Back to Work: Day 1

• I'm lucky I live on this island.
• I'm also lucky that I have a fabulous fiance, who - when I come home cranky and miserable - takes me out shopping, and then for a fresh seafood dinner afterwards. I love him.
• And finally: it' a good thing that I waited until after dinner to write this blog. 'cos the tone would have been somewhat different if it hadn't. :)
• I knew it would be a challenge. New jobs always are. Perfectionist that I am, I like to be on top of things immediately. I like to know what's what from the start.
• And obviously - that's not possible with children. With children, you need to ease into their space. You need to be likable and open and warm, while at the same time not look like you're trying too hard. You need to allow them to trust you in their own time, and yet keep a comfortable distance until they draw YOU in, or you run the risk of making them feel intimidated and uneasy. It's a complicated dance. It's a very gentle - and a very fragile - balance that needs to be struck. And then maintained. And then built-upon, and shifted accordingly.
• Add to this the administrative duties of teaching, and that - in a nutshell - will give you an idea of why I came home with a "pounding head and aching feet".
• My school is fairly new. The premises are lovely, the atmosphere is warm and pleasant, the entire staff very friendly and helpful.
• But the fact is that I have stepped in to replace a teacher who left all of a sudden, without leaving any lesson plans as to how to complete the last 11 weeks of the year. You see - the school curriculum is not developed out of textbooks. There are certain standards set by the U.K education model which we follow and adhere to, and as long as the children can fulfill the requirement for their specific level, then they are on track.
• So basically, it is up to the teachers to set an entire schedule of learning. We need to find and design worksheets and lessons and themes and EVERYTHING. And we teach ALL the subjects: English, Math, History, Geography, Science, Art, Design & Technology, Music. And I currently need to make up 11 weeks worth of lessons for each of these subjects. Without any real idea of what level they are at (yet), or what the plan was going to be for the rest of the year, or what they have and haven't done so far. (I received the previous teacher's lessons plans for the stuff that he has already done, today. So that's something.)
• Also, the job is complicated somewhat by the fact that the kids are very different in terms of their levels already. Some started school long before others, some have both parents speaking English to them at home, some only one, and some come from families where even their parents can barely speak any English at all. I had one student today reading a set of instructions for a chess-game, with vocabulary words that would make some 12 years olds pause for thought, while another student could not spell the word "big" correctly. True story.
• Still - I'm up to it. This is a very typical situation for an international teacher to be dealing with - in my experience.
• My focus, really, is to somehow gain control of the class in a way that is firm, yet fun. The kids need to be behaving well and paying attention because they WANT to... because school is SO MUCH FUN, that they can't wait to go back again the next day!
• Hhhmmm... how to make school fun...
• Luckily, I am deeply encouraged by the fact that this will not be the situation for next year. When I take over full control of my class at the beginning of the next school year in August, I will actually have lessons and themes prepared for me. The new director of the school has been frantically working on completing this for every class there is. I can't wait! I love to be organised. I foresee myself being VERY happy next (school) year!
• Basically, all I need to do is keep reminding myself that this phase always takes time. The Entry Phase. I need to ride the wave, roll along, and enjoy. Things ALWAYS fall into place, and before I know it everything's running along at its own smooth and calm pace.
• I look forward to it.
• I even went out and bought new shoes today. Wearing flip-flops for a whole year means that the only "proper" shoes that I have hurt so much that they cause my feet to send shooting pains all though my body up to my head, resulting in a blinding headache come afternoon. And now... I'm all set to conquer the world of Elementary School!
• But at the moment - nose to the grindstone.
• Ah, who'm I kidding? I LOVE this life. xxx