my first esl students

last wednesday i did the IRC program with the moms (it's called 1st Things 1st, they take their children to preschool whilst taking esl classes), and man i had a WONDERFUL time! there were 28 women in class from all over: sudan, uganda, somalia, a handful who are mexican. beginning english was their common language and they made all efforts to communicate with each other. im so excited for next wednesday, b/c i'll get to have my own group to work with. when i substitute teach, i usually leave feeling so drained, but i was popping with energy leaving class on wednesday :) In a couple of fridays, i'll start doing the after school tutoring program at Crawford- it's open to all, but mainly esl students come. i'm eager to see what the teenagers will be like.

is teaching my calling?

yesterday i took a substitute teaching gig at hoover high school, home of the Cardinals. ah, substitute teaching, where you get paid $100/day to babysit! i was a little nervous, as i've heard how bad the kids are... and they ARE. naw, it wasnt really so awful, i've had worse. i started tutoring in college, and it was a love/hate thing for sure. i worked with high school and middle school. some students were so brilliant and such a joy to work with, eager to learn and i just fell in love with them. hardest for me was talking to the kids who were the most badly behaved, because they weren't bad kids at all, just... who knows. parents, nutrition, enviornment, something, made them not do as well in school as they could have. it really would hurt me to hear one of them say, "yeah, i want to go to college," and when i'd ask their gpa, it would be low like 1.80. I didn't even know you could get a gpa that low. My heart would ache wondering what will happen to these kids after high school. still does. during my last semester in college, i saw some of my former students on campus starting their first year, it was wonderful. a little weird too, b/c it really made me wonder how much longer i was going to take to FINISH college. Way back then, my mentors were telling me i should pursue education/teaching as a profession. i never thought i would, i didnt think i had the heart for it, or too much heart? i couldnt imagine teaching all day 5 days a week. and now here i am, working on doing just that! but esl will be different, i think. these will be students who want to learn... i hope?

having a USA address while living abroad.

still reducing my possessions. i went to my parents house and went through the boxes i have there. i started with 6 boxes, i left with two. (the brotha with the hat standing to the left of fergie is black and filipino like me, btw. reprazent!) ive given blaque at least ten t shirts. "dont give away your things, sha," she pleads. i tell her that i really am leaving in march. she said she knows, but my giving my things away makes it more real. (awwwww...)

i found a company that keeps mail for you, and sends it overseas http://www.usabox.com/. they'll take pictures of your mail, and you can go online, and let them know what you want sent to you abroad, and what you want discarded. if its urgent, you can have them open your mail and they'll fax it to you. brilliant.

march 2007, i'll be in korea.

esl acronym glossary

thank you to davesesl-er Medina for the clarification: "TEFL is just a generic term for Teaching English as a Foreign Language, whereas TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) is an official organization that you join and pay dues to. Attending a TESOL conference is a great way to get an overview of the field, I think. They have a huge convention in a different American city each year, usually end of March. If you really want to get into this game then you should check out TESOL."
esl- english as a second language
efl-english as a foreign language
tesl- teachers of english as a second languge
tefl- teachers of english as a foreign language
tesol- teachers of english to speakers of other languages
toefl- test of english as foreign language (the exam to gauge level of english competence)
ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages
ELT - English Language Teaching/Training (General term covering TEFL, TESOL and TESL)
DELTA - Diploma English Language Teaching to Adults
CELTA - Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults
http://bogglesworldesl.com/glossary.htm
http://www.goteach.ca/misc/acronyms.html
http://www.tesol.org/s_TESOL/sec_document.asp?CID=10&DID=387

sample Lesson Plan

this is the lesson plan i wrote for my interview with aeon. feel free to use it, anybody.

Lesson Plan:Colors, Nouns, Human Simon

Routine Morning Greetings (2-3 min):
Daily- practice of general morning conversation/greetings. Teacher initializes routine morning conversation, “Good morning, class.” “Good morning, Joe.” “Did you sleep well last night?” “Yes, I slept fine, thank you.” “How are you today?” “I am fine, thank you.”
Review of Colors (1-2 min):
Review with the class colors. Use the items in the room, students hair, clothing, etc, as examples. Assessment activity: Point to an item and ask a student, or all the students, to call out what color it is.
Review of Nouns (1-2 min):
Review with class nouns. Use class posters and handouts for visual reminders.
Assessment activity: Ask some students to share what they saw on the way to class today- a bus, a tree, a bird, etc.
Class Activity (10-15 min):
Human Simon. The game Simon is where you are shown a color, and with each round, a new color is added, making a pattern. The student will then try to repeat it in the exact sequence; ie: red / red-blue / red-blue-yellow / red- blue-yellow-pink, etc. Have 2-4 students stand in the front of the class to compete. The teacher will act as “Simon” posting, and then flipping over, colored cards on the board. The students will go back and forth repeating the sequence until one forgets/messes up.
Super Human Simon. Same as Human Simon, but this time, with each color they are shown, the student must add a noun;
ie: red car / red car - blue bird / red car - blue bird - yellow flower, etc.
Encourage students to look around the room at objects and the example posters for nouns. Have the rest of the class write each “color-noun” phrase the competitors use, and act as a “buzzer” when one of the competitors gets the sequence wrong. Choose one of the “buzzer” students to stand up and recite the proper sequence, or have all the “buzzer” students repeat the sequence together. Then a new competitor can step forward.
Variations: along with colors/nouns, use a theme. For example: animals, fruits, body parts, etc. Or, have students play Human Simon, but they must recite and spell the color. Or, to simplify Super Human Simon the game, use a set of just 4 colors/nouns for the sequence, and repeat them.
Review (5-8 min): Have the students describe the things they will pass when going home that day

