Today I completed my second time of open classes at my current school. When I went through this last year I was way more nervous. I really wanted to make a good impression last year, and so rolled out high energy and a lot of activities. This year, I was still a little nervous but seemed to calmly get through it.
When the parents are squished inside the classroom staring at you, there is a sense that you really are putting on a show. However, since I have been teaching the same set of kids since last year I felt like this show was familiar to everyone. Anyways, my open classes went well and I got mostly excellent reviews with a few touchy comments. One parent observed that I did not correct their son who made a sentence error and that I should spend time helping them on this. That is obviously something I should do, and I guess I haven't really considered making time for it in my lessons. Usually I just roll through the lessons only stopping a few times to correct students. This is bad to admit, I'm realizing. Ah well, good medicine!
I find passing through this semester's open classes as coming to a milestone. It means the semester is almost over, and all the paper work is soon to pile up. Report cards, final tests and so on, will be on their way.
As a team leader I've had some ups and downs, and definitely have more respect for people in any kind of managerial position. There were some times there that I lost my head and ran around a little spazzed out. Thankfully the members on my team are forgiving and I learned what buttons I shouldn't press. I also came to the conclusion that I'm not in charge of the choices they make concerning how they teach their class or how they manage their equipment. (We aren't allowed to use the airconditioner at certain times.) I'm the kind of person who naturally likes and feels the need to follow all the rules. Sure I break them too, sometimes. But I'm just a stickler for these things. However, I have to realize that I can't go around pressing the rules onto my team. In the end, I want to keep things peaceful and running smoothly and not be a nagging person. Anyways, I realized that people are adults and can be responsible without my interference. So I mostly just try to be a team leader in the sense of keeping up with the due dates, transpiring messages from the Korean staff and informing my team on any updates or procedures. Otherwise I just want to be a part of the team and keep my work going.
Another reminder for me at this milestone is knowing that I am nearly halfway through this year. At some point the question of 2013 is going to come up. For now, I want to stay at this school and continue where I am. But I should think of Plan B just in case the school, for some unknown reason, doesn't want to keep me. The, "What do I do next?" question lingers around me, these days.
Well summer has planted it's feet here in Seoul and the temperature is up in the 80's these days. I'm hoping to do something for my vacation this year that involves beaches and a quiet get away. :)
When the parents are squished inside the classroom staring at you, there is a sense that you really are putting on a show. However, since I have been teaching the same set of kids since last year I felt like this show was familiar to everyone. Anyways, my open classes went well and I got mostly excellent reviews with a few touchy comments. One parent observed that I did not correct their son who made a sentence error and that I should spend time helping them on this. That is obviously something I should do, and I guess I haven't really considered making time for it in my lessons. Usually I just roll through the lessons only stopping a few times to correct students. This is bad to admit, I'm realizing. Ah well, good medicine!
I find passing through this semester's open classes as coming to a milestone. It means the semester is almost over, and all the paper work is soon to pile up. Report cards, final tests and so on, will be on their way.
As a team leader I've had some ups and downs, and definitely have more respect for people in any kind of managerial position. There were some times there that I lost my head and ran around a little spazzed out. Thankfully the members on my team are forgiving and I learned what buttons I shouldn't press. I also came to the conclusion that I'm not in charge of the choices they make concerning how they teach their class or how they manage their equipment. (We aren't allowed to use the airconditioner at certain times.) I'm the kind of person who naturally likes and feels the need to follow all the rules. Sure I break them too, sometimes. But I'm just a stickler for these things. However, I have to realize that I can't go around pressing the rules onto my team. In the end, I want to keep things peaceful and running smoothly and not be a nagging person. Anyways, I realized that people are adults and can be responsible without my interference. So I mostly just try to be a team leader in the sense of keeping up with the due dates, transpiring messages from the Korean staff and informing my team on any updates or procedures. Otherwise I just want to be a part of the team and keep my work going.
Another reminder for me at this milestone is knowing that I am nearly halfway through this year. At some point the question of 2013 is going to come up. For now, I want to stay at this school and continue where I am. But I should think of Plan B just in case the school, for some unknown reason, doesn't want to keep me. The, "What do I do next?" question lingers around me, these days.
Well summer has planted it's feet here in Seoul and the temperature is up in the 80's these days. I'm hoping to do something for my vacation this year that involves beaches and a quiet get away. :)
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