To the last day of my teaching at the Little School that is!! I have two more classes to teach there. Next week they are 1 hour 30 minutes and the following week they are both 3 hours. That makes for a long class, but I am so excited I think I already know what I am going to do. At least I will leave them on a good note. My last few classes I think will be the best I have done so far. And no letting these suckers out early either...no way buddy.
As you might be able to tell, I feel human again! I am still coughing a little bit but I am not gasping for air and having to take steroids to clear my lungs. I'm off today to buy a few things for a dinner party we are having tonight. A few folks are coming over for Raclette!! Reflecting on my past entries I see that I have not been as good as I should have with the promise of pictures, but this time I have my camera read for the event and will do my best to document the "Easy-Bake Oven For Adults" type meal that Raclette is. Nothing like a meal consisting mostly of melted cheese to kick off a healthy start eh? Apologies to my arteries...but I'll drink red wine with it and plan to poach pears in a sweet red wine sauce for a light desert. Fruit and anti-oxidants, that evens things out? Right?
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Progress. I think.
So yesterday was a full day. It started with giving oral exams to a class of my students at the Small School. I took them in pairs and had them talk about/present an unethical activity for 10 minutes. It was not so bad really. Some were interesting, like the ones about abortion, prostitution or euthanasia. Some were dry, like the ones on using office supplies for personal use, but they did well overall.
After the exams I met with my supervisor. We talked about the person taking over for me next week with the start of the semester, but he needs to sort his schedule out so it looks like I will be teaching here until the end of February. Oh well, the extra money won't hurt. Much. She also mentioned that she is meeting with the student that complained about my letting classes out early. What...come on people. I spoke with the kid, it's settled. She is going to meet with him though. Who knows what will come out of his mouth. At first I thought "oh no, what if he complains more and I get fired?" Then I thought..."I wish" and moved on to "Ah, it's France. Virtually impossible to fire someone here. I think." Who knows. I refuse to be upset about it any longer.
So I should be done with all my jobs in March and ready for our move back to Texas. Which we still have no idea what that is going to happen. If we end up here through May I am going to see if I can continue at the Big School, I really enjoy those classes. We had a class last night and it went really well. I actually enjoyed the class and we ran over the time! Crazy what a syllabus can do for a teacher...
The day ended with a quick dinner with my friend K from London and then we went to see the moving Twilight. Yes...I am a lemming and have read the books. And I thought the movie was fantastic! I thought they did a great job reflecting what was in the books. Though there is a good possibility I am biased because I read the books so I know everything already. I don't know if the movie stands well on it's own, but after the book I thought it was it was great. Jacob is smokin...along with all the vamps of course...and I was really impressed with the girl who plays Bella, I thought she did a great job.
This morning I was all ready to visit my friend Marie and her daughter. Her daughter likes to practice her English and is really sweet. I was looking forward to it. I grab my keys and get to the car but am having some difficulties with the GPS. It's falling all over the place, has come unplugged and is seemingly smeared with olive oil because I keep dropping it. A very 1990's Chevy Chase couple of minutes. I ended up pulling over right as I got out of the garage and got the Inspector Clouseau moment under control. Then I thought I remembered something sounding funny as I drove out of our parking garage. I decided to take a look. Sure enough...front driver's side tire is completely flat. Not a breath of air in that puppy.
Uh. No big deal, I'll just put the old girl back in the garage and go make some coffee. I back up and am prepared to break the rules of driving (see how well integrated I have become!) by entering the garage the wrong way. Oops, there is a car coming out. It's being driven by the man who was standing outside our spot glaring at me because I had, temporarily I'm sure, lost the ability to see through concrete and I didn't know he was waiting to walk behind me. I smile sheepishly and pull the car out of his way. In retrospect I should have rolled the window down and yelled; "Hi yall!" in my best East Texas accent. I say East Texas because I have family there and, in my humble but I am sure correct opinion, they have the best accents in all of Texas. (Shout out to S., S. and Aunt H!)
After blocking the street (twice) with myflailing while holding my breath skillful three point turn and pulling in the lot up the exit ramp successfully, I came back home and decided to let you all know how my week was going. Not too bad really. Though I do hate that we might have to buy new tires right before we friggin leave the country. What a waste of money. If gas were cheap I would make sure to drive a lot and use up our (soon to be) new tires, but at over $7 a gallon I don't know if that will happen. BUT...I am having a visitor in March so we will be doing some driving for sure!! Yeah!!! My friend Shari is going too come over for a week and has already bought her ticket. It's perfect timing since I might be done with work at that time.
Well, I'm off to see if I can watch Obama's inauguration speech from yesterday!
After the exams I met with my supervisor. We talked about the person taking over for me next week with the start of the semester, but he needs to sort his schedule out so it looks like I will be teaching here until the end of February. Oh well, the extra money won't hurt. Much. She also mentioned that she is meeting with the student that complained about my letting classes out early. What...come on people. I spoke with the kid, it's settled. She is going to meet with him though. Who knows what will come out of his mouth. At first I thought "oh no, what if he complains more and I get fired?" Then I thought..."I wish" and moved on to "Ah, it's France. Virtually impossible to fire someone here. I think." Who knows. I refuse to be upset about it any longer.
So I should be done with all my jobs in March and ready for our move back to Texas. Which we still have no idea what that is going to happen. If we end up here through May I am going to see if I can continue at the Big School, I really enjoy those classes. We had a class last night and it went really well. I actually enjoyed the class and we ran over the time! Crazy what a syllabus can do for a teacher...
The day ended with a quick dinner with my friend K from London and then we went to see the moving Twilight. Yes...I am a lemming and have read the books. And I thought the movie was fantastic! I thought they did a great job reflecting what was in the books. Though there is a good possibility I am biased because I read the books so I know everything already. I don't know if the movie stands well on it's own, but after the book I thought it was it was great. Jacob is smokin...along with all the vamps of course...and I was really impressed with the girl who plays Bella, I thought she did a great job.
This morning I was all ready to visit my friend Marie and her daughter. Her daughter likes to practice her English and is really sweet. I was looking forward to it. I grab my keys and get to the car but am having some difficulties with the GPS. It's falling all over the place, has come unplugged and is seemingly smeared with olive oil because I keep dropping it. A very 1990's Chevy Chase couple of minutes. I ended up pulling over right as I got out of the garage and got the Inspector Clouseau moment under control. Then I thought I remembered something sounding funny as I drove out of our parking garage. I decided to take a look. Sure enough...front driver's side tire is completely flat. Not a breath of air in that puppy.
