As mentioned in an earlier blog, an opportunity arose for my third graders to write to second grade pen pals back in America. So far it has been a success. The students here have written the students back home twice now with the second round of letters due to arrive later in the week. Students here were very excited to receive their first round of letters this past week. They were even more excited to receive pictures of some of their pen pals. Hopefully students will continue to write back and forth and the experience will be a memorable one for all. Hopefully this will be one thing that I will be able to leave behind.
Monday, March 5, 2007
The finishing touch
Making it happen
It is hard to believe that two months have come and gone so quickly. It has been a challenge and a blessing to learn and adapt to a new school environment. It is amazing coming from an American perspective how a school with few resources can provide an atmosphere for learning.
Students do not have their own text books and thus have to share school copies. Also they often have to borrow pencils and erasers from their classmates. Teachers if they wish to make photo copies need to pay. In addition, teachers have limited access to the Internet to supplement their teaching while also lacking other technological resources to help aid their student’s learning.
As in any school, some students are left behind because they either learn at a slower pace, lack concentration, or are simply are not given enough attention. However it is evident that many students at Christ the King can learn in this type of environment where there is one teacher teaching to a class of 45 students. For example, most of the students in third grade can read and comprehend literature at a high forth grade/low fifth grade level. From my perspective, it is amazing how a school make so much with so little.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Athlete or teacher?
Ever since I mentioned to both of my classes that this would be my last week teaching, most of the students have started to show different emotions. At the end of one class, a boy named Allen began crying. Many of the students have asked me when I am planning to come back or if I could change my plane ticket to stay longer and teach. Some of my third grade students have even written me thank you cards!
During free time, countless students have asked me if I can give them my home address, email address, and phone number so that they can keep in touch. Not feeling comfortable giving my phone number out to the students, I have been supplying them with the other two. So this week I have felt like an ‘athlete’ being surrounded by students giving out my ‘autograph’. It is truly amazing as to how much a teacher can impact his or her students.
During free time, countless students have asked me if I can give them my home address, email address, and phone number so that they can keep in touch. Not feeling comfortable giving my phone number out to the students, I have been supplying them with the other two. So this week I have felt like an ‘athlete’ being surrounded by students giving out my ‘autograph’. It is truly amazing as to how much a teacher can impact his or her students.
A different perspective
The nature of student teaching is to recognize your strengths and identify areas for improvement. Having others observe you help bring about these about. Over the past week, I was observed on three occasions by a professor here in Ghana. His feedback was very interesting and not exactly what I expected to here.
As I have noted earlier in my observations, schools and teaching here are definitely different than back in the U.S. so I guess I should have anticipated that some of his comments would sound a little weird to me. A few of his comments for areas for improvement include not putting my pen behind my ear while teaching because it can be intimidating to students, to erase my writing on the chalk board an eraser instead of with my hand, and not writing dark enough on the chalkboard. I guess that I was expecting different comments on my teaching style.
As I have noted earlier in my observations, schools and teaching here are definitely different than back in the U.S. so I guess I should have anticipated that some of his comments would sound a little weird to me. A few of his comments for areas for improvement include not putting my pen behind my ear while teaching because it can be intimidating to students, to erase my writing on the chalk board an eraser instead of with my hand, and not writing dark enough on the chalkboard. I guess that I was expecting different comments on my teaching style.
A tale of two classes
Both of my third grade classes could not have turned out any different from each other. One of my classes turned out to be truly amazing while the other has been a constant struggle. The first class was everything a teacher could ask for - eager to learn, asking questions when something did not make sense, always performing well on class work, homework, and tests, and being well behaved. The other class was quite the opposite by constantly talking, moving throughout the room, doing poorly on their work, and not really showing any desire to learn.
As a teacher, I feel responsible for a class that lacks discipline and is too active. It has kept forced me to stay patient and try different teaching techniques. I have learned that teaching is a craft that needs constant molding.
As a teacher, I feel responsible for a class that lacks discipline and is too active. It has kept forced me to stay patient and try different teaching techniques. I have learned that teaching is a craft that needs constant molding.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Approaching the last week
Only one full week of teaching remains here at Christ the King. Although I have not yet told the students that next week will be my last, some students are starting to sense that my time here is drawing to an end. I think that since I brought my camera to the school yesterday to start capturing some of the priceless images, I tipped off the students that I will soon be leaving. As is usual with children, they are often ready and eager to pose for the camera.
