First Classes

Cancel that! Jobs started... tonight!

Just a quick post. We got a phone call this afternoon from our school asking me to be a substitute teacher for some advanced classes this evening. It was a fantastic experience though fraught with a few obstacles (as to be expected). I taught two classes to separate groups of students. Though I'd been told that they were both 'advanced' classes, they seemed at very different levels in terms of their vocabulary and their confidence to speak up.

The first group I felt I'd overestimated their level of advanced English and perhaps the material was a little too difficult, at least, explaining 'emotional intelligence' wasn't as straight-forwarded as I'd hoped. I was using the material that the regular teacher had provided, which has its drawbacks, as it feels rather foreign. I'd expected to have access to the internet at work so I could cover a little more about Gardner's '7 intelligences' (thank you, year 12 psychology!) but it was down when I got there, so materials were a little short on supply. That said, I think it went okay.

The second group had a better grasp on idioms and the like, so too were they much more confident to speak up. They were largely business students who had years of English language training under their belts; all of whom sought to improve their English in order to take advantage of broader job opportunities. Following the absent teacher's instructions, I was all set to teach another round on 'emotional intelligence' - only to find that it had been taught a few weeks earlier! So... rather embarrassing, though I guess being an emergency substitute is not an ideal situation in the first place. So instead I offered to do a review of their earlier topics, or have a general chat (remembering that its a coversational class) which was actually really great. Everyone had travelled widely so we had a good chat about cultural awareness and bridging cultural barriers - good stuff.

That said, I'm absolutely knackered - all that talking and consistently thinking on your feet! So the lovely Simon took me out afterwards for beer and a gorgonzola pizza (which is honestly one of the best things we've ever eaten - it's amazing!)

Simon got an email back from the Hess Educational Institute (the largest English chain in Taiwan - they're just everywhere!) saying that he'd been hired! So the next few days will be interesting as we decide whether to take on both major language chains. Either way, it's great to know that we're getting started... hooray!