Thursday, September 18, 2008

stop asking... here

well...
I've been teaching.  All the preparation finally has purpose.  Our schedules appear to be changing quite often, but i thiiiiiink i have an idea of what my year will look like.

I began working in the Elementary school.  I have a 1st grade class, a 3rd grade class, and a 5th grade class...all of which i teach twice a week.  They are adorable and fun of course... but im having a bit of trouble in the discipline area....  Their teachers tell me to make them fear me in the beginning.  That feels impossible really.  I was supposed to assistant teach, but i think the czech teachers were excited for a break because so far they have all left the room and told me to teach every time i have been there.  And although it is just so easy to come up with really great fun and educational lesson plans on the spot....Ive started to plan ahead a bit.  I lost my voice, yet the teacher still wanted me to teach her class.  As i began, Andre interrupts and says, "You sound like your dying."  Dev then adds in "Why dont you just clear your throat?"  Brilliant, why didnt i think of that?

I have two one on one classes and am enjoying both.  I am grateful to have such kind and flexible students! 

This next week i start three new classes.  A youth class of 15 students, an adult class of 7 and another adult class of 6.  I'm hoping they are as great as the classes I have had so far. 

A few weekends ago we went to Prague!!! It was magical and beautiful and overwhelming to stand in front of history like that.  We walked around the New Town Square, and The Old Town Square, and saw the clock, and the castle, and we crossed the Charles bridge and rode paddle boats, and went in the church of our lady before tyn, and and drank wine on a hill overlooking the city, and went dancing, and played in a park.... and more.  Oh and we stayed with friends in their mansion of a place which was fun.  One, because their place is cool, and two, because they are too..

Back in Ostrava, we also went to Younglifes first movie night of the new year and met a bunch of highschoolers and leaders.  It felt like home...like ThElement.  I think i want to get involved with it.  Then we went out with some people to Stodolni for beers and dancing, which, of course, was fun! 

Other updates - 
-Lyds semi cut back on her chocolate craze.  She is still failing at many things and it is still amusing, although ive had a few of my own failures to add in as well.  
-We are still laughing through life....especially at the random things that keeping occuring (taking trams and walking home holding large pieces of vacuums and a huge box of corn flakes.) 
-Its cold!  Its only september geez.
-My cell phone is prettty much just for show.  It can't call, or receive calls.  The three button doesn't work, and apparently neither does the alarm since i have now overslept twice for class.  Apparently in two weeks i will have a shiny new one and i will call someone with it!  
-Our washing machine does not work. (We will be getting  a new one no worries.)  Since i moved here a month ago my clothes are a months worth of dirty.... So today i finally decided to hand washed some of them in our bathtub, wiped the sweat from my brow and wondered what year it was.  Maybe it was because i had just finished doing the dishes by hand too.  :)  
-We are going to Prague "for work" again this weekend.   
-We got our visas!!!! woot woot.  
ok that is more than enough for you to read.  

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

sounds exciting. i love it!

Anonymous said...

so fantastic --- fun and real life in the same slice
you write beautifully -- i can picture where you are and what you are doing.
what is with the cell phone?
if the boxes are not there by tuesday we better track them.
lovvvvvvvvvvvve UUUUU pops