hey yo, Flo Jo!

Famous in the Far East

an African-American woman's experience teaching in Japan

(published 8/1994)

"At a track-and-field event in Tokyo, I was one of only a few foreign spectators. I hadn't been there ten minutes when a screaming mob of young girls swarmed around me like bees, waving pens, notebooks and T-shirts in my face, shouting, "Sign, sign, sign!" I was petrified. Then it dawned on me that they thought I was an athlete. I couldn't explain in Japanese that I was only a spectator, so I surrendered." HA!

knitting in korea

how very cool, there is a blog about knitting in korea! i took a workshop once and learned how to knit. simple knitting, i couldnt make a sweater or anything. i did make a hat once. knitting talk on daves. i dated this brotha once who said i was a "real sista" b/c i knew how to sew, knit, and crochet. yeah, ok... he thought he ws complimenting me, im sure, but i think instead he only showed his troglodytical manner. suppose he thought one day we'd marry and he'd have a wife that could mend his underwear and darn his socks? what catch i'd be! hey i only wrote this entry as a chance to use the word "troglodytical." i not sure if that's even a real word.

march 2007, i'll be in korea.

in process

today i went to irc to see about volunteering. they have afterschool esl sessions with high school students, and morning esl sessions for adults, i start next week. my car is still broke down, so i think i may walk? it takes a little under an hour for me, but it's an easy hour b/c it's all straight road thankfully. i like the long walks, i talk to myself about my regrets, my accomplishments, my friends, my cats, my job, about what korea will be like. i can walk (working on my physical transition) to tutoring sessions (which works towards this transistion in my career). ah, that's kismet. march 2007 what?

march 2007 i'll be in korea.

i dreamt my teeth fell out.

everyday i am on daveseslcafe.com, or gaijinpot.com, or tefldaddy.com, reading about teaching abroad in korea...

I had a dream last night that i was brushing my teeth, and a bunch of my back molars cracked and broke off, i spit into the sink and i spit out blood and bits of teeth. then my canines and front teeth started to crumble, my teeth all brittle like chalk, i lost them all. i ran my tongue over my gums felt odd stubs where teeth used to be.

i googled the meaning of dreams of teeth falling out:"Teeth are used to bite, tear, chew and gnaw. In this regard, teeth represent power. And the loss of teeth in your dream may be from a sense of powerlessness. Are you lacking power in some current situation? One theory is that dreams about your teeth reflect your anxiety about your appearance and how others perceive you. Sadly, we live in a world where good looks are valued highly and your teeth play an important role in conveying that image."

i think this dream is a manifestation of my subconscious angst that i wont find a job teaching abroad b/c i am black, i have locks, and im overweight. ive read stories (and who even knows if they're true?) about teachers who, once their employers see them at the airport, refuse to hire them, and teachers are left stuck. i've read about schools who hire based solely on your photo. i've been turned down by aeon and nova with no explanation even though i exceed all their qualifications. Yeah, im worried i wont find a job. thus this dream.

but now that i am aware of my fears, i am less fearful of them. sure, these obstacles exist for me, but that doesnt mean there is no opportunity for me either. Blaque, ever insightful, talked about the situation of the black man in the united states: you have obstacles all around you from birth, and although it is difficult, you can rise above and find a way to make a decent living. you just have to work harder... like always.

this is working.

wow, ive gotten sooo many emails about korea! mostly recruiters galore, but for sure a fair share of schools. i got an email today asking if i could come to korea on the 20th OF THIS MONTH for a job. ive had at least half a dozen phone interviews so far. this is so great, i was so worried! Now I wish that i hadnt registered with so many recruiters at once, i cant hardly keep them straight. will i like kimchi? will i learn to like kimchi? im not one for spicy foods, but i would certainly try it. maybe it's not too spicy.

March 2007, i'll be in korea!