First Day!

Today I started the first day of teaching the winter camp. For not getting any orientation at all I think it went pretty well.

There are 12 teachers: 7 from the UK, one from Scotland and 4 from the United States. I've heard that US accents are more expensive, so that's why there are fewer of us. I don't quite get that yet, because I sure haven't seen any of their expense. They have put us up in very modern rooms, with very efficient showers and a location that's right in the middle of everything you'd want. They also do provide a stocked community kitchen and lunch at the school cafeteria, which is way better than what I've always known as cafeteria food.

I'm teaching writing. Some teachers have math, science, social studies/culture. I'm only envious of the "culture" teachers, whose textbooks are literally last month's Time magazine. The teaching part is dazzling. Some of their English is impeccable while some students are clearly straining very hard to speak and understand. Most students do understand basic language skills and all of the 5th and 6th graders can read proficiently. A few students have problems with long words, like "environment", "observatory"...

The classroom technology is closely updated, so today I showed the 4th graders how to use Google as a thesaurus. I literally got handed my lesson plan 10 minutes before the day started, so I had figure out the chapter as the students are reading it. Tonite I'm swearing to plan ahead just a bit. I both love and loath the process of "teaching" as revealed today. It's difficult and easy, but satisfying.

Each classroom is named after a US state. I got Texas. But the students are very clever, extremely bright, while being painfully shy of speaking. I have the oldest of all the grade levels: ages 11-16, with 75% of the students being 13-16. The 11 and 12 year old students aren't shy yet. They laugh and speak freely. The 13-16 year old girls are terrified of the boys (what a difference in focus 2 years has on otherwise motivated kids!) And, I already have a nickname by authority of the 4th graders: Rebeccasaurus. They think I'm abnormally tall, even though I insisted I'm just a little above average for a woman in the US. Still, it's too cute. Dennis, a 4th grade creative, drew a picture of exactly what an actual Rebeccasaurus would look like, and you'll be relieved to know that my dinasaur "other" still looks like a stegasaurus with hair and raptor wings.

The rest of the teachers are fabulous. We had breakfast, lunch and happy hour together with no struggle in conversation. With a long day behind all of us, and 26 long days ahead, there's no denying we have a common denominator.