The first two weeks of work are over, which is almost all of my training. This week I've begun teaching with an assistant and I must admit, I've been a little nervous. It's not that I get nervous talking in front of people, because that doesn't really bother me; it's more about the students. It has been a weird experience being here as there seems to be mix responses about me, everyone seems to know that I'm a foreigner, but a lot of them are constantly asking me if I speak any Chinese. The only time I am mistaken for a Taiwanese is when I am standing next to Matthew; maybe it's my eyes. The school is interesting. The classrooms are for the most part small, but then again, there doesn't tend to be too many students to a class; I think 15 has been the maximum number I have seen yet.
I always thought I would prefer to teach older students as they would be less trouble; it would be easier because they would already have the basics down so I wouldn't have as much of a language barrier problem. This is untrue. I have taught two classes of teenaged students and they were not easy. It's not that they are mouthy or unruly or anything like that. They are very well behaved and they are very outgoing with their Chinese/domestic teacher, but when I take over they become very quiet and reserved. At first I wondered if my accent makes them nervous or maybe they don't understand me. The last foreign teacher was from South Africa so he certainly did not have the same accent. I've come to realize that they fear not being good enough with their English abilities only around me. When I was finished with my lesson I sat in and observed the rest of that class, and when their Chinese teacher took over they were back to being social. I should tell you that when I say their Chinese teacher, I mean a Taiwanese person takes over but they teach the students in English, so they are always speaking in English, not in Chinese. The students seem to do fine when communicating in English with the domestic teachers, but not me.
The younger students are actually amazing! They are so enthusiastic and they are not yet afraid of making mistakes so they try and participate in class. This is very good news for me, because I am unable to see how much or how well each student is doing if they refuse to say anything. The younger ones are a bit exhausting though because I have to play so many games with them, they love to stand and run around, but the rooms are so small we have injuries on a daily basis. It's okay though, they're young and bounce back quickly.
This week looks to be my last week of training but my schedule looks like I will be the busiest teacher there. Unlike the others who have specific classes they teach and they always have the same students, I jump around everywhere. Some teachers even stay within a certain age range, so they only ever teach the young ones or maybe only the older ones who are preparing for college. I however, move around all over the place. I only ever teach new vocabulary, and maybe some dialogue or grammar. I never teach the K.K. which is what they call the pronunciation or the sounds certain letters make. I teach all levels of classes all over the place. Some teachers have maybe three classes a day (and that's a lot for them) but then the next day they don't have any and just hold office hours. If my training schedule is anything like my teaching schedule, I will have a minimum of two classes a day. Unlike the domestic teacher, when I make a lesson plan, I have to consult with the domestic teacher to make sure I will not teach something she (they are all women) wants to teach. I am supposed to have 25 teaching hours a week and hold 12 office hours a week, so having a meeting with the co-teacher (domestic) is probably the most difficult task. They are pretty busy themselves and after school hours, they want to get out of there, but I have something to do or at least be somewhere at every minute of the day, so planning a meeting with them tends to happen between something or at the end of the school day. On average I have been leaving work about an hour to an hour and a half after school closing time. I am hoping that things slow down or I may have to get used to a very hectic schedule. At least I only work 5 days a week!
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