Teaching practice report no. 1

Ah! I thought I would have so much to tell you I would write every day! I do have a lot to tell you but I really have NO time to write. :)

The first week of my teaching practice went well. My mentor is an easy going person so she didn't complicate and just let me do what I needed to do. I learned quite a lot in a week:

- A wrist watch is a must. I'm going to buy one today because I don't have it. I never wear any jewelry but when you teach you just have to know how much time you have left.

- Teaching = 50% of actual teaching + 50% of paper work. At least now it is, when I'm stil unexperienced and I HATE it. :)

- Children are smarter than you think. :)
- Keep it simple.
- You have to look good. Not supermodel but nicely dressed and tidy. Children notice.
- Use their humour in your own profit. Avoiding it is impossible. :)

However, I taught 3 lessons last week. The first one was so-so. My Power Point presentation wasn't very cooperative and sabotaged me. :) There wasn't enough time ... but we did it anyway. My second one went ok but still not perfect. I was a bit unfocused and children probably noticed that. And they were too hardworking so we didn't manage to finish everything. Again. :) The third one was the first normal lesson I taught. I wasn't so nervous any more and I managed to put everything into 45 minutes.

Children are funny. :) I know many of them because they are my neighbours or my friends' younger siblings or archery club members or whatever. I guess they liked me too, since some of them asked me if I could be their teacher next year, because their teacher is going to have a baby in September. I would be happy to be their teacher, but I still have to finish my education.

My friends find it funny. I told them I probably wouldn't like teaching and I'm not even that good with children but surprisingly I quite like it now. It's my birthday today and one of my friends got me a teacher-ish present: a packet of blackboard chalks! :) I'll save it for my first real teaching job. ;)

Poppy