So, this morning was our first day of school. We got up and running at about 7 this morning and by about 8:25 we had our lunches packed and we ready to go. Jade's parents came down to see us off since they would be flying back home while we were at school today. Frank came to see us off too; he said since my parents didn't come that he'd be my pap, just as long as I'd bring papa Frank his pipe. haha Anyway, he snapped a picture of us with her parents before we left and gave us some advice. "Don't take any crap off the big girls just because their mommies didn't treat them as good as yours!" It's funny, but with an Irish accent it's even funnier. His hilarity really made our morning much more relaxed!
At school, we did the usual introductions and explanations about what is expected of us during the course. Then we went to our classroom and our teacher began teaching. I was so lost! He might as well have been speaking Spanish, French, or Italian. No, wait...I wasn't mistaken, he was speaking Italian! He talked for half an hour straight in nothing but Italian, encouraged us to repeat his words and explained definitions by using pictures and drawings. It was very very difficult. Then suddenly he was speaking in English again. It was a really cool exercise for us to realize what some of our students may feel during our classes. We are going to be practicing total immersion, which means only English, no Spanish, will be used in our classrooms, regardless of the level of knowledge. We had class from 9 to 1 then had an hour lunch break. At 2 we started class again until 4. At 415 I observed a TEFL class at Language Institute across the street. That was over at 505 and I was free until 615 when we had another introduction to job seeking aspect of teaching. We didn't get out until 8. It was a really long day!!
Yesterday we took a carriage ride around the city and visited an art gallery. I've got some pictures from that online here http://www.webshots.com/user/bethanybales . The carriage ride was so fun and relaxing. The clip clop of the horse's hooves on the cobblestone street was nearly melodic and the gentle swaying back and forth of the carriage was so relaxing. The art gallery was really something. It was in an old convent and the architecture was really cool. Some of the pieces were dark and strange but some of them were really beautiful and interesting.
At school, we did the usual introductions and explanations about what is expected of us during the course. Then we went to our classroom and our teacher began teaching. I was so lost! He might as well have been speaking Spanish, French, or Italian. No, wait...I wasn't mistaken, he was speaking Italian! He talked for half an hour straight in nothing but Italian, encouraged us to repeat his words and explained definitions by using pictures and drawings. It was very very difficult. Then suddenly he was speaking in English again. It was a really cool exercise for us to realize what some of our students may feel during our classes. We are going to be practicing total immersion, which means only English, no Spanish, will be used in our classrooms, regardless of the level of knowledge. We had class from 9 to 1 then had an hour lunch break. At 2 we started class again until 4. At 415 I observed a TEFL class at Language Institute across the street. That was over at 505 and I was free until 615 when we had another introduction to job seeking aspect of teaching. We didn't get out until 8. It was a really long day!!
Yesterday we took a carriage ride around the city and visited an art gallery. I've got some pictures from that online here http://www.webshots.com/user/bethanybales . The carriage ride was so fun and relaxing. The clip clop of the horse's hooves on the cobblestone street was nearly melodic and the gentle swaying back and forth of the carriage was so relaxing. The art gallery was really something. It was in an old convent and the architecture was really cool. Some of the pieces were dark and strange but some of them were really beautiful and interesting.
Looking forward to following your "adventure".
ReplyDeleteJoanna Posey