Tomorrow at school, the students will remain at home as their parents are invited to come to see their student's work and to chat with their student's respective teachers. While I have only met a few of the parents thus far, I am looking forward to meet many more of them tomorrow.
This week in English class, I introduced descriptive adjectives (i.e. The large building was built in 1890). Next week we will discuss adjectives of quantity (i.e. There are four car driving on the road). This week in math class, we wrapped up a two week unit on time. Students can now tell time on non digital clocks and can also solve problems that ask how many minutes are between two different times (i.e. If I fell asleep at 5:15 and woke up at 6:05, how many minutes did I sleep for?) Next week the students will begin a unit on counting money.
It is setting in that time here is winding down. As you can imagine there have been many friendship formed with the students and other teachers which will make the good-byes hard to encounter.
Tomorrow at school, the students will remain at home as their parents are invited to come to see their student's work and to chat with their student's respective teachers. While I have only met a few of the parents thus far, I am looking forward to meet many more of them tomorrow.
This week in English class, I introduced descriptive adjectives (i.e. The large building was built in 1890). Next week we will discuss adjectives of quantity (i.e. There are four car driving on the road). This week in math class, we wrapped up a two week unit on time. Students can now tell time on non digital clocks and can also solve problems that ask how many minutes are between two different times (i.e. If I fell asleep at 5:15 and woke up at 6:05, how many minutes did I sleep for?) Next week the students will begin a unit on counting money.
It is setting in that time here is winding down. As you can imagine there have been many friendship formed with the students and other teachers which will make the good-byes hard to encounter.
Monday, February 12, 2007
An international school
As I continue to learn more about the students and school, some early conceptions that I had of the school have proven to be false. I initially thoughts that many of the students here would have been students who grew up around the neighborhood of the school. I thought this because after talking to my host parents shortly after arriving, they mentioned how hard it is for a Ghanaian to travel to the U.S. or other parts of the non-African world.
However after talking with many of the students here, I have realized that this is not the case. Many students here were either born in the U.S. or the U.K. and have parents still working in those countries. However as you can imagine, it is quite expensive to raise a child in these countries with paying for clothes, food, and education. So often when children are old enough to attend kindergarten (or KG as they call it here), children are flown back here to Ghana and raised by their grandparents. To serve as an example, my host parents are currently raising two of their own grandchildren.
Once students are old enough to attend college, students permitted that they receive a Visa apply to colleges in the U.S. or U.K. to receive their higher education.
This school also has an international flavor since four different languages are taught here. The official langauge of Ghana is English so most classes are taught in English. Students also learn French 3 days a week along with Twi (pronounced Tree) and Ga, two local dialects.
I have also learned that this school, Christ the King International, is well respected as one of the top five schools in the country!
However after talking with many of the students here, I have realized that this is not the case. Many students here were either born in the U.S. or the U.K. and have parents still working in those countries. However as you can imagine, it is quite expensive to raise a child in these countries with paying for clothes, food, and education. So often when children are old enough to attend kindergarten (or KG as they call it here), children are flown back here to Ghana and raised by their grandparents. To serve as an example, my host parents are currently raising two of their own grandchildren.
Once students are old enough to attend college, students permitted that they receive a Visa apply to colleges in the U.S. or U.K. to receive their higher education.
This school also has an international flavor since four different languages are taught here. The official langauge of Ghana is English so most classes are taught in English. Students also learn French 3 days a week along with Twi (pronounced Tree) and Ga, two local dialects.
I have also learned that this school, Christ the King International, is well respected as one of the top five schools in the country!
Friday, February 9, 2007
The weeks are flying by
I can not believe that another school week has ended. With each week that passes by, it has become easier to settle into the classroom. Still though this week brought with it a few challenges.
With so many students in the classroom, it is very hard to ensure that all the students are learning at the same pace. Some will complete the classwork and homework with ease. For others, the work is more of a challenge and these students will take longer to finish, make many mistakes, or only do a few of problems. It is nearly impossible to help those students who are behind since their are so many students to get to. Here the teaching mentality is that you direct each lesson to the entire class.
During classwork time, I am able to help those students who have questions with their problems one-on-one. It is frustrating to see other teachers during classwork time correcting other work rather than helping their struggling students. I also always review the homework from the previous day to help make sure that the students understand the content. Most of the other teachers here begin their class period by assigning more classwork without discussing the previous days homework and without giving any new instruction.
This seems to be the biggest difference from what I am used to. The focus here seems to be that the students are constantly doing work while the teacher is constantly correcting their work. Therefore it has been a challenge teaching from a different perspective.