Uh. No big deal, I'll just put the old girl back in the garage and go make some coffee. I back up and am prepared to break the rules of driving (see how well integrated I have become!) by entering the garage the wrong way. Oops, there is a car coming out. It's being driven by the man who was standing outside our spot glaring at me because I had, temporarily I'm sure, lost the ability to see through concrete and I didn't know he was waiting to walk behind me. I smile sheepishly and pull the car out of his way. In retrospect I should have rolled the window down and yelled; "Hi yall!" in my best East Texas accent. I say East Texas because I have family there and, in my humble but I am sure correct opinion, they have the best accents in all of Texas. (Shout out to S., S. and Aunt H!)
After blocking the street (twice) with my
Well, I'm off to see if I can watch Obama's inauguration speech from yesterday!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I thought it was a good week. Until Wednesday.
My week started off great. We had Cyr's family over for raclette on Sunday. I thought it went pretty well, even though I do get nervous having everyone over. What if there is an awkward silence? I can't fill it because my French isn't that good. I can only ask questions really. But it was fun. Cyr's Mom brought two bottles of the fantastic wine and we sat around and ate melted cheese and hams all afternoon.
Monday morning was spent trying to get rid of the headache I had from the wine and the Chartreuse I drank on Sunday. The afternoon however was fairly interesting as I had a meeting with some division of the French government about my carte de sejour. Cyr went with me to translate. I saw a doctor and got a chest x-ray, they took blood, weighed and measured me and then put us in a room to watch a film about France. I really do wonder if they don't let people in because they have high blood sugar or are too heavy. "Oh, sorry miss, but we already have our quota of women under 5'2" (translate to metric though) so we are not going to issue you a Titre de Sejour. Merci."
Then I was called in to speak with a women who was to determine my level of French and see if I could get the free classes. I did a quick one page test and tried to speak with her. She said my French was not that bad, but that she could give me 150 hours of class if I would like them. I told her "heck yeah" in French and I should be getting a letter that tells me when and where. All I know is it's 12 hours a week and not on Tuesdays. I am really excited about that.
Then we waited some more and saw another woman (girl really, probably 22) who had me sign a contract with France. Apparently I am now legally bound to believe in the equality, fraternity and liberty. Not a problem. Then she pulls out a folder, after much stamping and signing of documents, and hands me my shiny, new laminated Titre de Sejour!! WOW!! I have it! I can work with my real card! Until November 11, 2009 that is, then I have to renew it. They also told us that after we are married for 3 years I can apply for a 10 year card, that's nice to know.
Tuesday I had my classes. I thought they went well actually. I had my two crazy classes first, which I ended early and began doing oral exams with part of the class. I had them sign up last week so they knew it would be a short class that day. I then went to teach at my Big School and the class went pretty well there too. I ended up staying late helping a student with a letter, then packed up to go home. Then came the first problem of the week. I could not find the key to the classroom. I searched everywhere and it was not in the room. I searched pockets and it was no where to be found. I thought maybe the person that was teaching before me picked it up because we both had our things strewn around the front of the class. Alas, no key.
This typically wouldn't be a big deal. If it were not for the fact that the keys are ALL master keys and open every door in the building. I tell the receptionist I will look through my things at home and bring it back if I find it. On Wednesday I looked through my things and there was no key to be found. I decided I better call my supervisor at the school. Before I could do that, my cell phone rang. It was my supervisor from the Other School, I guess I can call it The Small School because it's not a Grand Ecole (Big School). She sounded very upset, I could tell in her voice something was wrong. She finally got around to telling me that one of my students complained about me yesterday. He went to someone (I think the front desk person) and told her I had ended class early and it was not the first time I had done so. Wow, this is the first I have ever heard of this happening. Then she said I should either write to the student and apologize or speak with him and tells me his name. Seriously? I need to apologize to a student for letting them go early? Interesting. I told her that if they felt this was something awful maybe the teacher that is going to take over my classes in March should take them over right now. She said the kids had enough change this year with new English teachers and that I should continue. Oh...please fire me. Please.
I got off the phone with her and called my Big School supervisor to tell him about my inability to locate my key. When I asked him what typically happens he said "Well it's a master key, so all the locks in the building will have to be changed." Fuck me. If they dock my pay I will probably owe them money. What a freaking moron I am. Plus I had to tell everyone that I was leaving and it's hard to find teachers so I'm not exactly on everyone's favorite list. I hope I don't plan on teaching when I return to Lille. I'm leaving quite an impression on everyone, and unfortunately it's not a good one. Maybe they will have all forgotten me by then...
My plan is to talk to the student and tell him that if he has a problem with the way I teach or what I teach that he is free to come to me to talk about things. I thought this was a business school. Is that how they teach them to do good business? "To get along well in the workplace kids make sure to complain about people to their bosses as opposed to working it out with them." I just don't think it's necessary to go over someones head. It' s not like I am intimidating or anything. I find it a bit cowardice to not face your problem head on. I'll talk to the kid, but I won't be bullied. I am half tempted to let them go early again next class just to piss him off, but I won't. I also don't understand why everyone is so afraid of the students here. I remember when I first started and they kept changing the day and time of the class because the students didn't want to have class on a Friday, or they didn't want to have it after 4 during the week. They are students, I thought we told them what their schedule was. I was wrong.
I'm sure something else will go wrong, it's only Wednesday today after all. I have a group of oral exams Thursday, maybe someone will freak out on me.
Monday morning was spent trying to get rid of the headache I had from the wine and the Chartreuse I drank on Sunday. The afternoon however was fairly interesting as I had a meeting with some division of the French government about my carte de sejour. Cyr went with me to translate. I saw a doctor and got a chest x-ray, they took blood, weighed and measured me and then put us in a room to watch a film about France. I really do wonder if they don't let people in because they have high blood sugar or are too heavy. "Oh, sorry miss, but we already have our quota of women under 5'2" (translate to metric though) so we are not going to issue you a Titre de Sejour. Merci."
Then I was called in to speak with a women who was to determine my level of French and see if I could get the free classes. I did a quick one page test and tried to speak with her. She said my French was not that bad, but that she could give me 150 hours of class if I would like them. I told her "heck yeah" in French and I should be getting a letter that tells me when and where. All I know is it's 12 hours a week and not on Tuesdays. I am really excited about that.
Then we waited some more and saw another woman (girl really, probably 22) who had me sign a contract with France. Apparently I am now legally bound to believe in the equality, fraternity and liberty. Not a problem. Then she pulls out a folder, after much stamping and signing of documents, and hands me my shiny, new laminated Titre de Sejour!! WOW!! I have it! I can work with my real card! Until November 11, 2009 that is, then I have to renew it. They also told us that after we are married for 3 years I can apply for a 10 year card, that's nice to know.
