Teaching elementary school english has been a really interesting experience so far. I teach 22 classes per week, third through sixth grade. There have been moments where the kids are excited and engaged and I'm loving my job, and then there are some moments of uncomfortable silence that make me feel awkward and unprepared. It's all a part of the learning curve.
Teaching is learning. I'm constantly processing the feedback I receive from the kids - what grabs their attention, what leaves them bored, how long it takes them to complete certain tasks, how can you boost their self-confidence, etc. Last week I had two kids burst into tears and I have absolutely no idea why! I'm also learning about my skills as a leader; I'm finding that, without my co-teacher present, I'm much more comfortable standing in front of the kids and talking, which came as a surprise to me. When another teacher is there and instructing the kids, I feel unsure of myself; when I should be jumping in to speak? Should I be taking over? Without another teacher talking, I'm not distracted by this uncertainty and I am comfortable exuding a more commanding presence.
The curriculum is structured around our English textbook and the CD-ROM that comes with it. Each lesson has a certain number of periods it should be taught, and a bunch of different activities that play to different learning styles. For the most part, the book is really great to follow. Pretty thorough, and helpful. However, teaching at Yeocheon Elementary is proving to be very difficult, because I move from classroom to classroom, and have run into computer problems on multiple occasions. This means the lesson plan I had around the CD-ROM is now useless, and I need to come up with something new on the spot. Yikes. Right now I feel like all 12 of my classes at that school are on different pages, and I just want all the grades to be in the same place, so planning the week isn't so difficult. My other school, So-Ra Elementary, has its own English classroom, and consequently I have had no problems following the book there.
One thing I love that works so well for kids (especially the 5th and 6th grade) is competitive games. I know this isn't news to anyone (even I knew this going in), but I still can't help but be impressed with the attention-harnessing power of a scoreboard.
It should also come as no surprise that the lessons I've enjoyed the most, and I feel have been the most exciting for the kids, have come when I've been able to draw for the class. There haven't been many occasions where I've been able to do this yet (the beginning lessons "How are you? My name is __" don't offer much in terms of visual splendor...) but we're starting to move into more complex lessons, that have vocabulary words that are fairly illustratable. The kids are all impressed with any quick drawings I may do on the board, and eagerly answer any comprehension questions I ask in reference to the picture. Coming here, I knew that I would be utilizing my visual arts background to help me communicate, and also knew I would enjoy doing so. Still, I couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised with how much more fun teaching became when I drew upon my art skills (no pun intended). I am trying to come up with more lessons that can incorporate my skills.
i know that pun was intended!!
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