Remember my blog from last year when I was job hunting and spending my days wandering the streets, sipping tea, and getting ignored by Dublin bus drivers? Well, fast-forward and here I am now with a full-time job teaching English! Two months ago I had no idea what a lesson plan looked like, nor how to keep adults entertained with grammar. I also had no idea what past subjunctive present perfect tense was - and still don't because I just made that up! Yet, here I am now, entrusted with a room full of non-native speakers and a blue marker in one hand.
I used that blue marker today - first, to write my name, and then, to draw #Wilson from #Castaway on the board. I am pleased to say that I did not use a single piece of technology to aid the flow of the class. During my teaching course I used #Google slides as a crutch. I thought that having visuals would make me less nervous because the students would stare at the board and not at me. I couldn't imagine not using technology. For six hours, I waltzed through the material without any need to call on the internet. Now that I think of it, I prefer this method because there's less preparation in front of the computer. And who cares if the students are looking at me? I can pretend I’m on a beach.
Rapport, I can now confirm, is key to becoming friends with the class. It's surprising how fast humans bond with one another. Little did I know, students genuinely care about the #teacher. When my class learned I was a Maritime Studies major, the questions came pouring and they wanted to learn about my background with the sea. Perhaps I will incorporate my love for all things maritime into my lessons. Articles on pirates, whales and hey, why not, cannibalism, are all possibilities for a fun #English class. A piece of home will be in the class and students who feel that energy will want to be there.
Remember this blog, too, as I begin work in these uncharted waters. Where will I go next?
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