Tuesday I had my classes. I thought they went well actually. I had my two crazy classes first, which I ended early and began doing oral exams with part of the class. I had them sign up last week so they knew it would be a short class that day. I then went to teach at my Big School and the class went pretty well there too. I ended up staying late helping a student with a letter, then packed up to go home. Then came the first problem of the week. I could not find the key to the classroom. I searched everywhere and it was not in the room. I searched pockets and it was no where to be found. I thought maybe the person that was teaching before me picked it up because we both had our things strewn around the front of the class. Alas, no key.
This typically wouldn't be a big deal. If it were not for the fact that the keys are ALL master keys and open every door in the building. I tell the receptionist I will look through my things at home and bring it back if I find it. On Wednesday I looked through my things and there was no key to be found. I decided I better call my supervisor at the school. Before I could do that, my cell phone rang. It was my supervisor from the Other School, I guess I can call it The Small School because it's not a Grand Ecole (Big School). She sounded very upset, I could tell in her voice something was wrong. She finally got around to telling me that one of my students complained about me yesterday. He went to someone (I think the front desk person) and told her I had ended class early and it was not the first time I had done so. Wow, this is the first I have ever heard of this happening. Then she said I should either write to the student and apologize or speak with him and tells me his name. Seriously? I need to apologize to a student for letting them go early? Interesting. I told her that if they felt this was something awful maybe the teacher that is going to take over my classes in March should take them over right now. She said the kids had enough change this year with new English teachers and that I should continue. Oh...please fire me. Please.
I got off the phone with her and called my Big School supervisor to tell him about my inability to locate my key. When I asked him what typically happens he said "Well it's a master key, so all the locks in the building will have to be changed." Fuck me. If they dock my pay I will probably owe them money. What a freaking moron I am. Plus I had to tell everyone that I was leaving and it's hard to find teachers so I'm not exactly on everyone's favorite list. I hope I don't plan on teaching when I return to Lille. I'm leaving quite an impression on everyone, and unfortunately it's not a good one. Maybe they will have all forgotten me by then...
My plan is to talk to the student and tell him that if he has a problem with the way I teach or what I teach that he is free to come to me to talk about things. I thought this was a business school. Is that how they teach them to do good business? "To get along well in the workplace kids make sure to complain about people to their bosses as opposed to working it out with them." I just don't think it's necessary to go over someones head. It' s not like I am intimidating or anything. I find it a bit cowardice to not face your problem head on. I'll talk to the kid, but I won't be bullied. I am half tempted to let them go early again next class just to piss him off, but I won't. I also don't understand why everyone is so afraid of the students here. I remember when I first started and they kept changing the day and time of the class because the students didn't want to have class on a Friday, or they didn't want to have it after 4 during the week. They are students, I thought we told them what their schedule was. I was wrong.
I'm sure something else will go wrong, it's only Wednesday today after all. I have a group of oral exams Thursday, maybe someone will freak out on me.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Rolling along...
Well the last week has been spent dreading teaching Zee Class and then finally getting through it yesterday morning. Not so bad, the smart ass kid didn't even make fun of my voice this week. Or tell me about how he doesn't care about his English grade because it's not important to him. Practically a victory.
I had my two crazy classes and then my one eager beaver class at the Grand Ecole, which directly translated means "Big School", as if the others are just little tiny schools that are not as important. Which is actually almost true I guess when you look at hiring practices here in France. I am still shocked at how important your college is here. Even when you are 40 years old they STILL care where you went. Your life is very much laid out for you at 17, scary.
I did have a much nicer weekend than I thought though. Friday I met Steph from Double-Double or Un Petit Cafe fame. She is so much fun! We went for coffee then ended up hanging out until dinner. I had a hamburger, and I ordered it with a French accent and felt completely stupid. "Un ahm-buhr-guhr." I had a Friday night dinner out on the town with a friend, how cool is that!?
Saturday was a fantastic day spent with Duncan. His new favorite toy is an old Champagne cork I had on the counter. He seems to find the fact that it doesn't roll straight extremely entertaining. Here he is reaching for his new favorite play thing with his old favorite staring on with envy.
Sunday I went with a few friends to Gent, Belgium. Gent is a really cute city about 45 minutes drive from Lille that has beautiful architecture and fantastic waffles. Unfortunately I was not thinking and only have one good picture. I didn't even get any photos with friends in it! But here is one of the canals right before we left to go home.
You can even see the moon right above one of the rooftops! Now I'm trying to get motivated to clean house and grade papers. And of course plan for all of next week's classes. But after next week I am free until January from my scary classes.
I had my two crazy classes and then my one eager beaver class at the Grand Ecole, which directly translated means "Big School", as if the others are just little tiny schools that are not as important. Which is actually almost true I guess when you look at hiring practices here in France. I am still shocked at how important your college is here. Even when you are 40 years old they STILL care where you went. Your life is very much laid out for you at 17, scary.
I did have a much nicer weekend than I thought though. Friday I met Steph from Double-Double or Un Petit Cafe fame. She is so much fun! We went for coffee then ended up hanging out until dinner. I had a hamburger, and I ordered it with a French accent and felt completely stupid. "Un ahm-buhr-guhr." I had a Friday night dinner out on the town with a friend, how cool is that!?
Saturday was a fantastic day spent with Duncan. His new favorite toy is an old Champagne cork I had on the counter. He seems to find the fact that it doesn't roll straight extremely entertaining. Here he is reaching for his new favorite play thing with his old favorite staring on with envy.
Sunday I went with a few friends to Gent, Belgium. Gent is a really cute city about 45 minutes drive from Lille that has beautiful architecture and fantastic waffles. Unfortunately I was not thinking and only have one good picture. I didn't even get any photos with friends in it! But here is one of the canals right before we left to go home.
You can even see the moon right above one of the rooftops! Now I'm trying to get motivated to clean house and grade papers. And of course plan for all of next week's classes. But after next week I am free until January from my scary classes.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Balance??
Ok...so I stopped working in February and didn't work again until November. I had 10 months of moving to France, decorating, friend visits, wedding planning and other things that didn't actually take up too much time. Now...I have three jobs (5 classes) and a kitten. How come I can't find a happy medium?
I must admit, I am typically a peeks and valleys kind of gal but this is nuts. This past week I taught everyday but Friday. This may not sound like much, but it has taken over my life! I guess I forgot how much work actually goes into teaching. It wouldn't be so bad if my school with two classes provided a syllabus or lesson plan, but there is NOTHING. This is what the description of my class says I should teach my students:
Business English around the following areas:
- Human Resources
- Corporate Structure
- Marketing
That's it. That's all I have. I have talked with the other 1st year teachers, but I have not really gotten too much. Everyone teaches something different. How in the world these students get out with any sort of similar education I don't know. The good thing is that they are going to implement a structured English program next year. By next year I mean Fall 2009. When I will probably be back in Houston because of Cyr's job.
