Wow, it has been a month. I started working full-time again and it felt both overwhelming and thrilling.
I was also trying to keep up with my promises that I called my learning teaching contract. I think it was somewhat successful and in cases where I failed it gave my some food for thought. So the results:
1. Post here once a week. Well, I think I sort of managed. One week I started writing a post on Saturday planning to finish it the next day. On Sunday I suddenly forgot about it, so I had to finish and publish it on Monday, other than that I think I did ok.I wish I didn't leave it for the weekend each time and planned my time so that I can do it on the week.
2. Reading at least one article a day. This was by far the easiest part. I guess I was so used to it after the summer that there were no change of the routine really.
3. Watching videos. Mhm, this didn't go as well. Actually not good at all. I found it so difficult to allocate 30-60 minutes each week to just sitting in front of the computer that I have no explanation to why that is. I did start watching the video that accompanies "How to teach English" course and I watched the recording of Russel Stannard's lecture from E-merging forum 3 (and found it inspirational). It seems to me that when I was putting it on my list I didn't really think it through: why did I think it would be useful? in what way? So I feel it is a miss in my contract.
4. Reading a book. I thought I gave myself a very easy goal with reading only three chapters, after all each of them is 5-10 pages. I read two of them in the beginning of the month and then the book kind of kept lying on my table getting no attention. In the last days I hastily returned to it and finished the third chapter.
5. Have a free-of-preparation day. That's been the hardest task and I didn't not manage very well and I also feel disappointed ( the sign that it is really important to me). I can find some excuses: I was sick, I had new demanding students and so on. However, it all comes down to better planning of my time and that is something still to learn as I feel this is an important one to keep.
What else I did:
Happy Teacher's Day!
I was also trying to keep up with my promises that I called my learning teaching contract. I think it was somewhat successful and in cases where I failed it gave my some food for thought. So the results:
1. Post here once a week. Well, I think I sort of managed. One week I started writing a post on Saturday planning to finish it the next day. On Sunday I suddenly forgot about it, so I had to finish and publish it on Monday, other than that I think I did ok.I wish I didn't leave it for the weekend each time and planned my time so that I can do it on the week.
2. Reading at least one article a day. This was by far the easiest part. I guess I was so used to it after the summer that there were no change of the routine really.
3. Watching videos. Mhm, this didn't go as well. Actually not good at all. I found it so difficult to allocate 30-60 minutes each week to just sitting in front of the computer that I have no explanation to why that is. I did start watching the video that accompanies "How to teach English" course and I watched the recording of Russel Stannard's lecture from E-merging forum 3 (and found it inspirational). It seems to me that when I was putting it on my list I didn't really think it through: why did I think it would be useful? in what way? So I feel it is a miss in my contract.
4. Reading a book. I thought I gave myself a very easy goal with reading only three chapters, after all each of them is 5-10 pages. I read two of them in the beginning of the month and then the book kind of kept lying on my table getting no attention. In the last days I hastily returned to it and finished the third chapter.
5. Have a free-of-preparation day. That's been the hardest task and I didn't not manage very well and I also feel disappointed ( the sign that it is really important to me). I can find some excuses: I was sick, I had new demanding students and so on. However, it all comes down to better planning of my time and that is something still to learn as I feel this is an important one to keep.
What else I did:
- Refreshed my twitter account, started following a lot of smart people and fell in love with this social network again.
- Visited one British Council Seminar (and planning to visit more).
- Started writing reflections on my group lessons after every lesson (twice a week).
- Post here once a week
- Read at least one blog post every day
- Sign up for TKT Module 3 and start preparing.
- Continue reading Jeremy Harmer's How to Teach English and finish at least 3 chapters by the end of each month.
- Have at least one day a week where I don't prepare for the classes.
- Continue writing reflections after each group class (also think about how I can use them in the most productive way)
Happy Teacher's Day!
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| A nice surprise from my student last week |
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