TEFL Zorritos: February 2014

Wednesday 26 February 2014

TEFL Success Stories - Part 69

Saul - Russia

Time to start I suppose. The week is beginning in earnest and it’s that time of year when there never seems to be a quiet moment. You can go into school with nothing in particular planned aside from the day’s usual duties (planning, testing new students, cleaning up after messy teachers), when suddenly ten people run up to you with ten different jobs for you that really cannot wait and before you know it you’re left with just five minutes to take a cursory glance at your materials before heading into class. Anyway, this week I’m going to make sure I keep on top of things by planning Monday’s lessons on Sunday. ‘Pre-empting’, as they called it on my training course; just a pity I’m not very good at it.

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Study a TEFL course with TEFL Zorritos in Peru, South America and travel the world, live abroad and enrich people's lives by teaching them English. A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate is an internationally accredited and accepted qualification to teach English to people from non-English speaking countries. More questions? Head to our What is TEFL? page

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Anyway, my name’s Saul and I’m DoS at Language Link in St. Petersburg. This is my fourth year in Russia altogether, but my third year at this school. My first time out here was seven years ago when, as a student, I met the wonderful woman who is now my wife and got my first taste of EFL teaching. Things were pretty different then; it was enough just to be able to speak English if you wanted an EFL job and there was no real quality control, but I’ll go into more of that a bit later on. Fortunately things have changed a lot and for the better.

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Our TEFL Certificate course is held at the gorgeous Sunset Club in Zorritos. Sunset Club is a private club and hotel where you will study surrounded by palm trees and overlooking their stunning private beach. Our training site is located within metres of the ocean which provides a lovely breeze and a breathtaking view. The club has various swimming pools, bars, a restaurant, tennis courts, a soccer pitch and a playground.

Included in your TEFL course fee is lunch daily at Sunset Club for the duration of the course, as well as a private taxi twice daily from your accommodation to the club, as it is located approximately 15 minutes from the centre of Zorritos. You can also choose to stay at the club for the duration of course, which we offer in our Course Packages.

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As I write on this cloudy St. Petersburg evening I’m past one of my biggest challenges of the week and awaiting the other one. The one behind me was an open lesson, a free demonstration session open to anyone planning to study with us. It wasn’t until after this open lesson was well underway that I realised that it was to be one of my biggest challenges of the week. It was a children’s open lesson and I’d prepared some games for kids. What I didn’t realise was that all the children's parents had been invited to attend, as well as some local Russian teachers of English. I’m DoS, and I can’t refuse such people to watch my ‘master class’. I was glad when the lesson was over; I have to think back to my early days of teaching those seven years ago to remember the last time my hands were visibly shaking during a class.

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GUARANTEED TEACHING POSITION IN CHINA FOR PARADISE TEFL GRADUATES:

Round-trip airfare
Accommodations
Complete visa assistance
Support network in place to help you get settled
Competitive salary teaching oral English
Positions starting in February & August each year
Graduates must be at least 18 years old with no upper age limit
Bachelor Degree NOT required

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The other big challenge of the week is the class that’s started to go wrong. You’re no doubt familiar with my tale; what was once my favourite group has suddenly been turned on its head by the addition of one new student, who has in record time managed to make enemies with another student. The age gap is perhaps the biggest problem – the new student is, I guess, in her forties whilst the rest of the group, including her nemesis, are all teenagers or in their twenties. It also doesn’t help that this older student is by far the weakest in the group. Anyway, the older woman’s constant protests and rude comments are beginning to get on my nerves, and I can see that something is going to have to be done this week. I need to save things before I begin to dread Tuesday evenings for no other reason than two adults who don’t get on but should know better. There is, of course, another adult here who should know better; I should know better how to deal with the problem.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And guaranteed job search assistance in whatever city/country you want to work, waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

TEFL Success Stories - Part 68

Melissa - Switzerland

A busy day online today. I start at 8.00am, still in my pyjamas and not yet woken up. Thank God webcams aren’t obligatory yet – our kitten is clawing her way up my back and going for my headset. I have 6 hours online today: three 45- minute classes this morning and three from 1.00pm. I must try and complete the reports immediately – I always leave them a day or two and end up with 18 to do and a nasty email from admin.