Oh...did I mention that yet? Looks like we will be headed back to Texas in 2009 rather than 2010. We don't know when yet but I will keep everyone posted. At first I was really upset and dissappointed. I have been here (of and on) since February and I am still not fluent in French. I feel like I have wasted so much time and have not committed. I was waiting for free classes from the government and I have not even gotten my social security number yet. It take so long to get anything done here I will probably be back in Texas by the time we get the approval for the classes. But now I am warming up to the idea. Houston really does have a lot to offer, plus I can speak the language so I don't feel frustrated all the time when I need to try to do something myself.
Plus...the plan is for us to be in Houston for somewhere around 3 years. After that we will probably end up back in Lille for a while. Cyr also promises that we will try to speak more French with each other when we move. Plus there are so many people in Houston who speak French (get ready Jeanne, Marine, Ann and Ari) that I will be able to use the language a lot. Plus I will get to spend more time with my family, which is always good. Not to mention my friends and all the new babies they are having (Jen and Missy hello!). Silver lining. I'm looking for it...
I must admit, I am typically a peeks and valleys kind of gal but this is nuts. This past week I taught everyday but Friday. This may not sound like much, but it has taken over my life! I guess I forgot how much work actually goes into teaching. It wouldn't be so bad if my school with two classes provided a syllabus or lesson plan, but there is NOTHING. This is what the description of my class says I should teach my students:
Business English around the following areas:
- Human Resources
- Corporate Structure
- Marketing
That's it. That's all I have. I have talked with the other 1st year teachers, but I have not really gotten too much. Everyone teaches something different. How in the world these students get out with any sort of similar education I don't know. The good thing is that they are going to implement a structured English program next year. By next year I mean Fall 2009. When I will probably be back in Houston because of Cyr's job.
Oh...did I mention that yet? Looks like we will be headed back to Texas in 2009 rather than 2010. We don't know when yet but I will keep everyone posted. At first I was really upset and dissappointed. I have been here (of and on) since February and I am still not fluent in French. I feel like I have wasted so much time and have not committed. I was waiting for free classes from the government and I have not even gotten my social security number yet. It take so long to get anything done here I will probably be back in Texas by the time we get the approval for the classes. But now I am warming up to the idea. Houston really does have a lot to offer, plus I can speak the language so I don't feel frustrated all the time when I need to try to do something myself.
Plus...the plan is for us to be in Houston for somewhere around 3 years. After that we will probably end up back in Lille for a while. Cyr also promises that we will try to speak more French with each other when we move. Plus there are so many people in Houston who speak French (get ready Jeanne, Marine, Ann and Ari) that I will be able to use the language a lot. Plus I will get to spend more time with my family, which is always good. Not to mention my friends and all the new babies they are having (Jen and Missy hello!). Silver lining. I'm looking for it...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Crazy Week
It's been a while since the last post. Everything is ok, Duncan is settling in very well and now seems to feel very much at home. At first he hid a lot and would come out to play every now and then. Now he demands attention in the morning and then again about 10pm when he really wakes up. Perfect timing for when we are trying to calm down and get ready to sleep.
Last Thursday and Friday he seemed really sluggish and he had some pretty awful poops. I won't go into detail here, you don't come here for gore. Friday we took him to the vet down the street just to get him checked out since he has never had any shots. Turns out the little bugger had worms!! AND ear mites. I have not stopped itching since Friday. First I was convinced that I had caught some sort of parasite from him. I'm sure I'm ok, but oh man. How icky is that. Worms.
Everyone I tell this is not surprised and everything I read online seems to suggest that most kittens get worms. I don't know, I feel like if my cat has worms I should have wheels on my house and be drinking Milwaukee's Best or something along those lines. Because of all the pooping and such the poor guy was really dehydrated and the vet wanted to keep him overnight just in case he had some virus or something. Animal health is not socialized of course (bummer). He got the overnight stay, an IV, two ear meds, what looks like 6 months of worm pills and some vitamin stuff we have to force down his throat twice a day for 5 days. I think all of that cost us 190 euro, so $245 later we have a healthy and overly active cat. Once all his little stomach passengers died off, which the vet assured me was overnight, he was a new cat! He is jumping all around, chasing invisible bugs and learning how to climb onto the couch. Although he did cost a bit upfront, I'm hoping he is going to be a healthy guy in the future. I swear he seems to be growing right before my eyes...oh they grow up so quickly...
School is ok. I was giving the go ahead to split the class up into two groups and have only one group in the room at a time, that has helped a great deal. I also like working with the kids, but it's not a dream job. I would actually really like to get involved on the administration side in recruitment of students or something along those lines. For now it's perfect though. I have three classes on Tuesday and two on Thursday. Perfect for a little extra spending money. I spend way too much time planning lessons though. I know it won't be like that forever though.
Last Thursday and Friday he seemed really sluggish and he had some pretty awful poops. I won't go into detail here, you don't come here for gore. Friday we took him to the vet down the street just to get him checked out since he has never had any shots. Turns out the little bugger had worms!! AND ear mites. I have not stopped itching since Friday. First I was convinced that I had caught some sort of parasite from him. I'm sure I'm ok, but oh man. How icky is that. Worms.
Everyone I tell this is not surprised and everything I read online seems to suggest that most kittens get worms. I don't know, I feel like if my cat has worms I should have wheels on my house and be drinking Milwaukee's Best or something along those lines. Because of all the pooping and such the poor guy was really dehydrated and the vet wanted to keep him overnight just in case he had some virus or something. Animal health is not socialized of course (bummer). He got the overnight stay, an IV, two ear meds, what looks like 6 months of worm pills and some vitamin stuff we have to force down his throat twice a day for 5 days. I think all of that cost us 190 euro, so $245 later we have a healthy and overly active cat. Once all his little stomach passengers died off, which the vet assured me was overnight, he was a new cat! He is jumping all around, chasing invisible bugs and learning how to climb onto the couch. Although he did cost a bit upfront, I'm hoping he is going to be a healthy guy in the future. I swear he seems to be growing right before my eyes...oh they grow up so quickly...
School is ok. I was giving the go ahead to split the class up into two groups and have only one group in the room at a time, that has helped a great deal. I also like working with the kids, but it's not a dream job. I would actually really like to get involved on the administration side in recruitment of students or something along those lines. For now it's perfect though. I have three classes on Tuesday and two on Thursday. Perfect for a little extra spending money. I spend way too much time planning lessons though. I know it won't be like that forever though.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A new addition....
