i know i know

okay.. I guess its time for an update. School has finally picked up and I am actually getting to be kind of busy, or more like I have spurts of productiveness, with boughts of severe boredome in between. I am starting to get into the swing of things and understand exactly what is expected of me and what isn't. I am not sure exactly what I expected but I think I hoped to be a little more involved then I am. I have 5 writing classes and 6 oral communication classes. In the majority of my writing classes I am a bit of a tape recorder.. I repeat the key sentences for the lesson and I correct the practice exercises done in class. My only real responsibility is to come up with a writing assignment each week and correct it.
In my oral communication classes I have more of a responsibility I actually have to make a lesson for each class and lead it, after we have talked about the text book. Of course since OC only meets once a week. I basically have one class each day (of different students) I only am really writing one lesson per week because I do the same lesson all week long.
so its not as much actual teaching as I thought I would have.. or as I experienced during my student teaching. But it is going well. some classes are better than others. I hope that as I become more comfortable I am able to do more with the classes and have the students be more involved and less bored. Its hard because the education system and expectations are very different. Where as I elected to study a foreign language in HS and only had one class 2 or 3 times a week. here english is mandatory and they have written classes, oral classes, grammer classes, reading class... they actually study a surprising amount of english.

oh the best thing though is my special school, I went for the first time last thursday and I get to go again tomorrow. It's a hospital school and it only has 6 high school students. they are all pretty severely disabled, several in wheel chairs, and a few with no real language, but I already love them. I get to do much younger based activities with them because of their ability level, its really fun and I feel like they need me there. sometimes I feel like I am just extra at my base school. Anyway I think that seeing my special kids once a week will be a great treat.

Anyway I had yet another great weekend which always makes me happy. I went to a picnic in the park on Sunday.. it was a surprise b-day party for another ALT and it was a potluck... my cooking failed.. so I stopped at the bakery on the way.. but it was fun, we played some frisbee and just hung out for a couple of hours.

I did find a place to post all my pictures... they are on flickr.com my user name is yohgrl23... i haven't really organized them yet because I have to actually pay to do that.. but I have put up most of the ones I've taken thus far.
Hope you enjoy looking at them.

allright more later.. I'm at school making some lesson plans. still no internet at home.. but it should be happening in about 2 weeks.. yeah its taken over a month.. but it should be worth it when it comes. Pics of my apt are up at flickr

Later.
Lissie