It was the first day of the TEFL course before we knew it. Our nerves had been rising evryday the previous week, and as we enetered the University we both could feel the butterflies starting. We had been told that the course was very 'full on' and that we would only get to bed at 1AM every night - So I am sure you can imagaine the anxiety we both felt.
The first week was by far the most time consuming, we had hours and hours of homework every night and a great deal of preperation for our first two teaching practices. It wasn't 1AM but some nights were close!!! I began to remember why I didn't like school - Homework, Homework, Homework!!! Though it was really scary getting up infront of a room of students and a marker, once we had both started we began to realx and really enjoy it. The first two teaching practices we scored 1.25 and 1.5. (1 being full marks) So we were really buzzing!!!!
In Thailand, schools have two holidays - April/May and October. Consequentley, the first three weeks teaching were at a holiday camp that the university ran. This meant that not only did we have to do an hours teaching but we also had to run two hours of activities each day. By Monday mornings we were exhausted!!!
The weekly routine was -
Wednesdays, Thursdays and Friday Mornings = Lessons
Friday Afternoons (and evenings) = Preperation for Saturday Teaching Practices and Activities
Saturday Mornings = Teaching Practice, Obervation of a peers Teaching Practice, Activities
Saturday Afternoon (and evenings) = Preperation for Sundays Teaching Practices and Activities
Sunday Mornings = Teaching Practice, Observation of a peers Teaching Practice and Activities
Sunday Afternoons = Review
Monday and Tuesdays = Off
By week two we were both really enjoying the course. The homework had calmed down and we had made some good friends. Our teacher, Christian, was also soooo enthisiastic that it was hard not to be motivated and enjoy classes. However, GRAMMAR WEEK WAS AHEAD OF US! It was a looooonnngg few days but actually really interesting.We both again scored high on our teaching practices and I (Lucy) got my first 1 teaching grammar!!! HURRAY!!!
To pass the course we had to pass six teaching practices and get over seventy percent on the dreaded language test. Our homework for the follwoing two weeks was revising as well as preperation for our weekly two teaching practices.
In week three we both taught the 'dreaded reds'. (6-8 year olds who enjoyed fighting, sleeping and running around during lessons) Russ had them first in a team teach and scored 1.5 which was amazing!!!! Especially as the students were perticulary roudy on that day and one girl got punched in the mouth and her tooth fell out. The other two who team taught the reds on that day fell to peices and had to stop their lesson after fifteen minutes. Lucy had the reds the next day and was very nervous as she had to teach on her own and had been running to the toilet every half an hour prior to her lesson. Luckily by the grace of God I managed to get through the lesson and I scored my second 1 - AARRGGHHHHHH!!!!
The last week was very draining. We only had Monday off, the exam Tuesday morning, prep Turesday afternoon, Teaching Practice 7 Wednesday Morning, prep Wednesday afternoon and then the final teaching practice Thursday morning. It was a gruelling few days but worth every minute. We both passed the exam with flying colours, getting 94% and 96% and then did a team teach together for our final lesson and got full marks!!!! We deffinately ended on a high!!!
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