Well...we were hoping to have a "family" of course, but we thought it would be while. We just got married less than a month ago. I still have my wedding dress out in the guest room!
Last Saturday Cyr and I went to his mother's house to celebrate her birthday. We went to eat lunch at a Greek restaurant in Belgium and then went back to the house for the afternoon and had a light dinner there as well. She really enjoyed her presents (three large wooden owls and a bracelet) I think.
When we arrived everything seemed normal. Once we said our hellos and did all the kissing cheeks we headed into the kitchen (which seems to be the meeting area in all countries). Both Cyr's brother and his mother were talking about what I thought was an accident that one of the cats had. "Ewe" thought I. When we got to the kitchen Cyr's brother picked up a little black furry thing and said, "c'est la petit merde!"
Annie found 3 (or 4, not quite sure) kittens at her office in a some machine thing last Wednesday. I think one of them died, but two were adopted and then she still had the little black guy and was looking for a home for him (or her). He was so cuddly! I have never had a cat and didn't really think much of the little guy until Cyr said; "Uh oh, I think Susan might have found a home for the little guy." I actually never thought we would take him home, I just thought he was cute and liked to hold him. Of course I jumped on the boat though and we stopped by a pet store coming home from lunch and bought all the necessities. One thing I can't handle is a house that smells like a cat lives there. So far we have been pretty good. But when the little guy goes...you know he goes...I'm a fairly immediate pooper scooper. Thank goodness it only happens once or twice a day. I'm hoping the poop will mellow with his age, but I'm thinking this is actually the opposite of the developmental cycle of cats. But hey...our house doesn't smell! It actually smells better because I'm so paranoid I am lighting candles and such. Before the kitten the candles just sat around, now they are being used.
So then there was the naming thing. Apparently there is a cat/dog naming convention that I was not aware of. Each year has a letter of the alphabet (as opposed to another kind of letter. Why do people say that?) ascribed to it and you are supposed to name your animal a name that begins with that year's letter. This year is "D". We don't really know if it's a boy or a girl, things are really small down there, but we think it's a boy. We went through a few rounds of names, but then we settled on a strong Scottish name from the Highlands...Duncan. Because there can only be one... Check out our newest addition!!
So far he's great. Very friendly and playful!
As for teaching...today I had The Class and Zee Class both. The Class was first. I went in with the same lesson plan I did last week with Zee Class. Low and behold...it went great! The class ended and we had finished the lesson (advertising campaigns) and I really felt they had learned something. I went to a meeting for the language classes during lunch (chicken baguette sandwich) then went on to Zee Class. We had to finish up the lesson from last week, which we did. After much prodding and poking. Then we moved on to some grammar work. Then all hell broke loose. Seriously...35 kids in this class. A few kids are completely fluent, most of them are conversationally able to survive while speaking English, then there are about 8 of them that are really, really behind. I'm going to have to split the class up next week and plan two lessons because the fluent kids are going crazy with me trying to work with the slower ones and the material I am supposed to use for the class is WAY over the heads of many of them. I am so glad I had the first class because I would have left feeling like a total failure. Blah, blah...I'm not in the mood to be all dark and pissy tonight. I get so irritated when I read blogs that do nothing but complain so I am going to reserve my "oh woe is me" post for another day. Things really are not that bad. Other than the fact that I have to go back to Zee Class next Tuesday. :-(
Last Saturday Cyr and I went to his mother's house to celebrate her birthday. We went to eat lunch at a Greek restaurant in Belgium and then went back to the house for the afternoon and had a light dinner there as well. She really enjoyed her presents (three large wooden owls and a bracelet) I think.
When we arrived everything seemed normal. Once we said our hellos and did all the kissing cheeks we headed into the kitchen (which seems to be the meeting area in all countries). Both Cyr's brother and his mother were talking about what I thought was an accident that one of the cats had. "Ewe" thought I. When we got to the kitchen Cyr's brother picked up a little black furry thing and said, "c'est la petit merde!"
Annie found 3 (or 4, not quite sure) kittens at her office in a some machine thing last Wednesday. I think one of them died, but two were adopted and then she still had the little black guy and was looking for a home for him (or her). He was so cuddly! I have never had a cat and didn't really think much of the little guy until Cyr said; "Uh oh, I think Susan might have found a home for the little guy." I actually never thought we would take him home, I just thought he was cute and liked to hold him. Of course I jumped on the boat though and we stopped by a pet store coming home from lunch and bought all the necessities. One thing I can't handle is a house that smells like a cat lives there. So far we have been pretty good. But when the little guy goes...you know he goes...I'm a fairly immediate pooper scooper. Thank goodness it only happens once or twice a day. I'm hoping the poop will mellow with his age, but I'm thinking this is actually the opposite of the developmental cycle of cats. But hey...our house doesn't smell! It actually smells better because I'm so paranoid I am lighting candles and such. Before the kitten the candles just sat around, now they are being used.
So then there was the naming thing. Apparently there is a cat/dog naming convention that I was not aware of. Each year has a letter of the alphabet (as opposed to another kind of letter. Why do people say that?) ascribed to it and you are supposed to name your animal a name that begins with that year's letter. This year is "D". We don't really know if it's a boy or a girl, things are really small down there, but we think it's a boy. We went through a few rounds of names, but then we settled on a strong Scottish name from the Highlands...Duncan. Because there can only be one... Check out our newest addition!!
So far he's great. Very friendly and playful!
As for teaching...today I had The Class and Zee Class both. The Class was first. I went in with the same lesson plan I did last week with Zee Class. Low and behold...it went great! The class ended and we had finished the lesson (advertising campaigns) and I really felt they had learned something. I went to a meeting for the language classes during lunch (chicken baguette sandwich) then went on to Zee Class. We had to finish up the lesson from last week, which we did. After much prodding and poking. Then we moved on to some grammar work. Then all hell broke loose. Seriously...35 kids in this class. A few kids are completely fluent, most of them are conversationally able to survive while speaking English, then there are about 8 of them that are really, really behind. I'm going to have to split the class up next week and plan two lessons because the fluent kids are going crazy with me trying to work with the slower ones and the material I am supposed to use for the class is WAY over the heads of many of them. I am so glad I had the first class because I would have left feeling like a total failure. Blah, blah...I'm not in the mood to be all dark and pissy tonight. I get so irritated when I read blogs that do nothing but complain so I am going to reserve my "oh woe is me" post for another day. Things really are not that bad. Other than the fact that I have to go back to Zee Class next Tuesday. :-(
Friday, November 14, 2008
Happy B-Day Annie! (and More work)
I meant to post this yesterday but forgot...oops! Yesterday was my new mother-in-law's birthday. We are going over to her house this weekend to celebrate. I'm looking forward to it actually. I had a great time the last visit and am feeling a lot more comfortable speaking in French. She actually speaks good English, but I think I should speak French because we are in France.
