Beginning Classes

Hello everyone!

So we've been pretty busy here trying to prepare ourselves for classes. We taught our first classes last Monday and Tuesday and it was a very eye-opening experience. I never knew how much work needed to be done beforehand to have a lesson ready. We thought it would be mostly an introduction day, with us talking about ourselves and the students talking about themselves. Instead, we found ourselves looking at each other a lot, not really knowing what to do next. You have to find a lot of things to do to fill an hour and a half! The students didn't speak up much unelss you specifically called on them. I found I still talk too fast. I feel pretty bad about that one - I talk too fast that even people who speak English as their native language can't understand me (sorry mom!), so I really need to slow it down here.

After the classes made us realize what needed to be done we've just been working on our lessons for this week. Starting this Monday we'll be teaching all the classes (this last week it was only the two). There are 16 classes total, all for an hour and a half each. With the exception of the 3 PhD classes, we only see the students once a week. We're planning on using the same lesson for each class since they are all at about the same level. I think there will be little modifications to fit each class, but thats really to be expected.

Something interesting happened this week - I was offered another job! Two days a week I will be teaching english at an elementary school to 7 year old students. I got all the materials yesterday and have been reading over those because they want me to start on Monday! The book is very progressive, talking about all these different theories of intelligence and how best to help children learn, and I think it might be a little difficult. I guess we'll see how it goes!

While Scott and I were looking at the elementary school so I would know where it was for Monday, we were offered another job! A friend of Echo (the woman from the Department of Education who brought us to China and has been so wonderful since we arrived!) has a group of 8 students who would like private tutoring. They want Scott and I to each take four of the kids for an hour and teach them english! We're still thinking about that one but it sounds like another interesting experience and a little extra travel money!

The people here are really excited to learn english. We saw an ad on a bus today that said "English will change your child's future." When I asked some of the students in my English major class why they wanted to learn some said "to get a good job after college" and another "because my parents told me to." Its very interesting to see how people believe that learning this language will change their lives and really help them.

Well I should get going - we're going to the local street market tonight to look for a walkman. My elementary books came with a tape and I think I need to listen to it first before I try to play it in class on Monday. We might also find some dinner there, although we don't always know what kind of food we're looking at.

Hope you all are well!

Katie