This past week in math, we worked on solving addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication sentences with missing parts while also showing the work. For example 50 divided by ___ = 10. Students had to solve the problem and show how they solved it by using long division. Next week in math, we will begin a two week unit on telling time and word problems involving time. In English class, we worked on the future tense where you need to use the word shall for first person pronouns and will for second and third person pronouns.
With so many students in the classroom, it is very hard to ensure that all the students are learning at the same pace. Some will complete the classwork and homework with ease. For others, the work is more of a challenge and these students will take longer to finish, make many mistakes, or only do a few of problems. It is nearly impossible to help those students who are behind since their are so many students to get to. Here the teaching mentality is that you direct each lesson to the entire class.
During classwork time, I am able to help those students who have questions with their problems one-on-one. It is frustrating to see other teachers during classwork time correcting other work rather than helping their struggling students. I also always review the homework from the previous day to help make sure that the students understand the content. Most of the other teachers here begin their class period by assigning more classwork without discussing the previous days homework and without giving any new instruction.
This seems to be the biggest difference from what I am used to. The focus here seems to be that the students are constantly doing work while the teacher is constantly correcting their work. Therefore it has been a challenge teaching from a different perspective.
This past week in math, we worked on solving addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication sentences with missing parts while also showing the work. For example 50 divided by ___ = 10. Students had to solve the problem and show how they solved it by using long division. Next week in math, we will begin a two week unit on telling time and word problems involving time. In English class, we worked on the future tense where you need to use the word shall for first person pronouns and will for second and third person pronouns.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Reflections after one month
Having been educated and teaching in private schools my entire life, it is hard to get used to classrooms that have 40-45 students. At times it is overwhelming. This seems to be the biggest obstacle to overcome since there is so much as a teacher that you need to monitor. You can not prevent all of the chit chat or some of the minor quarrels that some of the students get into. You also become swamped to grade student classwork and homework. I just hope as a teacher that I can connect with most of the students and engage them with the content.
It has also been a bit of a challenge since the school does not have the same resources that schools back home have (i.e. access to a copy machine, manipulatives for students to use, text books for all students, copies of teacher books or workbooks, etc.). Assessments here are very limited as well. Students are graded based off of their classwork, homework, and tests. There are not any projects, papers, creative homework assignments, or any informal assessments. At times if feels like I am teaching with my hands tied behind my back.
It is encouraging to know that many parents here to monitor their student's work by checking their homework every night. I would guess that about 60% of my students parents will check and sign their student' work. As in most cases, the parents who keep an eye on their student's work and performance see their children succeed.
I have been able to have students do types of work that most teachers do not have their students do. For example in math class I have students show of their work on the chalk board when usually only the teachers are allowed to work on the board. I have also done a bit of group work while many teachers give just give independent work for students to work on. Also many teachers will correct other student work while their students are working on classwork. This means that most teachers do not walk throughout the room assisting those students that are have trouble with the work. Further many teachers here seem to lecture without often engaging the students. I always try to ask as many questions as I can while teaching to allow for students to interact and make sense of the content.
All in all, I can not believe that I have taught for four weeks. The time has sure gone by fast.
It has also been a bit of a challenge since the school does not have the same resources that schools back home have (i.e. access to a copy machine, manipulatives for students to use, text books for all students, copies of teacher books or workbooks, etc.). Assessments here are very limited as well. Students are graded based off of their classwork, homework, and tests. There are not any projects, papers, creative homework assignments, or any informal assessments. At times if feels like I am teaching with my hands tied behind my back.
It is encouraging to know that many parents here to monitor their student's work by checking their homework every night. I would guess that about 60% of my students parents will check and sign their student' work. As in most cases, the parents who keep an eye on their student's work and performance see their children succeed.
I have been able to have students do types of work that most teachers do not have their students do. For example in math class I have students show of their work on the chalk board when usually only the teachers are allowed to work on the board. I have also done a bit of group work while many teachers give just give independent work for students to work on. Also many teachers will correct other student work while their students are working on classwork. This means that most teachers do not walk throughout the room assisting those students that are have trouble with the work. Further many teachers here seem to lecture without often engaging the students. I always try to ask as many questions as I can while teaching to allow for students to interact and make sense of the content.
All in all, I can not believe that I have taught for four weeks. The time has sure gone by fast.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Christ the King turns 51
Yesterday Christ the King turned 51 and the school celebrated its birthday with a mass and activities for the students. The day, referred to as Founders Day, began with a mass where the priest spoke about the importance of students of not only being academically intelligent but also socially intelligent. He stressed that students need to know how to treat their fellow peers, teachers, friends, and family. Without social intelligence, academic intelligence does not matter becuase you will not know how to use it. He also talked about the importance of being one family united by love and peace.