As for work; well when it rains it pours. (Uh...how cliche...but very appropriate being I live in the north.)
So I was offered the 2nd class and have my schedule all set up. Looks like Tuesday is college day with The Class in the morning and Zee Class in the afternoon. I am excited because I already have both lessons done for next week. Woohoo!
I also was offered an adult education class at a large mail order company here in Lille. There are three classes with only 3-7 people in each class. The pay is not as good as the college one, but it's half the work. We even have a book!! How crazy...the company has a book and a syllabus, but the college does not. Hmmm....maybe if folks learned more English in college they wouldn't need the adult courses after they graduate eh?
I also discovered a super cool store which most of you living in France may already know about. My friend Marie told me about it. A big thank you to Marie in Lille!! It's called Picard. It is a store that sells nothing but frozen foods. You might think "ewe...frozen food?" but it's all (what I would call) slightly fancy (some full on fancy) and super pretty. They have tons of little snacks for aperitifs and little desserts along with fantastic full meals. Including pizzas and pancakes! It's like the freezer section of Sam's Warehouse if they were owned by Neiman Marcus and sold small portions instead of the bulk sizes. Best yet, the prices are not bad at all! We were going to have guests tonight so I bought some little snackies and desserts. Turns out they are not going to make it, but I think I might implement "snack night" and munch down on them anyway. I am going to charge my camera to take pictures so I can post them tomorrow!
As for work; well when it rains it pours. (Uh...how cliche...but very appropriate being I live in the north.)
So I was offered the 2nd class and have my schedule all set up. Looks like Tuesday is college day with The Class in the morning and Zee Class in the afternoon. I am excited because I already have both lessons done for next week. Woohoo!
I also was offered an adult education class at a large mail order company here in Lille. There are three classes with only 3-7 people in each class. The pay is not as good as the college one, but it's half the work. We even have a book!! How crazy...the company has a book and a syllabus, but the college does not. Hmmm....maybe if folks learned more English in college they wouldn't need the adult courses after they graduate eh?
I also discovered a super cool store which most of you living in France may already know about. My friend Marie told me about it. A big thank you to Marie in Lille!! It's called Picard. It is a store that sells nothing but frozen foods. You might think "ewe...frozen food?" but it's all (what I would call) slightly fancy (some full on fancy) and super pretty. They have tons of little snacks for aperitifs and little desserts along with fantastic full meals. Including pizzas and pancakes! It's like the freezer section of Sam's Warehouse if they were owned by Neiman Marcus and sold small portions instead of the bulk sizes. Best yet, the prices are not bad at all! We were going to have guests tonight so I bought some little snackies and desserts. Turns out they are not going to make it, but I think I might implement "snack night" and munch down on them anyway. I am going to charge my camera to take pictures so I can post them tomorrow!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Week Number 2....
So I had my second class with...well maybe I was too harsh...how about Zee Class? (Read: someone from the school might find this blog) :-)
So I had Zee Class last night. I went in an hour early to make sure I had everything prepared. I even typed out an agenda to follow as a sort of lesson plan guide. I had more than enough things for the two hour lesson. Side note: I find it odd that one week the class is 2 hours and the next week it is 2 hours and 30 minutes. It changes every week. It also changes rooms and sometimes the time. Why not have a set schedule? Every week the kids have new schedules to follow. They also change things around if the kids don't like something thing. I don't know if I have mentioned this, but it is VERY different from American universities. They are with the same group all day long and take every class together. So my 35 kids are with each other in every class, all day long. It sounds a lot like high school but the classes are very intense and they take way more class time than normal college hours. They are in class 8 hours a day every day.
But back to the changing things around part...The kids in one of the classes didn't want a Friday 2-4 class because on Friday they feel they should be able to go on vacation for the weekend and they want to be able to get out of town early. The kids bring this to the attention half way through the semester mind you. So what happens? The administration changed the class to Wednesdays. You have got to be kidding me. I really just have too many thoughts about why I disagree with this action. A few would be: they knew from the start the time of this class, not to mention all the time that has gone into scheduling a professor and a room not to mention that if they do end up getting real jobs, can they just tell their boss they don't want to work Friday? Is this mirroring real life? Plus...I thought the weekend was your vacation? Did they start implementing Friday as a day off here too? Well, I guess if that 35 hour work week thing sticks then maybe the previous questions are all answered "Uh...maybe. Yes."
Back to the class. So I was waiting for the class. And waiting. It was time for class and no kids. It was 5 past and not one student. I know I was in the right place at the right time because I actually checked two different times in the office to make sure I had the correct room, time and day. Did they all decide to skip? I walk into the hall and see my kids in the room next to mine. They slowly begin to file in about 10-15 minutes late. The computer teacher kept them. Oh. How thoughtful of him. Of course why would English class be important right? I know I should have been upset, but part of me thought "oh well, now I don't have to fall back on the stupid vocabulary thing if we finish early."
It was a bit of a rowdy crew at first. I put together a marketing lesson and had a few fun things prepared. I cut the lights and showed a Top 10 Commercials from one of the Super Bowls. They all stopped as if they were hypnotized. Crazy...they calmed down and I was able to talk to them between clips. They then created campaigns and presented them. There was a lot of talking, but they actually delivered. Some very well even! I feel much better about the class now. I know they are bright, they just need a little herding in the right direction.
I also got a call from the teacher that is taking The Class over. (That was the 2nd class I was subbing in that was a bit easier to control.) She said the kids didn't like having such a late class and were going to go to the Dean to see if they could reschedule the class. (See paragraph 3.) She asked if I could teach that class if it moved. Heck yeah!! Well how about that, the power of the student worked in my favor. Huh. With the extra class I can now start putting a little money back in my US bank account (which has not seen any action since January). I have not gotten the official word, but I might pick up the second class next week. I'll keep you posted!
Tomorrow Cyr and I have our appointment with the Prefecture to present my paperwork for my Carte de Sejour. Crossing my fingers it goes well and she accepts everything we have. It seems to me that many times the government folks here decided what happens depending on what mood they are in and how they feel about you. I know people that have presented exactly the same paperwork I have for a certain thing, but their papers were rejected and they were asked to supply additional things. I guess I caught the person on a good day. Hope our nice government worker is having a good day tomorrow. I want to be able to travel back home without too much trouble. Cross your fingers!!
