the job
so it's been a month now since we began teaching... i have many of the same impressions from this gig as i did in cairo- that i am growing attached to some of the kids, but at the same time feeling that teaching is not the job for me. i don't have any of the autonomy that i enjoy as a writer- rather, i am constantly on stage and "on", so to speak. at times this is fun- engaging the kids in something thought-provoking, feeling that there is a two-way exchange occurring. but at other times it feels like it's all becoming far too routine, and i feel suffocated by busy-work.
as international schools go, i have been lucky both times i have worked at one. i have had the freedom to explore what teaching methods work for me, and have been allowed to use my own judgement regarding the atmosphere of my classroom. and of course, there are some kids who make the entire experience a personally gratifying one. i have found my "favorites" already- it doesn't take long. it is natural, i am learning, to gravitate towards the kids who are most receptive. this doesn't mean the smartest or cutest- it's not that obvious. rather, some kids seem to have a spark- some element that i am picking up on and relating to.
i am sure, however, that different teachers would say that they related with different kids- it's much like making friends. the people you like best are not necessarily my type. but i know who i like.
there is shrutika in grade 5- she isn't the smartest in the class, nor the sauciest, but she is the most fun. she has a sense of humor and it's a lot like mine- we find ourselves laughing at the same things. and she is very frank about the politics of her class- if i need to know where a dispute lies, or what someone was really fighting about, i ask her.
in the same class is vishakha- a complete tattletale (only encouraged by the fact that she is class monitor). she loves to tell on everyone- but for some reason, coming from her, it's not wholly annoying. of course i roll my eyes at her more than anyone, but i can depend on her to take something up to the teacher's lounge or give someone a message- i can also depend on her to understand the material well enough to be finished with it first, and to volunteer to help her neighbor with the tougher exercises. she has to recite a poem by john keats next month, and as to the meaning of the poem, she is totally stumped. it's one of the few times i have seen her faced with material she doesn't understand. i think she finds it refreshing.
in class 6 there is ngoc. possibly the smartest student i have, in grades 5, 6 and 7. she is one of the only students at the school who is interested in knowledge for its own sake- rather than in memorizing the right answer and regurgitating it on the exam. if something doesn't make sense to her, she doesn't seem to care about the answer i want; it is the principle that she wants me to explain to her. she takes me by surprise often. she corrects her classmates' grammar (thank goodness- i could use a few more helpers in that area), she asks questions bred from a geniunely inquisitive mind, and i can count on her hand shooting into the air whenever i ask a really tough question. if all of my students were like ngoc, i would never complain. (actually, of course i would, since it is everyone's JOB to complain about their jobs)- but my days would be idyllic.
i teach boys too- some of them are even smart- but i have to end this post before it gets much longer.
as always, stay tuned!
so it's been a month now since we began teaching... i have many of the same impressions from this gig as i did in cairo- that i am growing attached to some of the kids, but at the same time feeling that teaching is not the job for me. i don't have any of the autonomy that i enjoy as a writer- rather, i am constantly on stage and "on", so to speak. at times this is fun- engaging the kids in something thought-provoking, feeling that there is a two-way exchange occurring. but at other times it feels like it's all becoming far too routine, and i feel suffocated by busy-work.
as international schools go, i have been lucky both times i have worked at one. i have had the freedom to explore what teaching methods work for me, and have been allowed to use my own judgement regarding the atmosphere of my classroom. and of course, there are some kids who make the entire experience a personally gratifying one. i have found my "favorites" already- it doesn't take long. it is natural, i am learning, to gravitate towards the kids who are most receptive. this doesn't mean the smartest or cutest- it's not that obvious. rather, some kids seem to have a spark- some element that i am picking up on and relating to.
i am sure, however, that different teachers would say that they related with different kids- it's much like making friends. the people you like best are not necessarily my type. but i know who i like.
there is shrutika in grade 5- she isn't the smartest in the class, nor the sauciest, but she is the most fun. she has a sense of humor and it's a lot like mine- we find ourselves laughing at the same things. and she is very frank about the politics of her class- if i need to know where a dispute lies, or what someone was really fighting about, i ask her.
in the same class is vishakha- a complete tattletale (only encouraged by the fact that she is class monitor). she loves to tell on everyone- but for some reason, coming from her, it's not wholly annoying. of course i roll my eyes at her more than anyone, but i can depend on her to take something up to the teacher's lounge or give someone a message- i can also depend on her to understand the material well enough to be finished with it first, and to volunteer to help her neighbor with the tougher exercises. she has to recite a poem by john keats next month, and as to the meaning of the poem, she is totally stumped. it's one of the few times i have seen her faced with material she doesn't understand. i think she finds it refreshing.
in class 6 there is ngoc. possibly the smartest student i have, in grades 5, 6 and 7. she is one of the only students at the school who is interested in knowledge for its own sake- rather than in memorizing the right answer and regurgitating it on the exam. if something doesn't make sense to her, she doesn't seem to care about the answer i want; it is the principle that she wants me to explain to her. she takes me by surprise often. she corrects her classmates' grammar (thank goodness- i could use a few more helpers in that area), she asks questions bred from a geniunely inquisitive mind, and i can count on her hand shooting into the air whenever i ask a really tough question. if all of my students were like ngoc, i would never complain. (actually, of course i would, since it is everyone's JOB to complain about their jobs)- but my days would be idyllic.
i teach boys too- some of them are even smart- but i have to end this post before it gets much longer.
as always, stay tuned!
...Natural is the static
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