It’s about time I wrote something about my experience as a
teacher thus far. Overall, it’s been hectic, but for the most part it’s going
well. I learn a tremendous amount during each and every class I teach. The two
most challenging things so far have been learning how to teach students who
don’t really speak English, and learning how to assess the learning of said
students. But first, here’s what my schedule looks like:
I teach:
5th-grade math and science
6th-grade math and English
9th-grade English
I lucked out with my schedule, in that I have the fewest
amount of teaching periods out of everyone in my department; this is because I
have to prepare for five totally different classes. There are a total of
thirty-five 50-minute periods every week, and I teach during 17 of them.
Anyways, back to my challenges as a teacher. Challenge #1:
teaching students who don’t really speak my language, paired with the fact that
I don’t speak theirs (yet!). Wow, this has taken a lot of getting used-to! I
continuously have to monitor myself in the classroom as far as my vocabulary
and the speed at which I speak, not to mention attention to worksheets I design
and assignments I give. I am getting better at reading levels of student
understanding, but much of the time I’m still painfully aware that what I’m
saying is not coming across. I need to work on being more patient with myself
and with the students in my classroom, and also not being afraid to take time
to explain things multiple times in multiple ways. After all, this is what I’d
do in a classroom full of students who did
speak my language! Also, thankfully, I have a “team teacher” in each of my
classes—another person who can speak Thai and English. So helpful!
Challenge #2: assessing student learning. I know this is an
issue that all teachers struggle with continuously throughout their careers, so
I don’t feel totally depressed that I’m not very good at this yet, and I’m
trying my darndest to figure it out. Quickly. I feel this challenge is
particularly difficult because of the language barrier. Questions that
constantly run through my head: Am I wording this question in an understandable
way? If a student doesn’t understand a question to begin with, are they
responsible for writing a wrong answer? Are the students lazy, or incapable of
doing what I assign? Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
However, given this and more, I’m happy to report that
overall I have not felt completely overwhelmed. I take things day by day as I
can, and if I’m feeling down, all I have to remember is, I’m living in
Thailand!
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