So I had Zee Class last night. I went in an hour early to make sure I had everything prepared. I even typed out an agenda to follow as a sort of lesson plan guide. I had more than enough things for the two hour lesson. Side note: I find it odd that one week the class is 2 hours and the next week it is 2 hours and 30 minutes. It changes every week. It also changes rooms and sometimes the time. Why not have a set schedule? Every week the kids have new schedules to follow. They also change things around if the kids don't like something thing. I don't know if I have mentioned this, but it is VERY different from American universities. They are with the same group all day long and take every class together. So my 35 kids are with each other in every class, all day long. It sounds a lot like high school but the classes are very intense and they take way more class time than normal college hours. They are in class 8 hours a day every day.
But back to the changing things around part...The kids in one of the classes didn't want a Friday 2-4 class because on Friday they feel they should be able to go on vacation for the weekend and they want to be able to get out of town early. The kids bring this to the attention half way through the semester mind you. So what happens? The administration changed the class to Wednesdays. You have got to be kidding me. I really just have too many thoughts about why I disagree with this action. A few would be: they knew from the start the time of this class, not to mention all the time that has gone into scheduling a professor and a room not to mention that if they do end up getting real jobs, can they just tell their boss they don't want to work Friday? Is this mirroring real life? Plus...I thought the weekend was your vacation? Did they start implementing Friday as a day off here too? Well, I guess if that 35 hour work week thing sticks then maybe the previous questions are all answered "Uh...maybe. Yes."
Back to the class. So I was waiting for the class. And waiting. It was time for class and no kids. It was 5 past and not one student. I know I was in the right place at the right time because I actually checked two different times in the office to make sure I had the correct room, time and day. Did they all decide to skip? I walk into the hall and see my kids in the room next to mine. They slowly begin to file in about 10-15 minutes late. The computer teacher kept them. Oh. How thoughtful of him. Of course why would English class be important right? I know I should have been upset, but part of me thought "oh well, now I don't have to fall back on the stupid vocabulary thing if we finish early."
It was a bit of a rowdy crew at first. I put together a marketing lesson and had a few fun things prepared. I cut the lights and showed a Top 10 Commercials from one of the Super Bowls. They all stopped as if they were hypnotized. Crazy...they calmed down and I was able to talk to them between clips. They then created campaigns and presented them. There was a lot of talking, but they actually delivered. Some very well even! I feel much better about the class now. I know they are bright, they just need a little herding in the right direction.
I also got a call from the teacher that is taking The Class over. (That was the 2nd class I was subbing in that was a bit easier to control.) She said the kids didn't like having such a late class and were going to go to the Dean to see if they could reschedule the class. (See paragraph 3.) She asked if I could teach that class if it moved. Heck yeah!! Well how about that, the power of the student worked in my favor. Huh. With the extra class I can now start putting a little money back in my US bank account (which has not seen any action since January). I have not gotten the official word, but I might pick up the second class next week. I'll keep you posted!
Tomorrow Cyr and I have our appointment with the Prefecture to present my paperwork for my Carte de Sejour. Crossing my fingers it goes well and she accepts everything we have. It seems to me that many times the government folks here decided what happens depending on what mood they are in and how they feel about you. I know people that have presented exactly the same paperwork I have for a certain thing, but their papers were rejected and they were asked to supply additional things. I guess I caught the person on a good day. Hope our nice government worker is having a good day tomorrow. I want to be able to travel back home without too much trouble. Cross your fingers!!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Class Number 2: "The Class"
Ok, so I was not overly excited about taking the Wednesday class last night. It is not actually scheduled to be my class. There is a Canadian girl who is supposed to take it but is having visa challenges so she is not able to start yet. I said I would pick it up this week and then she is supposed to have it back next week. The good thing was that I knew it was only two hours and I had the huge packet my director gave me so I knew they would have things to work on. This class however ended up being MUCH different than my original class. Which from now on I will refer to as "The Zoo"...
Scene 1: Enter young man with facial hair.
Susan: Hello there, welcome to English. You are a little early (it was 20 till) but have a seat and can you show me where you are on the attendance sheet?
Young Man: Sure, no pro-blum! Air ewe going to be are teasher for zee rest of zee yeer?
Susan: Remains frozen...he is speaking English!! Eyes wide but trying not to look like deer in headlights. Respond accordingly.
Scene 2: Enter a group of 4 young men. All greet me in English, all begin talking in English.
Susan: (Not out loud) OH DAMN!! This is not even my real class and so far they understand me!!
Scene 3: 30 kids are in the room (5 are absent), all of which seem to be understanding English and speaking back. Two people speak English with British accents. No way...why isn't THIS my class? This is what I was told I would actually have. Now I'm prepared for The Zoo and I actually have "The Class".
The same thing happened when I taught 2nd grade in Houston. I was the new teacher in the 2nd grade block and was given all the kids the other teachers didn't want. But by Christmas I loved them and we had a fairly cohesive class. By the end of the year we all cried when we had to leave. I am nothing if not a sales person...and teaching to me is selling an idea (or group of ideas). Now I need to sell English with the challenge being I have a varied audience. No problem. Wish I could up my commission. Maybe add some kind of spif or hazard pay for The Zoo?
Anyway, The Class was great, I really enjoyed them. There was of course some talking and cutting up, and another Facebook surfer during class, but we were able to get through it. At the end of class they actually told me they learned something and that they hoped I would be their teacher next week. Me too guys...me too...
So. I am already putting together some exciting things for The Zoo (which will be held on Monday because of a bank holiday Tuesday I am told). In truth I think I am more excited by the idea of The Zoo because it posses a larger challenge for me. I am planning to split them into three groups to work. The kids all seem bright, just at very different levels. Last night I actually had The Class all work on mostly the same things but at different times so I could work with small groups and it went well. Who knows, it might turn out that I get both classes because of the visa issues with the Canadian girl.
So thanks for all the good karma folks! It worked!
Scene 1: Enter young man with facial hair.
Susan: Hello there, welcome to English. You are a little early (it was 20 till) but have a seat and can you show me where you are on the attendance sheet?
Young Man: Sure, no pro-blum! Air ewe going to be are teasher for zee rest of zee yeer?
Susan: Remains frozen...he is speaking English!! Eyes wide but trying not to look like deer in headlights. Respond accordingly.
Scene 2: Enter a group of 4 young men. All greet me in English, all begin talking in English.
Susan: (Not out loud) OH DAMN!! This is not even my real class and so far they understand me!!
