230 then i eat lunch, then i lesson plan usually all afternoon, then i teach from 6 to 8 pm and then we have a review session afterwards with our observer.
and this is how it´s been since day 1. that´s right, our first day of this program we met our students and the next day we were teaching. which is why i say trial by fire because they just sort of throw us into the classroom, not knowing a whole lot. at least for me, i haven´t had any of this theory, and teaching spanish for 1st graders once a week is a lot different from teaching ecuadorian advanced students of english every day.
so, classes are so-so, it´s hard to pay attention sometimes. my favorite part of all of this is talking with my students at night. and i´m learning about who i am as a teacher and discovering that i might be more comfortable in the role of "tutor" than of actual stand in front of the class teacher, although there are a thousand different ways to teach, as i´m finding out. but i ADORE my students. right now i´m teaching advanced, next week i switch to beginners, and in this class we have a range from a 14 yr old to i would guess around 45. it´s a blast getting to know them, their personalities, their lives, what they like, etc. it´s a shame we have to switch...i get attached real fast.
so that´s the program. it´s intense, which has advantages and disadvantages to it. i´m usually exhausted at the end of the day. but i know this is the right time for me to get this certificate, so...i keep at it.

posted by leah v @ 8:20 AM