MP3 track of the day: Smile like you mean it – The Killers
Weather: Quite cool compared to other days. It had been cloudy the whole day with a light breeze.
You know how yesterday I said that I was ready to go back to school. Well, this morning, I didn't feel like it. I got up, still pretty tired, and got ready. On my way downstairs I decided that I was, most definitely, an afternoon teacher. My brain just doesn't seem to warm up until the afternoon and I think that's why my afternoon lessons go better than my morning ones. I ate my usual pancakes, with the the usual sugar, and with the usual rush and boarded the new mini-bus. Yes the mini-bus had arrived however Kim-lee told me that the cost, to cover petrol, was still going to be $3 per person (which seemed a little high).
I was the only one heading to 'Library two' today. Kim (the Scottish lady) finished last week and Sandy still wasn't feeling right. Sandy had come back from hospital yesterday evening, having spent the whole day on a drip. She said the doctors had told her that she had caught a virus. After being on the drip she felt a lot better, but not ready to go back to school. On the mini-bus, were three girls who worked at an orphanage, Kim-Lee (who was driving) and I. As you know I'm reading a book about the Khmer Rouge regime; I have a target of finishing the book before leaving for Vietnam and that target was slowly disappearing. To get back on target I opened my book and read throughout the journey until I couldn't read anymore. The drive took forever; after forty-five minutes we had only reached the girls orphanage. It took another forty-five minutes to reach 'Library two'. I was thirty minutes late for my first lesson.
I rushed in, dumped my bag, and apologized to my class. Hopefully things will improve tomorrow. My class size wasn't the usual two students, I had seven. Some were from my afternoon class, some I hadn't seen before in my life. I didn't even have time to print of my lesson plan and so I had to do the first part of the lesson 'ad-hoc'. The lesson was all about 'asking and answering' and I got on with remembering my lesson plan (as shown within my previous blog) with a degree of success. As I had arrived thirty minutes late break came about quickly and so, during break, I printed off said lesson plan and a word search encase I had to fill time. The second half of the lesson went just as well as the first and soon it was time for the lunch break.
With a sign of relief my class departed saying 'good bye teacher'. I was shattered already. Before lunch I sat down and finished the 'birthday lists' I had worked on last week. Before Kim arrived the teachers did not know when each child's birthday was; now we have a colourful list for each month. The plan was to sing 'Happy Birthday' to each child, on their birthday, and give them a small present. We have two students who's birthday is on the 2nd March so, tomorrow, I shall get their presents ready (a pencil case with a pen, pencil, rubber etc).
Due to the fact that part of my afternoon class had attended lessons in the morning, my afternoon class was only five strong. We went through the same lesson as the morning class and each student loved making up where 'teacher' was; their favorite example was saying that teacher was asleep at home. Come to think of it, that would be my preferred option too. I then got the students to make up where their friends were and what they were doing. All my students had a good time, however they got the principle very quickly and so both my word search, and 'beat the clock, was needed to fill the lesson.
Monday was over; Kim-lee was there with the new mini-van driver. He told me that on Wednesday the children were having their teeth fixed and so I wouldn't need to teach. Instead I was to accompany them to an orphanage (not the same orphanage where the three girls work) where the dentist would be and provide moral support. I wasn't looking forward to that. Still it meant that I didn't have to lesson plan for Wednesday and so my test would be postponed until Thursday. With me teaching body parts on Tuesday, Wednesday visiting the dentist and Thursday having a test I only had to lesson plan for Friday, which was mainly games anyway. Limited homework for Matt!
I got on the mini-van and we made our way to pick up the others. The three girls were not happy about being picked up forty minutes later than normal; they asked if they could resume their tuk-tuk service to which Kim-Lee said yes. This would mean that Sandy (If she's well) and I would have the mini-van tomorrow and, hopefully, we'll be on time. If Kim wants more money then he can forget it.
We were back thirty minutes late; I got out of the mini-van and went straight to the local 'corner shop'. I got a snack for now and one for tomorrow. I sat down, surfed the web, blogged and lesson planned. Tomorrow I have to cover the final part of 'unit eight', body parts. The song 'head, shoulders, knees and toes' will feature highly within tomorrows lesson plan however I cannot see naming 'body parts' keeping the children stimulated for two hours. The only thing after body parts is a bit of revision for the test. That will be my lesson plan!
After planning I had tea, read yet more of my book and tried to chill for tomorrow. Teachings hard, especially when English isn't your students first language.
Toodle Pip!
P.S. There is a great big mob of tuk-tuk drivers, within the guest restaurant, to my left. They are all drunk and making a right noise as I'm trying to work. They are here every night however they aren't normally this bad. It's a real pain that I don't have anywhere quite to work.
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