Scene 3: 30 kids are in the room (5 are absent), all of which seem to be understanding English and speaking back. Two people speak English with British accents. No way...why isn't THIS my class? This is what I was told I would actually have. Now I'm prepared for The Zoo and I actually have "The Class".
The same thing happened when I taught 2nd grade in Houston. I was the new teacher in the 2nd grade block and was given all the kids the other teachers didn't want. But by Christmas I loved them and we had a fairly cohesive class. By the end of the year we all cried when we had to leave. I am nothing if not a sales person...and teaching to me is selling an idea (or group of ideas). Now I need to sell English with the challenge being I have a varied audience. No problem. Wish I could up my commission. Maybe add some kind of spif or hazard pay for The Zoo?
Anyway, The Class was great, I really enjoyed them. There was of course some talking and cutting up, and another Facebook surfer during class, but we were able to get through it. At the end of class they actually told me they learned something and that they hoped I would be their teacher next week. Me too guys...me too...
So. I am already putting together some exciting things for The Zoo (which will be held on Monday because of a bank holiday Tuesday I am told). In truth I think I am more excited by the idea of The Zoo because it posses a larger challenge for me. I am planning to split them into three groups to work. The kids all seem bright, just at very different levels. Last night I actually had The Class all work on mostly the same things but at different times so I could work with small groups and it went well. Who knows, it might turn out that I get both classes because of the visa issues with the Canadian girl.
So thanks for all the good karma folks! It worked!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
New Job
Ok, I know I should probably say something about the elections right? I did get up at 3:30am to watch CNN and see how things turned out. Not so much because I am so political as that I was coughing and felt bad about waking Cyr up. I actually love election coverage the day of. Watching the states come in, seeing the excitement from both parties.
Is it strange that all of a sudden I feel like I can be "proud" to be an American again? I am so tired of feeling like I have to apologize for Bush every time someone finds out I am from Texas. This is not a political blog and I do not want it to be, but the people have chosen and it's time to once again be proud of our country and our leader. Unfortunately I went last night with a group of people (me being the only American) to see the Oliver Stone film "W". How I wish I could get those two hours of my life back. From now on every time I hear "The Yellow Rose of Texas" I am going to think of W. trying to bong Jack Daniels or stuff a burger in his face. I am not making a statement other than to say; "Not all Texans are like W. He isn't even FROM Texas and he didn't go to Texas colleges."
Well that was longer than anticipated....
So my first day at work...was completely not what I expected. I was told that they all had a firm grasp on English and that I was to teach high level Business English to them. The first two students walk in, I say "Hello, welcome! I know we are part way through the semester, is this your first English class of the year?"
Response: ::Eyes dart from side to side. A slight smile and cock of the head reminds me of when I used to make funny noises to my dog to see him looked confused. It's the same look. It's because they don't understand a friggin word I have said. Ahh...nothing like exaggeration while selling a job eh?
So as my 35 young 18 year old students file in for my 2.5 hour class I begin to see that most are not very good with English. About 5 of them can hold a conversation. I try to start off by telling about myself and the course objective. I move on to a simple lesson and ask why there is so much talking.
Response: ::"I have to translate for my friend" respond a few people.
Ahh...I see.
So needless to say it was a fairly long class. At one point I asked the kids to use paper to put their names on so I could see who they were. One kid told me "That is a waste of paper." I told him he should go hang out in the office and see how much paper this school wastes making copies if this bothered him. Maybe next week I will suggest he start a coalition to use less paper.
Funny thing is that it really wasn't that bad. We had some good conversations, I got a few groups to get up and argue (or try) points of business and one person even told me he learned a few new words. 10 years ago I would have been upset because my plan crashed, but I recovered. It was like a sales meeting where you find out the person you are selling to doesn't need the product you thought they did but instead needs something about 90 degrees different. I can identify with and see how frustrated they are and am planning to break them up into groups next week. 35 kids is a big crew to teach English to, especially with such a broad array of levels in the room. Should be a nice challenge I guess.
Today I am picking up a class from the Canadian teacher who has a conflict with the class time. I teach the same material but only for 2 hours so it should be better than yesterday. At least I know what to expect today! I have asked to sit in on a colleague's class, but I doubt he will let me. This would be someone who was not willing to share lesson plans after all...
Is it strange that all of a sudden I feel like I can be "proud" to be an American again? I am so tired of feeling like I have to apologize for Bush every time someone finds out I am from Texas. This is not a political blog and I do not want it to be, but the people have chosen and it's time to once again be proud of our country and our leader. Unfortunately I went last night with a group of people (me being the only American) to see the Oliver Stone film "W". How I wish I could get those two hours of my life back. From now on every time I hear "The Yellow Rose of Texas" I am going to think of W. trying to bong Jack Daniels or stuff a burger in his face. I am not making a statement other than to say; "Not all Texans are like W. He isn't even FROM Texas and he didn't go to Texas colleges."
Well that was longer than anticipated....
So my first day at work...was completely not what I expected. I was told that they all had a firm grasp on English and that I was to teach high level Business English to them. The first two students walk in, I say "Hello, welcome! I know we are part way through the semester, is this your first English class of the year?"
Response: ::Eyes dart from side to side. A slight smile and cock of the head reminds me of when I used to make funny noises to my dog to see him looked confused. It's the same look. It's because they don't understand a friggin word I have said. Ahh...nothing like exaggeration while selling a job eh?
So as my 35 young 18 year old students file in for my 2.5 hour class I begin to see that most are not very good with English. About 5 of them can hold a conversation. I try to start off by telling about myself and the course objective. I move on to a simple lesson and ask why there is so much talking.
Response: ::"I have to translate for my friend" respond a few people.
Ahh...I see.
So needless to say it was a fairly long class. At one point I asked the kids to use paper to put their names on so I could see who they were. One kid told me "That is a waste of paper." I told him he should go hang out in the office and see how much paper this school wastes making copies if this bothered him. Maybe next week I will suggest he start a coalition to use less paper.
Funny thing is that it really wasn't that bad. We had some good conversations, I got a few groups to get up and argue (or try) points of business and one person even told me he learned a few new words. 10 years ago I would have been upset because my plan crashed, but I recovered. It was like a sales meeting where you find out the person you are selling to doesn't need the product you thought they did but instead needs something about 90 degrees different. I can identify with and see how frustrated they are and am planning to break them up into groups next week. 35 kids is a big crew to teach English to, especially with such a broad array of levels in the room. Should be a nice challenge I guess.
Today I am picking up a class from the Canadian teacher who has a conflict with the class time. I teach the same material but only for 2 hours so it should be better than yesterday. At least I know what to expect today! I have asked to sit in on a colleague's class, but I doubt he will let me. This would be someone who was not willing to share lesson plans after all...
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