Well, the second day of teaching was not as fantastic as the first, although it went fairly well. My first class (A1, the third level) was very, very quiet. One main mission of the AH is to get students conversing in English, and with those kids (this was the class where the average age was 14) it was totally like pulling teeth. For the most part they just sat there. The other problem with this class was that the lesson was supposed to be a review of things they should have already known. Unfortunately, they did not already know these things very well, and I did not have enough time to do much more than a review. I am teaching two classes at the A1 level, and I was told one class would be more advanced than the other. This was definitely the less advanced class. The students were, however, all nice and well behaved. Woohoo!
My second class was Z2 (the second level, and the same level I teach at VEMZ, just without the business terminology). The lesson went very well, because I had essentially conducted the same lesson yesterday, and therefore had already practiced. However, unlike the VEMZ employees, who were all jolly and willing to participate, the Z2 class was very quiet, and again, getting them to participate was tough. One girl in this class likes watching the Simpsons, and I totally won her over when I hummed the theme song. (Although I personally do not find Gomer and Marzh nearly as funny in Russian.)
My third class of the day was awesome. It was at the A1 level, and they were far more advanced than the first A1 class I taught. It was definitely a review for them, and we were actually able to have conversations in English, and I got them to converse among themselves in English, quite an accomplishment for the first day! At the beginning of each class I have given a short autobiographical introduction, and this class clapped when I finished. They also clapped at the end of class, and apparently several told the AH staff that they really enjoyed my class :-) I am glad that is my last class of the day, because I left the AH in a great mood, feeling as though I had accomplished something.
Teaching three 90 minute classes in a row is exhausting. I ate lunch, but unfortunately, as classes went from 4:00 to 9:00, having eaten lunch did not really do me any good. I am like one of those stereotypical old people who eats supper at 5:00 every day, and by the time 9:00 rolled around, I was feeling positively light-headed. I am definitely going to have to cram in a pre-dinner before class. (There was a full, three course meal waiting for me when I returned home. If only I could have had it after my first class!)
Tomorrow (Wednesday) we do not have any classes. We have a teachers meeting in the early afternoon (which means I get to sleep late!!!), and I have office hours at the AH from 5:00 to 6:30. And, of course, there is lesson planning. I am mostly looking forward to the sleeping in......
My second class was Z2 (the second level, and the same level I teach at VEMZ, just without the business terminology). The lesson went very well, because I had essentially conducted the same lesson yesterday, and therefore had already practiced. However, unlike the VEMZ employees, who were all jolly and willing to participate, the Z2 class was very quiet, and again, getting them to participate was tough. One girl in this class likes watching the Simpsons, and I totally won her over when I hummed the theme song. (Although I personally do not find Gomer and Marzh nearly as funny in Russian.)
My third class of the day was awesome. It was at the A1 level, and they were far more advanced than the first A1 class I taught. It was definitely a review for them, and we were actually able to have conversations in English, and I got them to converse among themselves in English, quite an accomplishment for the first day! At the beginning of each class I have given a short autobiographical introduction, and this class clapped when I finished. They also clapped at the end of class, and apparently several told the AH staff that they really enjoyed my class :-) I am glad that is my last class of the day, because I left the AH in a great mood, feeling as though I had accomplished something.
Teaching three 90 minute classes in a row is exhausting. I ate lunch, but unfortunately, as classes went from 4:00 to 9:00, having eaten lunch did not really do me any good. I am like one of those stereotypical old people who eats supper at 5:00 every day, and by the time 9:00 rolled around, I was feeling positively light-headed. I am definitely going to have to cram in a pre-dinner before class. (There was a full, three course meal waiting for me when I returned home. If only I could have had it after my first class!)
Tomorrow (Wednesday) we do not have any classes. We have a teachers meeting in the early afternoon (which means I get to sleep late!!!), and I have office hours at the AH from 5:00 to 6:30. And, of course, there is lesson planning. I am mostly looking forward to the sleeping in......
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