January 30, 2010

  • Another week...

    I honestly don't know where the weeks are going at the moment. Definitely feeling the pressures of time at the moment. Mostly just getting used to having far more balls to juggle (having added in the Trinity course, CELTA getting a bit heavier on the work with assignments to start working on now as well as more criteria for the lesson planning) and CLIL.
    The other day I had all my sets of folders/materials in piles on my bed. I spent a while looking through one of the folders for something for school, only to realise a little while later that I was looking through my CELTA folder! It was rather like spending ages trying to find a word in the dictionary, only to realise that you've been looking in the wrong language bit. I do that a lot. Anyway, just a bit of confusion going on and my head feels like one big lesson planning machine.

    Actually, at CELTA yesterday we spent some time looking at their massive resource library, and our tutor said that we're allowed to photocopy resources for our jobs because most places don't have as well equipped a library. Well I'm currently working without resources and am making them all myself. Being able to find some topic related activities there and copy them each week is going to be absolutely brilliant and will hopefully save me some of the time I'm currently spending on making materials.

    I had my second assessed lesson yesterday. I didn't enjoy doing it as much as the first, but the feedback was good again and he said he'd seen an improvement in my feedback giving, so that's good. I was far more nervous yesterday though. Not really sure why, perhaps partly related to feeling very tired this week, perhaps partly related to being first up (and having the problem of half the class arriving late to deal with!). It's silly though, all of us were commenting on the fact that this is one tiny 40 minute lesson in a week where (most of us) spend the rest of the time teaching 1-2hr lessons by ourselves, and yet we spend the most time fretting about this one. There is definitely something about having someone sitting in the corner taking notes on every single thing you do, and having 5 people on the other side of the room doing the same! (Not to mention the 14 students you are actually teaching...). Still, it should be a breeze really compared to my double-sized, rowdy teenage school classes!!!
    The nicest thing was that this week we went for our first drink together (7 out of the 12 of us) and enjoyed chatting about being foreigners in Italy (bar the 2 Italians!) and teaching experiences etc. It was fun. Also, Giulia, one of the Italians (who actually lives in Verona) said that she'd like to invite me out with her and her friends one Friday and I can stay over at hers. She laughed that she lives with her mother and a dog! But that would be nice one week. She suggested next week, but unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to stay late in Verona as I'm heading to Venice the next day.

    Lots of fun things to look forward to amongst the pressures of work. Tonight is my first concert with my new choir. Quite excited!! Had to scurry around looking for a black shirt to wear (not much fun!) but managed to find one, and am looking forward to it!!
    Then on Wednesday I'm going to see Avatar. We tried to go last week (my tutor, her niece and various other 12 year olds!) but it was fully booked, so we're going next week instead!
    Saturday and Sunday I'm off to Venice Carnival (for my birthday). Then the following week I am now going to Verona in the morning to observe a qualified teacher's lesson, then heading to Trento in the afternoon to go to a party/dinner with all of my old choir (and friends) from there, and staying overnight with one of them. Then heading back just in time to arrive at Brescia station at the same time as mum and dad arrive there coming down from Milan! :)