The students are regulars today, all Japanese, aside from the French bank personnel straight after lunch. I don’t enjoy that one…it’s taken weeks for the majority to ‘learn’ how to greet me. ‘’How are you Gilbert?’’ I say, ‘’I’m fine’’ Gilbert says. Silence. Every week the same. ‘’I’m fine thanks’’ I shout into the mike but the French don’t do irony – or perhaps Gilbert’s not even listening. Hard to tell with online classes. No problems today – no connection problems, no sound problems. Still, I’m glad when I turn the pc off. Gives me a headache sometimes and I swear I’m going boss-eyed.

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I take a nap – can’t get through the day without one - then prepare my next class. At 5.00pm, I stroll round the corner to my private student for an hour or so. He only lives 3 minutes away and his parents pay me cash. If only there were more classes like this one. They’re worried about his grades – since the teacher changed his grades have slipped apparently. This new teacher seems fond of worksheets with lists of phrasal verbs. And tests. Seems to love tests. My student wants a lot of speaking practice – he does precious little at school and it shows: at times I haven’t got a clue what he’s saying. Nice kid though and seems to relish the opportunity to express himself. His face always lights up when I take out a bunch of cards or a game – and it’s been while since I had such an effect on an 18-year-old boy.

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At 7.30pm it’s off to the first evening class after the long summer break. It’s still warm here during the day and not yet dark when I arrive at the school. There’s the usual huddle of cigarette-puffing teenagers outside here for their first aid course - obligatory for all those after their driving licence. They glare at me as I pass and I smile, thinking of them on their knees, jeans straining against large backsides, cheeks reddening as they resuscitate that plastic dummy. They know how silly they look which makes me feel even better. Thankfully my students will be a little older and we get to keep out dignity this evening. I like this building, 19th century, a bit tired in places, wooden floors and relatively light and airy in the best Swiss tradition. In front there’s a huge fountain, the noise of running water can be heard from all of the classrooms. At first I thought it was raining every night. I wave at the centre manager but she is surrounded by new students signing up for their courses, money and books changing hands. She seems flustered.

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GUARANTEED TEACHING POSITION IN CHINA FOR PARADISE TEFL GRADUATES:

Round-trip airfare
Accommodations
Complete visa assistance
Support network in place to help you get settled
Competitive salary teaching oral English
Positions starting in February & August each year
Graduates must be at least 18 years old with no upper age limit
Bachelor Degree NOT required

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No teenagers now but older people, looking stressed. Some of these people haven’t learnt anything for ages – though some are perpetual students and they’ll do a course in anything. I hope I don’t get too many of those in my class. They often lack drive and take courses simply to have something to do. I go downstairs to the staff-room – a smelly, dark room with a photocopier and a kettle. Smelly because there seems to be a problem with the drains in the basement and dark because there’s rarely anyone in it and the light is switched off. Tonight is no different. It looks like I’m the only English course tonight. This seems to be the one place in Europe where people apparently don’t want to learn English. There is no reason for me to hang around down here, there is nothing to photocopy and nobody to speak to, so after checking my cubby hole [ never anything in it] I head upstairs to room 7, facing the fountain, to meet my new beginners. The register says tonight there are seven students. A good size and a shame that half won’t last the month. I’m starting to feel hungry and not a little tired: I’ll be glad to get to bed tonight. Still, it’s always nice to be teaching students I can see and touch.

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Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Saturday 22 February 2014

TEFL Success Stories - Part 67

Lynda - Cambodia

My friend and I are about to start a six month voluntary placement in Siem Reap, starting 1st October 2007. We will be teaching English to street children and orphans. At least, that’s what we thought we would be doing until recently, but the remit has become a lot broader. Let me introduce the two of us properly and give you some background to our trip.

I have worked in education (as a secondary school geography teacher) and social housing over the past 20 years. Gill has gained a wide range of skills and experience working in the supported housing / care sector for 20 years. In 2005 we both decided to take a career break and went travelling for a year. During this trip we visited Cambodia and our experience there convinced us to complete a Teaching English as a Second Language course in the UK, and return to Cambodia as soon as possible. In 2006 we both received a CELTA – ESOL Language Teaching qualification from Oxford House College in Central London.

We spent a lot of time investigating organizations before making a decision about who we were prepared to approach for voluntary positions. Many organizations charge volunteers a lot of money and very little of this goes to the community in which you would be working. The Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that we will be working for in Siem Reap is called Globalteer. Their philosophy is very much about supporting local staff and creating systems and services that will be sustainable at a local level.

The work Globalteer does in Cambodia includes a free education programme, the management of orphanages and a day centre for street children.

