Being taught how to teach.....

So I have finished two full days of CELTA training. Each day is a LONG day -- we go from 9:15am - 5:30, Monday thru Friday. Our schedule looks like this:
9:15 - 9:55am -- 1st teacher
9:55 - 10:35am -- 2nd teacher
10:35 - 10:50am -- BREAK
10:50 - 11:30am -- 3rd teacher
11:30 - 1:15pm -- Group feedback and lesson planning
1:15 - 2:15pm -- LUNCH
2:15 - 3:45 -- Seminar One
4:00 - 5:30 -- Seminar Two

There are 18 of us all together, but we are split into three groups of 6, and we each have a different class of students. We will be working with this group the entire four weeks. I am in a group with Corydon (Texas/New York), Filip (Czech), Katie (California), Ellen (Russia), and Stefan (Sweden). We definitely have the most diverse group of ex-patriates. Most others in the program are American/Canadian/British (with two other Czechs).

About Teaching Schedule: We each teach every other day. So today, me, Corydon and Filip taught for 40 minutes each. Tomorrow, Katie, Ellen and Stefan with teach 40 minutes each, and so on and so on. Some days wre 60 minute lessons. We also teach different things -- today I taught a reading exercise and vocabulary. But on Thursday, I am doing a listening exercise. I can assume my next lesson will be with grammar.

About Class Make-Up: Most of the students are young females. My class is entirely female. Right now, my class is the highest level, which is strange for me since I've been teaching really low level in France. The students pay a discounted rate for these English classes (in 2 week sessions) and depending on their attendance, they get refunded money. So needless to say, attendance is almost perfect to ensure they get the most amount of money back.

The Seminars: Kind of boring, but obviously very useful. When it's after lunch and a long day of sitting in a desk, all you want to do is take a nap. I find myself getting extremely antsy, which I don't remember being in high school.


TEACHING: I was the first teacher to go today. Scary!!!!!! My lesson was reading an article and vocabulary words about "Speed-Dating." Yes. It was quite a good topic for a room of girls -- it was easy to make jokes and share stories about bad dates, and our type of men, and the perfect guy, etc. The girls in our class are extremely receptive and participative. They are able to put complex sentences together and can understand very well. With most of them, it is almost like speaking normally -- just a little slower and using simpler language.
My lesson was timed almost perfectly -- I improvised an activity at the end (instead of doing planned discussion) and I ran 2 minutes over time, but overall I thought the lesson was engaging and fun. I got some very good feedback from my fellow colleagues and my tutor. My negatives were "talking/explaining too much," and I had a bit of trouble with one of my handouts due to printer error. But I was "full of enthusiasm and had good rapport, great pacing and flow, and effective vocabulary teaching."
So overall, a successful lesson -- I passed!!!! YAY!!!!

So now I have a night off.... tomrrow I just have to observe the other 3 teachers and give feedback. No lesson planning tonight!

Tonight is another episode of the Adventures of Amanda & Supermarket, as I have just about run out of everything conceivable.

Especially coffee. Man, I just can't function without it early in the morning. We do not have a coffee machine at the flat, just a French press. So this morning I was googling instructions on how to make coffee with a French press. It worked, but it wasn't strong enough. Thank god the teaching center has a coffee machine -- for only 10kč a cup!!!!! (that's like 5 cents). Whoooo hoooo -- we are all hopped up on coffee most the morning.... and afternoon... well... the whole day.

Anywho, off I go to Supermarket and to buy a temporary Czech sim card for my cell phone!!!!!

"Tak zatím!!!!!" (I'll see you later!)

- Amanda