Following mass, the students took part in games of soccer, basketball, and volleyball which was accompanied by music, food, and refreshments. It was a great opportunity to be thankful for the founders of the school while also reflecting on the current term.
Today in math, I continued teaching long division which seems to be a hard concept for some students to grasp. Therefore we have taken baby steps and slowly the students have been comprehending it. In grammar class, we began discussing the future tense. Apparently according to British English when you speak first person with the future tense you use the word shall (i.e. I shall run tomorrow or We shall go to the store). However when you use the second or third person for the future tense you use the word will (i.e. You will clean your room or They will be travelling this weekend). I was unaware of these uses of the future tense which shows that I am learning alongside my students.
Following mass, the students took part in games of soccer, basketball, and volleyball which was accompanied by music, food, and refreshments. It was a great opportunity to be thankful for the founders of the school while also reflecting on the current term.
Today in math, I continued teaching long division which seems to be a hard concept for some students to grasp. Therefore we have taken baby steps and slowly the students have been comprehending it. In grammar class, we began discussing the future tense. Apparently according to British English when you speak first person with the future tense you use the word shall (i.e. I shall run tomorrow or We shall go to the store). However when you use the second or third person for the future tense you use the word will (i.e. You will clean your room or They will be travelling this weekend). I was unaware of these uses of the future tense which shows that I am learning alongside my students.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Pen pal opportunity!!!
The third grade students (or class three as they are referred to here) seem to be learning the material very quickly. In math class we have just begun learning division. On the first day of this unit, I asked the class if they knew what is meant by division. Many students raised their hands and the first student that I called on said, "It means that you sort items out equally." A pretty solid answer from a nine year old. Just having finished multiplication, we are now discussing how division and multiplication are similar (i.e. how 6x7=42 and 42/7=6 are related). Students also know how to solve division problems when they are given a missing part. So for example 8x?=40, ? = 5 because 4x8=40.
In grammar class this week we have been looking at prepositions which the student seem to have a pretty good handle on too. They can identify prepositions in sentences and can form their own sentences that contain prepositions.
In exciting news, I am establishing pen pals with a school back in Milwaukee that I observed at last semester. My third graders will be writing back and forth with second graders from Madison Elementary School. I think that this will be an eye opening experiences for the students on both sides and hopefully they will learn how people thousands of miles away are similar to them. Hopefully they are old enough to gain something from this opportunity.
In grammar class this week we have been looking at prepositions which the student seem to have a pretty good handle on too. They can identify prepositions in sentences and can form their own sentences that contain prepositions.
In exciting news, I am establishing pen pals with a school back in Milwaukee that I observed at last semester. My third graders will be writing back and forth with second graders from Madison Elementary School. I think that this will be an eye opening experiences for the students on both sides and hopefully they will learn how people thousands of miles away are similar to them. Hopefully they are old enough to gain something from this opportunity.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Feeling more comfortbale
As a few weeks have passed, I feel more comfortable teaching at Christ the King as I have become more aware of some of the nuances. First I have never taught on a block schedule before. Regular periods last 35 minutes but the more important subjects are taught as two 35 minute periods back to back so the class will last 70 minutes. For the third graders this seems to be a bit long. Both the math and grammar classes that I teach are block periods. The students do have breaks throughout the day...a 15 minute break in the morning and 45 minutes for lunch.
It is also interesting how the students greet their teachers. At the beginning of class, the teacher will say, "Good morning" and the students respond, "Good morning Mr./Mrs. Last name." Then the teacher will say, "How is the class doing today" and the class responds, "We are fine, thanks, and you?" It is pretty cute. Outside of the classroom many of the students acknowledge their teachers by either waving or saying good morning or good afternoon. Also in class most teachers do not call on students by using their names but rather make eye contact with the student they want to answer the question or they simply point to the student. When a student is called on, they stand by their desk as they answer the question.
Teaching continues to go well. In my math class this week we are wrapping up multiplication and will begin simple division. In my grammar class we have finished learning about synonyms and will begin learning about prepositions.
It is also interesting how the students greet their teachers. At the beginning of class, the teacher will say, "Good morning" and the students respond, "Good morning Mr./Mrs. Last name." Then the teacher will say, "How is the class doing today" and the class responds, "We are fine, thanks, and you?" It is pretty cute. Outside of the classroom many of the students acknowledge their teachers by either waving or saying good morning or good afternoon. Also in class most teachers do not call on students by using their names but rather make eye contact with the student they want to answer the question or they simply point to the student. When a student is called on, they stand by their desk as they answer the question.
