Teaching English 8: A Tuesday at Tung Hai

I work at Tung Hai Elementary School 東海國小 in Taitung City 台東市.  Here was my Tuesday...

From 7:50 to 8:40 AM we had a staff meeting.  I brought in an armload of assignments to correct, just so I'd have something to do.  You would think that the most boring staff meeting would be better than the worst of my classes, but I have never found this to be the case.  Even the WORST of my classes is still better than ANY of the staff meetings.  Staff meetings are, in other words, the bane of my existence.

During the meeting, various coworkers talked about various things.  Someone talked about earthquake preparedness.  Someone else talked about our upcoming English-language mentor program.  After everyone reported, the principal offered comments on what everyone had said.  He also commented on his own comments from last week's staff meeting.  Our principal is a great one for comments.

From 8:40 to 11:10 I taught three of the fourth grade classes.  The subject of my lesson was numbers and colors.  First I showed them a series of flashcards, then I passed these flashcards out.  Students had to come up to the front as I said phrases such as "one red ant" or "two blue dogs."  After than we played hot potato, and then there was a worksheet featuring a story and a coloring exercise.  At the end we played a game.

And the thing is that I really liked this lesson last week, when I wrote it.  But by now I've taught it to 12 classes, and the repetition is really getting to me.  It could be the most fantastic, enthralling lesson in the world, and after the fourth or fifth time it will still be intensely boring.

Ah well.  This is my life.

From 11:10 to about 12 I had a free period.  During this time I was correcting assignments from today and yesterday.  I was also writing this entry in my blog.  But not so much.

From 12 to 1:30 I ate lunch and took a nap.  Our lunch today consisted of rice, pork, and vegetables.  I never drink the soup.  Most of the teachers in my office sit together at a big table to eat their lunch, but I return to my desk to eat it.  I just don't like trying to have a conversation when I'm eating, and I also don't like feeling crowded.

From 1:30 to 2:20 I had another free period, so I used this time to prepare for tomorrow's English clubs.  These clubs are starting tomorrow, and I want to be well-prepared for them.  These clubs are usually more demanding than my regular classes, but they are also more interesting for me to teach.

From 2:20 to 3 I taught one of the fifth grade classes.  This was pretty much the same lesson I used with the fourth graders this morning, but after the rest period I found it much less irritating.  I keep telling myself that this "review period" will end soon, and after this period the classes for each grade won't be quite so similar.

From 3 to 4 is my prep time, but I have almost everything finished.  This means that I can sit here, and type this!