Since I’ve come back from Thailand I’ve been teaching for 3 days (what school gives winter vacation for 3 weeks, has the teachers teach for 3 days, has a half day/graduation ceremony and then gives a 2 week "spring break"?) and frantically trying to plan my lessons for the next year. I'm in a relatively unique situation because my school decided that they liked the lesson plans I was making and therefore don't want me teaching from a textbook. While this clears up any sort of bureaucratic textbook headaches that are the source of disdain for many of my fellow teachers, it also leaves me in a position that feels precariously like standing on stilts on the proverbial fence.
For example, if I teach a lesson and the students/my co-teachers don't like it, then I’m branded as a "teacher" that is incapable of providing adequate means of learning for my students (note the scorn placed upon teacher with those quotes, ouch!) BUT if I provide quality lessons then I’m free to teach whatever I want and my co-workers applaud me for being so teacher-ly. SO every week as I plan my lessons I have to keep in mind that precarious perch I’m on; which I find to be a quality experience because it means that I must fervently out-best myself each week. Fun.
Anyways, long rambling diatribe that leads to my main point: WHAT AM I GOING TO POSSIBLY DO NEXT YEAR?! Recently I’ve been tossing about ideas concerning WHAT I’m going to do with my classes next year and I realized some inner delving was necessary. After teaching for the last 6 months I’ve gone from no tangible teaching experience to what I consider mostly quality teaching. I'm not actually sure that my students are retaining anything that I’m teaching them, but then again to this point I have yet to actually delve into teaching grammar or anything of substance. I basically infuse some world culture and free thinking into my students otherwise rote lives of repeat and memorize; I personally think that this is a positive thing for them as well as for my co-teachers but it doesn’t leave much room for personal growth. But the question still lingers, what should I do with my lessons next year? Do I want to continue down this path of little responsibility and no way of gauging whether my students are actually retaining what I say OR do I want to create a semester long project that requires them to draw on the materials that have been presented in former lessons? Obviously, my choice is clear.
The next question that weighs me down is: HOW IN THE WORLD DO I DO THIS? And yes, I’m yelling. As I have waxed lyrical in previous posts, I have no experience as a teacher except for the babysitting and the job with the elementary school, but neither of those positions really prepared me for the rigors of a classroom. The discipline required for 1, 2 or even 10 students is nothing compared to the mass discipline and impregnation of thoughts that careful planning and articulate delivery bring to a classroom. So, I suppose that I have some more research to do.
What I’ve discovered on my self-teaching-how-to-teach journey is that I definitely have a disciplinary and teaching style that varies from other teachers and that this applies to all teachers; there is no one size fits all and that’s a relief. The important thing, once I realized this, was to look at the way other people taught and then to take the things I liked and tailor each lesson specifically to me. I also learned to speak more slowly, clearly and to use smaller words and popular Kanglish vernacular. With these steps I’ve carefully crafted myself into becoming a much better teacher. Success! However, these are just the bare bones basics. Now what I need to work on is actual planning and articulating more concrete and solid lesson plans that measure, without testing (because I don't have access to tests), the amount that my students are learning and basically I’m all thumbs. I have no idea how I’m supposed to go about doing this. So, until I figure that out I’ll be glued to my computer screen reading teacher blogs, articles, books and god knows what else. If you have any suggestions, please help a friend out.
Also, note of tragedy, today is graduation and I wasn't informed that I’m supposed to give a SPEECH in front of the ENTIRE school. Neither was I informed that it was superior dress day. I look nice, but my slacks and cardigan are NOTHING compared to the suits, ties, pumps, frilly dresses and hanbok that my co-workers are wearing.
*sigh, hangs head in shame*
Oh Korealand,
Anyeong!
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