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Study a TEFL course with TEFL Zorritos in Peru, South America and travel the world, live abroad and enrich people's lives by teaching them English. A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate is an internationally accredited and accepted qualification to teach English to people from non-English speaking countries. More questions? Head to our What is TEFL? page
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As I stated earlier, the remit for our voluntary placement in Siem Reap now involves much more than simply supporting local teaching staff in the school. The increase in human trafficking in the area means that the street children are facing increasing danger. We have been asked to develop policies and procedures for use within the school, orphanages and the day centre. This work will include teaching the children about the dangers they may face from tourists as well as locals. There is also a lot of training to be completed with the staff in all the schemes.
Cambodia has one of the lowest adult literacy rates in Asia. The Khmer Rouge put anyone suspected of having an education to death, thus devastating the numbers of teachers in the country. Today 80% of Cambodia’s primary school teachers have only attended lower secondary school. If you add the lack of resources to this, our aim to support local teaching staff in schools will be a far greater task than we initially envisaged. What Cambodia does have, however, is a population who are desperate to learn, not only in their own language, but also in English. There is a strong culture of self-improvement amongst Cambodians, and they are fully aware that the key to getting on in the world is knowledge of the English language. English not only dominates commerce but also tourism, the country's most rapidly growing industry.
As you can gather, I am at the start of what will hopefully be a productive and enjoyable journey.
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Our TEFL Certificate course is held at the gorgeous Sunset Club in Zorritos. Sunset Club is a private club and hotel where you will study surrounded by palm trees and overlooking their stunning private beach. Our training site is located within metres of the ocean which provides a lovely breeze and a breathtaking view. The club has various swimming pools, bars, a restaurant, tennis courts, a soccer pitch and a playground.
Included in your TEFL course fee is lunch daily at Sunset Club for the duration of the course, as well as a private taxi twice daily from your accommodation to the club, as it is located approximately 15 minutes from the centre of Zorritos. You can also choose to stay at the club for the duration of course, which we offer in our Course Packages.
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I arrived in Siem Reap three weeks ago with the temperature during the day reaching too close to a humid 40°C for comfort. I, along with all the other volunteers here, thought I would be assisting local teachers and monks to teach English to orphans and vulnerable children.

In reality, there are no local teachers or monks, and the volunteers (some of whom have no previous teaching experience) are the teachers. Classrooms are very basic – some in bamboo huts with no electricity, some without basic desks or benches to sit on. To maximize the number of children who have access to English lessons, 40–60 minute sessions are repeated several times a day, Monday to Friday. The routine is interrupted occasionally by tropical rain storms which flood the mud roads and make it impossible for some of the children to travel from surrounding villages to reach class. The resources available are white boards, exercise books and pencils.

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GUARANTEED TEACHING POSITION IN CHINA FOR PARADISE TEFL GRADUATES:
●      Round-trip airfare
●
●      Accommodations
●
●      Complete visa assistance
●
●      Support network in place to help you get settled
●
●      Competitive salary teaching oral English
●
●      Positions starting in February & August each year
●
●      Graduates must be at least 18 years old with no upper age limit
●
●      Bachelor Degree NOT required
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Much is left to the initiative of the volunteers, and several of my colleagues have been involved in delousing sessions and transporting children to the opticians, as it doesn’t take any teacher training to recognize when a child can’t see the board! The eye tests, the spectacles when required and transport via a tuk-tuk (a two-wheeled carriage attached to a motorbike) were paid for by volunteers. It’s difficult to even attempt to describe the enthusiasm and determination these children have to study even though they live in such poverty. The broad smiles of absolute delight when lessons begin would be alien to the majority of harassed teachers in the tougher schools back home.

As volunteers, we could choose to plod along and work with the disorganization in which we find ourselves. However the children do not deserve anything less than our best and many of the volunteers, who are only here for two weeks, would benefit from a much more structured approach to lesson planning. The standard of the volunteers is very high and there is no lack of enthusiasm but when one person moves on, no official handover takes place with the new person coming in. The result is that the children are either being taught the same thing over and over again or there is a huge gap in the level of English taught from one volunteer to the next. Also the local teachers who should be learning how to teach English alongside the volunteers, are feeling isolated because of the lack of continuity.

As part of my contribution while I am here I have decided to put together teaching folders with lesson plans and resource references which will be available for the local teachers and the volunteers to use. Each class has five English language lessons per week. In primary school, this is 40–50 minutes per lesson and in secondary school (to 16 years old) it’s 60 minutes.