Teaching continues to go well. In my math class this week we are wrapping up multiplication and will begin simple division. In my grammar class we have finished learning about synonyms and will begin learning about prepositions.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Trying to adjust on the go
Now that I have a better picture of how Christ the King operates, I have to try to adjust my teaching style. As I have noted earlier, teachers here grade classwork and homework everyday. Having to grade my own assignments, I have learned that this becomes quite tedious. As I walk around the school and sit in the teachers area, almost every teacher has a stack of notebooks piled high in front of them that they are busy grading. Rarely will I see a teacher reading the newspaper or browsing the Internet.
I find this very frustrating because it seems like a waste of time. Most teachers if the work is correct will mark the problem with a check mark. If the problem is wrong, they will mark it with an X and not really explain why or how the student did the problem incorrectly. Also since their is so much grading after the teacher assigns the classwork, they will begin to grade the previous days homework. This means that teachers are not walking around the room helping the students who are confused or who have questions. When the students are given their homework to copy down from the chalkboard, teachers then begin to grade the classwork. So it seems that there is little interaction between the teacher and students since the teacher is always grading student work.
It is also frustrating because the students are used to copying their classwork and homework directly from the chalkboard. It seems that there is so much class time wasted as students are copying down their work. Students here are also accustom to having the freedom of walking around the classroom while the teacher is teaching. As I have been observing, students will walk right up to the teacher and ask a question about their work or if they can go to the bathroom while the teacher is teaching. The students themselves may feel the need to get up and walk around because they are sitting most of the day. Most of their classes are taught in their own classroom.
In general, I have been very impressed with how smart the third graders are. Their math skills and knowledge of the English language are much better than I expected.
This is definately a learning experince for me as I try to adjust my teaching style to best meet the needs of my students.
I find this very frustrating because it seems like a waste of time. Most teachers if the work is correct will mark the problem with a check mark. If the problem is wrong, they will mark it with an X and not really explain why or how the student did the problem incorrectly. Also since their is so much grading after the teacher assigns the classwork, they will begin to grade the previous days homework. This means that teachers are not walking around the room helping the students who are confused or who have questions. When the students are given their homework to copy down from the chalkboard, teachers then begin to grade the classwork. So it seems that there is little interaction between the teacher and students since the teacher is always grading student work.
It is also frustrating because the students are used to copying their classwork and homework directly from the chalkboard. It seems that there is so much class time wasted as students are copying down their work. Students here are also accustom to having the freedom of walking around the classroom while the teacher is teaching. As I have been observing, students will walk right up to the teacher and ask a question about their work or if they can go to the bathroom while the teacher is teaching. The students themselves may feel the need to get up and walk around because they are sitting most of the day. Most of their classes are taught in their own classroom.
In general, I have been very impressed with how smart the third graders are. Their math skills and knowledge of the English language are much better than I expected.
This is definately a learning experince for me as I try to adjust my teaching style to best meet the needs of my students.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Nearing the end of the first week
I have observed and experienced much over the past three days. I am very fortunate to Christ the King for welcoming me with open arms. During transition times, many students and teachers introduce themselves to me and ask how my day is going. There are so many names and faces that it will take some time to become familiar with everyone.
Thus far I am three days into my math class. The topic for this week and next week is multiplication. Student have learned how to draw pictures to represent multiplication problems. For example if the problem is 4 x 3 = 12, they know to draw four groups with three in each group. Tomorrow the students will learn how a number line can help them solve multiplication problems. Class has gone well and the students seem to be picking up the content. I find it interesting that all of the teachers grade both the student's class work and homework. So if there are around 45 students in a class and the teacher teaches two sections, they typically will be grading 180 items throughout a day (and this is just for one subject).
I taught my first section of grammar (or construction as they call it here) today. Tomorrow and next week we are learning about synonyms. When I started the lesson none of the students could tell me what a synonym was. By the end of the class the students were coming up with about five synonyms for every word that I gave them.
During some of my down time, I have learned a great deal about the education system in Ghana. Teachers go through a very similar process that American teachers do. After graduating from high school, Ghanaians who wish to teach take three years of courses at a university and are then able to teach at a private or public school. Like in the United States parents who have access to money send their students to private school which have access to the best available teachers and good facilities. Public schools on the other hand have few resources, more students in the classroom, and poor facilities.
