Tomorrow is the first day of school where I plan on teaching something!! This hasn't happened since. . . December. I can't wait to actually do something besides watch a movie. Downside, I'm back with the Wicked Witch playing the role of tape recorder half the week. But I'm always excited to see the Grade 5s, but now they're in Grade 6! Craziness. Working with the witch might actually benefit me with classroom management because she's runs the tightest ship in the school as far as I know and the first day is the most important one for that stuff. The fact is she's a control freak, precisely why I am a tape recorder.
Here's what I'm expecting to deal with again for the upcoming month from Wednesday to Friday. The children enter silently to an easy-listening song from an artist who thinks Billboard top 100 is actually a billboard. Once seated, the students will sing, if they don't she tells them to. After she's satisfied she will say "Okay, attention everyone" and then talk in Korean. Meanwhile, I'm standing on the opposite side of the class because there's no where for me to sit other than a student's empty desk. Then we have the Powerpoint presentation for numb-nuts. Being the Grade 6 teacher she should be aware that they've had English classes for 3 years prior, but her presentations are flash cards: One word, one picture, even if the word is abstract like "Believe." My duty is to pronounce these words clearly and have the students repeat them. There are never sentences, just words. She has a 3rd grade class too which I don't teach but I've watched through the window and they just sing a song and then she speaks Korean, and no one else talks. She's a stickler for order and that's what she gets. Her seating plan revolves on their grades which plummet from start to finish. Team A is usually 4 kids, if she's lucky, by the end of the year when in the beginning it was 10 and Team C or D dominates the room. Maybe its because kids feel like she's wasting their time, I know I feel that way. I've thought about just blowing her off, but that'd be far too unprofessional for a person due to sign his RENEWAL CONTRACT MONDAY!!! Where would I go while I'm blowing this teacher off you ask? Let me tell you.
Kids are spunky and packed with energy which peaks in between Grades 4 and 5. Some cynical teacher told me that being an educator is like being a used car salesman, you have to get them to buy the idea that this is important and necessary, even though it sucks. I don't know what it is, but these kids tend to eat of my hand unless they really struggle with English. At which point my Grade 5 CT will help them out. She's my favourite one without a doubt. We split the workload and she gives me a lot of running room with whatever game or activity I plan. I wish I could tell you more about it, but its the fact I'm not confined to this strict regiment of saying one word and we share a long a desk. The biggest difference is the students, they enjoy coming to class. I think the most they've laughed was seeing a picture of Moby, because apparently bald people are hilarious in Korea. Either way, I'm looking forward to kicking of the new year, despite the stickler. So long as I get to travel upstairs to the land of the free and the fun, I don't mind being a tape recorder.
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