I would welcome suggestions for any websites or books which could speed up the production of this resource. Although the book shop in Bangkok is very good, many of the books have the CDs missing. This type of resource would be of enormous benefit to Khmer teachers who are learning the language while teaching it. Any suggestions for how to access audio teaching materials without me having to spend the whole of my savings at the start of my trip would also be appreciated.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And guaranteed job search assistance in whatever city/country you want to work, waiting for you when you complete the course.
Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Thursday 20 February 2014

TEFL Success Stories - Part 66

Laura - Czech Republic

I hear it while I’m taking attendance: the muted beep followed by rapid clicking. Technically, class doesn’t start for three minutes so I let it slide, but I decide to say something before I start teaching.

“OK, guys,” I say, emphasizing the first syllable to get their attention. The chatter drops off, but persists in a murmur too low to identify the source. I decide to ignore it. You have to choose your battles carefully when you work with teenagers. I plow on, slowly, making sure they all understand: “Please, please, please turn off your cell phones before class starts. It drives me crazy when my lesson gets interrupted by a phone.” Sheepish grins. Raised eyebrows. I see a few hands dig into bags, and hear a scattering of beeps as my students comply.

I gave them the cell phone lecture on the first day of class – all of my classes got it. But as the semester progresses, mobile phones have been interrupting my lessons with increasing frequency, particularly in this class.

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Post-secondary intermediate English (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) is the only class I have to discipline. Part of it is the nature of the course: Post-secondary classes are full of students who completed high school but failed to pass their college entrance exams. Many of them are taking the course as an alternative to working -- in other words, not a highly motivated classroom. Most of the students are nineteen or twenty years old, which is a disciplinary problem in and of itself. And with nineteen, it’s my largest class.

Every other course I teach is exam preparation, FCE and CAE. And while I love these classes (motivated and mature students, well-designed curriculum, clear goals), I appreciate the variety and challenges that my P2 classes provide. Really. And if I repeat it enough, it starts to sound true.

No, no, I’m just joking. Kind of. These classes are a lot of fun, and I do appreciate the challenge. It’s just that some days I open my mouth and suddenly find that I’ve turned into that humorless teacher I used to make fun of back in high school. The one who said things like, “Is there something outrageously funny about this lesson? No? Then I’d appreciate it if you’d stop laughing and pay attention to what I’m saying.” At twenty-three, I’m a little young to be a member of the adult establishment, and yet here I am: the target of their rebellious impulses and the only disciplinary authority in the room.

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Class starts well. They write news articles about UFOs, based on a speaking activity we did yesterday. They like the topic, and as I walk behind them I can see a lot of creative ideas: headlines, photographs with captions, quotes, descriptions. They are completely engrossed, and (rare blessing that it is) ten minutes pass without my hearing a word of Czech.

Every day is a battle against a verbal Czech invasion. “In English!” is my catchphrase, and I find myself repeating it like a broken toy. I mutter, holler, hiss and shout the words a dozen times every lesson, ruefully thinking of my high school and university teachers. How many times was I subject of the same command: “En francais! En espanol!” And did I really think they didn’t know what I was doing when I lowered my voice? But today I’ve been granted a respite. We’re halfway through class and I haven’t once had to yell, “In English means in English, not quieter in Czech!” Peer evaluations are a little more vocal, but I let it slide, hoping they’re giving each other feedback and not commenting on my shirt.

And here, I suppose, is the real issue at hand. The trouble with teaching students who challenge your authority is that you begin to question that authority yourself. And if you are only three years older than your students, one year out of college with minimal teaching experience, your confidence will occasionally wobble. Every good class validates your self-confidence. You are a fabulous teacher, an authoritative disciplinarian, a creative and inspirational human being. Bad classes, of course, justify every doubt you’ve been harbouring about yourself since high school. You’re dull, uninspired, out of the loop. You command neither respect nor admiration. The only thing you inspire from your students is scorn – for your weak classes, your unfashionable clothing and your horribly flawed personality.

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GUARANTEED TEACHING POSITION IN CHINA FOR PARADISE TEFL GRADUATES:

Round-trip airfare
Accommodations
Complete visa assistance
Support network in place to help you get settled
Competitive salary teaching oral English
Positions starting in February & August each year
Graduates must be at least 18 years old with no upper age limit
Bachelor Degree NOT required

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Fortunately for me, this is a good day. They liked the alien articles, and there’s been minimal rebellion. If they’re speaking in Czech, they’re too quiet for me to hear. During the second hour we focus on transportation: vocabulary building and a reading activity. Once again, they’re completely engrossed. Together we brainstorm modes of transportation, then make a word web for “cars.” I break them into groups and assign a different mode of transportation to each one. As a class we review the vocabulary and I prepare them for the reading activity.