There are just under 1,000 students here at Christ the King as the school houses kindergarten through eight grade. In kindergarten through second grade, the students work mostly with their homeroom teacher. There are two classroom for third through fifth grade where teachers will teach certain subjects to each classroom. For example in forth grade, one teacher will teach social studies and math to each class while the other may teach science and grammar to each class. In middle school (or JSS...Junior Secondary School) teachers only teach one subject.
Thus far I am three days into my math class. The topic for this week and next week is multiplication. Student have learned how to draw pictures to represent multiplication problems. For example if the problem is 4 x 3 = 12, they know to draw four groups with three in each group. Tomorrow the students will learn how a number line can help them solve multiplication problems. Class has gone well and the students seem to be picking up the content. I find it interesting that all of the teachers grade both the student's class work and homework. So if there are around 45 students in a class and the teacher teaches two sections, they typically will be grading 180 items throughout a day (and this is just for one subject).
I taught my first section of grammar (or construction as they call it here) today. Tomorrow and next week we are learning about synonyms. When I started the lesson none of the students could tell me what a synonym was. By the end of the class the students were coming up with about five synonyms for every word that I gave them.
During some of my down time, I have learned a great deal about the education system in Ghana. Teachers go through a very similar process that American teachers do. After graduating from high school, Ghanaians who wish to teach take three years of courses at a university and are then able to teach at a private or public school. Like in the United States parents who have access to money send their students to private school which have access to the best available teachers and good facilities. Public schools on the other hand have few resources, more students in the classroom, and poor facilities.
There are just under 1,000 students here at Christ the King as the school houses kindergarten through eight grade. In kindergarten through second grade, the students work mostly with their homeroom teacher. There are two classroom for third through fifth grade where teachers will teach certain subjects to each classroom. For example in forth grade, one teacher will teach social studies and math to each class while the other may teach science and grammar to each class. In middle school (or JSS...Junior Secondary School) teachers only teach one subject.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
First day of teaching
Well...today was the students first day back to school (Jan. 9) so things were a little crazy and not much was taught in the two third grade classrooms that I observed. The music lesson and environmental studies classes that I observed were spent on reviewing material from before break which for the students started on Dec. 8.
The mornings start around 7:30 with an outdoor school assembly. This school Christ the King International is kindergarten through 8th grade. So each class lined up along side a basketball court near the school's dirt 'football' field. Assembly lasted around 30 minutes as the students prayed, listened to announcements, and sang the national anthem accompanied by a few drums.
This school is very different in terms of set up as a typical American school. The school is set up in a single story U shape with the administrative offices in the front and the rest of the classrooms following. Each classroom has about 40 - 45 students with one teacher. There appears to be a lot of downtime for students to either read a book or work on homework.
Today was personally a bit crazy. At the beginning of the day, the assistant principal still did not know which teachers I would be working with. Then after a while I was lead to one of the third grade classrooms where I discussed with the teacher what subjects I could teach. With moments of telling her that I could teach math, she had me teach a lesson on multiplication without any time to prepare. Later in the day I taught the same math lesson to the other third graders.
I do now have my schedule. I will be teaching math five days a week to both third grade classes and English three times a week to both classes. I am looking forward to the experience although U am not sure how long it is going to take me to learn the names of some 85 students, especially names that are hard to pronounce. We shall see how it goes.
The mornings start around 7:30 with an outdoor school assembly. This school Christ the King International is kindergarten through 8th grade. So each class lined up along side a basketball court near the school's dirt 'football' field. Assembly lasted around 30 minutes as the students prayed, listened to announcements, and sang the national anthem accompanied by a few drums.
This school is very different in terms of set up as a typical American school. The school is set up in a single story U shape with the administrative offices in the front and the rest of the classrooms following. Each classroom has about 40 - 45 students with one teacher. There appears to be a lot of downtime for students to either read a book or work on homework.
Today was personally a bit crazy. At the beginning of the day, the assistant principal still did not know which teachers I would be working with. Then after a while I was lead to one of the third grade classrooms where I discussed with the teacher what subjects I could teach. With moments of telling her that I could teach math, she had me teach a lesson on multiplication without any time to prepare. Later in the day I taught the same math lesson to the other third graders.
I do now have my schedule. I will be teaching math five days a week to both third grade classes and English three times a week to both classes. I am looking forward to the experience although U am not sure how long it is going to take me to learn the names of some 85 students, especially names that are hard to pronounce. We shall see how it goes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)