A New Attitude!

Alright folks, it's time to get excited!

I'm going to anyway.

Maybe you'll join in :)

Today Mrs. Lim approached me in regards to the material I'm covering with my second grade students (tenth grade back home). She had talked to the other English teacher and decided that my idea for supplementing their classes was a more efficient and effective use of time. So, gone are the not-at-all-related games I was playing with the first graders and using in the 2nd grade class, and in are the amazing supplementary lessons! I'm SO excited, I can't even tell you. After eight loooong months of feeling like I am not heard ever, I finally get a say in what we teach these little rascals!

I had explained some time ago that with the limited amount of time I get with them, and the enormous amount of students in the class (we're talking 40 kids here), it's just not possible for "English conversation" to be effectively taught. Thus, I suggested that I take the book, come up with some interesting games and activities that centred around the material in the text.

So now I supplement the second grade English teachers and come up with great ways to point out odd or difficult phrases in the book, while allowing them to hear my interpretation, my reading, my intonation. I'm very, very happy about this development.

My job is to teach English conversation. When I get to see the first graders once a week, I can do this effectively. We practice using fun games and everyday verbs and vocabulary so they get more and more comfortable with simple phrases. But I only see the second graders once every two weeks. It's just impossible to make any profound impact on them, especially since my teaching style is based on constant repetition.

Since I don't have class today for the second day this week, I'm going to plan out some interesting lessons I can use with the kids for the semester. I love getting revved up about my job! I'm feeling the LOVE: feeling the HAPPY! Some words of wisdom from http://www.fffound.com/...

We hit the gym this morning and am loving the legs. I was totally asleep for the entire walk there and in my delirium told Matt all about my bizarro dream about Joelle moving to New Mexico to become a tour operator. Yeah. With an English teacher I used to know from Korea, no less. I think I woke up in the change room, totally disoriented and confused as to how I got there.

Bedtime is firmly set at 8 tonight.