They’re attentive today, obedient and interested. As I pass out the reading, the narcissist within uncorks a bottle of champagne. And it is at this moment, as I’m smugly congratulating myself on my success, that I hear the cell phone.

It’s a distinctive ring, and I instantly identify the culprit. Me. I dash to my desk pursued by giggles and raised eyebrows, which quickly drop when I turn around again. Their lips are twitching. I know they’re dying to say it, but none of them have the nerve while I’m in the room: Laura, it drives us crazy when your lessons get interrupted by a phone.

There's a moment where I hover between my two roles: authoritative teacher and ordinary human being. I'm mildly panicked and extremely embarrassed, but I can't deny the irony of the situation. Moral authority in shambles, lesson disrupted, I have to laugh.

“OK guys,” I say, and I hold up my hands. “I’m a terrible human being. Let’s look at activity two.” They laugh then, and -- even better -- they look at activity two.

So the champagne’s a little flat today. It’s not a perfect lesson, and I’m not a perfect teacher. But we all learned something in class. And as I circle their desks, listening to them discuss the article in pairs (“Remember to use your opinion phrases.”) I don’t hear a word of Czech. Perhaps I've retained a scrap of authority after all.

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Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Wednesday 19 February 2014

TEFL Success Stories - Part 65

David - London

Rapport is crucial to me. It is the first thing I need in order to start teaching effectively. Students’ receptiveness and interest increases dramatically when they feel comfortable with both the teacher and each other. Their concentration increases. They start to pay attention to the other students. They are happier to bounce off each other, throw out suggestions and ideas, make mistakes and be corrected without feeling uncomfortable or foolish. They crack jokes and banter and focus.

It’s not something I usually struggle with. The longest it has ever taken me to take a class of individuals and make them feel confident in me and comfortable with each other – to feel excited and interested – is a week. Ten days absolute tops, or my pride is dented. Students quickly recognize that I see them as individuals, that I am tailoring my classes according to their needs. I have a stock of small humorous anecdotes that I can pull out of my bag to lighten the mood and on a good day I can get a few easy laughs. I get students to open up and create a group mentality. I cannot say this too many times: for me to teach effectively, it is absolutely crucial that I have good rapport with the students.

But it’s been three weeks now and everything I have tried has gotten me nowhere. The relationships in the class are as warm and friendly as a funeral procession. The students have no energy and little desire to interact with each other, let alone me. Zippo, Zilch, Nada, Nista, Nic. Nothing.

Part of the problem is that half the class is composed of part timers who zip in and out at random, which creates a very disjointed feel to the class. The energy and relationships in the class shift and change on a daily basis. Part of the problem is that the rest of the students – the full timers - are just…awkward. Let me show you what I mean:

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ITatiana used to teach Beginners English in Brazil, and has a level that is well above advanced. She is pushy, demanding and just as focused as Piotrek, if not more so. About twice a lesson she responds to something I have said with a little surprised “Hm!” as if to say she didn’t know that, how on earth could that be? She seems to have absolutely no concept that other students have needs as well as her, and because she is the most advanced student she feels she has a right to dominate the class. My favourite sentence that she has come out with so far is that “most people study English to pass exams.” Passing the exam is her personal mantra. We have sparred on a number of occasions as I have tried to balance what she wants with what I feel teaching should be about. It has been a battle that I have steadily lost.

With all of these malign forces arrayed against me, it’s almost inevitable that I am going to come down with a cold as well. Thursday was another typical example of the whole everything going wrong. The WMD Slovakian that I offended a couple of weeks ago was making sniping comments on my left. Maria the brick wall was sitting directly opposite me giving me her blank faced attitude. Tatiana the pass the exam student was dominating the class. Piotrek was sitting detached, working through his exercises. The rest of the students were simply passive quiet, or confused. Getting a whole sentence out of my other Brazilian was like extracting a tooth. Christians have been thrown to more cooperative lions, I swear.

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TEFL Success Stories - Part 64

Amanda - Bulgaria

I've been experiencing so much more lately than just teaching. I've lived in Bulgaria for a year now and I'm really excepting it as home. My students are still my students but they're also like a bunch of crazy little brothers and sisters. My second term is going well. All the mistakes I made in my first term are not happening now. I am more prepared and I know my students better. It also helps that I'm getting a lot of support from fellow teachers; my Bulgarian still isn't great but I'm trying to communicate with them as much as possible.

