. . . is actually really hard. And unexpectedly strenuous. We only teach for two hours at a time, but after a session with those kids all my muscles are just exhausted. I'm not sure why.
I teach every weekday, sometimes twice a day. I'm teaching the Primary classes (3-5 year-olds), which means that a great number of the kids I teach don't know any English at all. They mostly stare at me in class - that's if I'm lucky. If I'm unlucky, they start jumping around or hitting the other kids.
The first day was really rough. I think that was because I expected that my experience teaching kids at church would have prepared me perfectly for teaching English here. I was very, VERY wrong. Everything that I thought would work just fell apart, and I was fumbling to get everything under control.
Today, though, things went a lot better. I changed my approach to fit the situation, and while it wasn't a fantastic class we sure went a lot farther than last week. At least, after today, I feel like I will be able to learn to be a good English teacher eventually.
Probably my favorite thing is when one of the kids shouts out spontaneous English. We usually have to model it for them (example: If I ask "Who wants a blue spot?" then I have to look at one of the kids and tell them to say "I want a blue spot!" Then they'll repeat it, and I'll give them the spot, and they'll see how it works), so when they can create English sentences without our help, it's very exciting. Like, if we're leaving the room, and one of the kids shouts out, "Goodbye, Miss Jessica!" Yeah, that pretty much makes my day.
We made the kids wear nametags today, because their names are so hard to remember when you can hardly pronounce them. Here are just a few:
Igor
Vasiliza
Nastia (we have a boy AND a girl named Nastia)
Vanya
Danya
Bogdan
Aliza
Lunya
Zeema
Mica
Nica
Yera
Liza
Samaya
Palina
Christyoff
Nikita
Yislaf
...Yeah, Russians have cool names. It's true.
Anyway, I'm going to go lie down. After teaching all day, I deserve a break.
5 comments:
I think Nastia is my favorite. And Gros, you're amazing. I'd be so terrified! 0_o It'll be so cool to see how you affect these kids and how you deal with the difficulties you face. Definitely go take a lie-down. I feel lazy just reading your posts. 0_o
I will be amazed if you don't give your kids Russian names some day.
I'm so glad it's going better and you got the little high from hearing someone get it. Love you.
Haha, I feel your pain. Teaching is hard. But it will get better! :)
Go Jess!
I know the feeling of teaching wearing you out! Yup, yup, yup! We should get paid more for it. :)
Yikes! I hope I don't substitute for a class of Russians. Can you imagine calling out roll? I'd butcher those names bad!
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