Day 46

26.05.18

NBA takes priority
Woke up in the morning to watch Lebron put in a historic performance in Game 6 of Cavs vs Celtics - so glad that I watched the whole thing - he was hitting these impossible threes and I was just screaming out of my balcony. During the game, I get a text from my company asking if I could take a class in 30 minutes - I was considering doing it since it would be extra money but I decided that I couldn't miss a second of the game. 

First time teaching on campus
Today would be my first classes on campus - 3 classes from 2pm to 5pm without any rest. The way the system works in this company is that students don't get the same teacher every week - this is so that they can get used to different accents and different teaching styles. What this means is my classes next week might not have the same students as this week. Personally, I'm not a fan because it is more difficult to build rapport with your students when they're not with you every week. 

• Anyway, my first class was Upper Intermediate level. 4 students, all female. Most of them in mid 20s and early 30s. Their topic was 21st century entertainment. I decided to scrap what was in the textbook and talk about some more useful stuff. 
• My second class was for Beginners. 7 students, 5 females, 2 males. Almost all were high school students and one was like 30. The topic was food and drink. The students were definitely more confident in speaking English than my first class, even though their level was slightly lower (but not as bad as I had imagined).
• My third class was a public lecture. About 20 students in the class. Average age around 35-40. Everyone there wanted to learn English for their work. With the lessons, I can at least follow a textbook if I run out of ideas. With a public lecture like this, you really got to pull stuff out of your ass. My topic was Sports and Fitness. I bought some time by getting everyone to introduce themselves and letting them ask questions about my background - since no one can really come to terms with their English teacher looking Chinese. We talked about different sports, the benefits of sports, role models, etc. It was actually a very successful class because everyone wanted to contribute and it felt more like a discussion than a lecture. My role was more of a facilitator than a teacher, which is what I'm usually aiming for.

Inspired by my own classes
After 3 non-stop classes, I was well and truly drained. I was ready to call it a night, despite knowing that I have to be awake at 2.45am to watch the Champions League final and 9am to watch Game 6 of the Rockets v Warriors. Best way to wake up? Play some sport! At about 9.30pm, I headed to the nearest basketball courts and played some ball. Got home and chilled out, and before I know it, it's 2.30am. It was a shame that the game didn't really live up to my expectations and I was falling asleep after half time.