The people here make all the difference. I was sitting in a cafe the other night and everyone was singing traditional Bulgarian songs to an accordion. Something that's quite unusual in the states but normal here. Six months ago I would have been embarrassed but now I just sing right along. Goat poop doesn't phase me anymore and I'm getting used to washing my clothes by hand. Of course you there are washing machines here, but I'm only a volunteer so I can't really afford one.

Spring is also coming and the weather is beautiful. I can go out running one day and by the end of it I usually have some students running behind me. I'm truly enjoying my kids. Although they can be a pain they really make my job here delightful and entertaining. I'm really starting to like this "Ms. Onken" thing. I'm even thinking of going back to grad school for teaching. I figure if I can handle some things I've dealt with I can handle a lot. I find that my students are teaching me about who I am without them knowing it.

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Ah, Christmas is in the air. My kids feel it and so do I. In fact, as out of control some of my students get it's now ten times worse. They can taste vacation and it's making it really hard to teach lately. But, as I always tell myself, patience is the key...I think.

I started this month with trying to get tests and essays out of the way so the students have some grades in their book before the break. One day I had a test for my 9th graders in geography. Since this class is all in English I try to give them the benefit of the doubt and allow them to use their notes on my tests. "If you take good notes, you'll do well on the tests," I told them. Well, this apparently is harder than it seems to some. When I handed out the tests the kids were having a rough time. You see, I let them use their notes, BUT, I also expect them to pay attention to what I say in class and take notes on that too, and wouldn't you know it, they don't do that. While a girl named Anna was taking the test she looked extremely stressed, she obviously didn't take very good notes and didn't bother getting them from the other students. She raised her hand and said, "Miss, my cat died and I didn't have time to study," with this wonderful look of "will she believe this story?" in her eyes. I couldn't help but laugh because I knew she was lying, then she started to laugh too. I told her to relax and do the best she could. She ended up getting a decent grade but it just goes to show that some kids really like to go the distance to make an excuse.

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I've learned while being a teacher for the first time ever that I really enjoy the little kids. When I'm taller than a student a feel a little bit more powerful and they have respect for me. It seems, at least in my school, that when they pass the 8th grade they join the let's-make-the-teacher's-life-hell club. I get extremely overwhelmed when 9th and 10th grade boys are towering over me grabbing for their papers and grades. The decibels in the older ones voices also tend to get louder. Because I can't spend all class telling them to be quiet I end up yelling through my whole class, this being extremely exhausting.

My 10th class is in the "A" group, which means they have taken and passed a language exam to get into the higher class. It seems to me that they kind of have a complex that they are the best students so they can do whatever they want. Unfortunately, I also teach them geography and being the new teacher who doesn't get paid, I get to teach them at night. My school has split schedules, younger kids in the morning and older ones at night. I walk into my class at 6.15 pm and leave at 7.30. The first 5 minutes of this class consist of a lot of hungry, crazy kids that just want to go home. In fact, the first thing they say is, "Miss, can we go home?!", within the first 30 seconds of class. I think in my head, "you don't think I want to go home too?" One night it was just too much. Kids begging, not listening, yelling, and knocking over desks. I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed my bag and said, "you are horrible! if you want to go home so bad here's your chance, I'm going home!" and then I walked out the door with them pleading for me not to on the way. I felt terrible afterward but knew if I stayed in that room and would lose my head and start to cry. NEVER let your students see you cry. Anyway, the next day two representatives from their class came and apologized. I didn't do it to make them act better in my class but I assumed they would when I had class again that night. Would you believe they were they same little hellions?? Kind of makes me laugh to think about it. In conclusion, I stopped teaching geography for a while and just started talking to them about anything, this way instead of scientific terms in English to learn they can talk all they want as long as it's to me.

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GUARANTEED TEACHING POSITION IN CHINA FOR PARADISE TEFL GRADUATES:

Round-trip airfare
Accommodations
Complete visa assistance
Support network in place to help you get settled
Competitive salary teaching oral English
Positions starting in February & August each year
Graduates must be at least 18 years old with no upper age limit
Bachelor Degree NOT required

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Well, my first term has a month left and I'm proud of making it out alive. Today we had a lovely Christmas party and my kids read a Christmas poem and sang songs. It was a blast and I realize outside of the classroom, just seeing the kids in the hall and talking to them is extremely important. Casual conversation lets them know you are human too and not just the crazy woman trying to get them to shut up in the classroom. As much as I'll miss their wonderful little faces I'll be running to the airport on the 24th on my way to Prague!!! Happy Holidays!!!

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Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!