The blog of the Aaron

I´m in Spain.  It´s nice.  Life in Elche is different to life in Denbigh.  It is not quite as cold and the local people speak Spanish.  Other than that I suppose it´s rather similar.  I wake up early and go to bed late, have the chance to learn from Michael every day (or did have until he cruelly left us), and my life revolves around the English Language.

The training week in Wales was important.  My perspective of teaching has changed more than a bit since hearing all that I´ve heard and doing all that I´ve done during that week and my first few days in Elche.  That planning lessons can be fun and not take ages is welcome news.  I´ve learnt how to construct enjoyable lessons that actually teach about grammar without it being obvious.  So far I´ve done a lot of introductory lessons so that the students can get to know me and I can get to know them.  Also, in the case of my adult classes, they can get to know each other.  Drawing pictures that represent something about yourself works well as the students are interested in the life of the foreign teacher and happy to talk about their own interests too.  Getting them to work out if statements are true or false is another ice-breaker worthy of consideration.  I considered it and did it and it went well.

Prison break was a hit of a lesson that culminated in the formation of language so vivid and creative I had to sit down.  The phrase "beautiful, angry, inoffensive lions" has probably never been uttered anywhere before it was last week in Elche, but it sure does get you thinking, doesn´t it?  That was a tag question.  I really should teach about those soon, right?

My adult class have given me permission to script a film entitled "Shark Policeman" even though they came up with the unique idea.  Hollywood loves films containing sharks and policemen, so a film about a policeman that´s part shark part human could only be a box office smash.  Especially considering the fact he throws sharks at the world´s worst criminals trying to escape a high security prison.  As well as teaching adults I work at a secondary school, but I have so many different classes that I haven´t had so many lessons with each class yet.  It´s been great so far, and I´m sure the experience will continue to be interesting and good for me. 

But there´s no denying that I wouldn´t feel half as confident as I do going into classes without that week in Wales and Michael´s support.  Carol and Jacquie provided so much energy and enthusiasm, which immediately rubbed off on the whole group.  I felt like I was being made over, useful ideas and clear direction helping to create a better me.  So, I´m a teacher now.  That´s what I´m telling people and I stick by it.  I´m doing it; I´m teaching.  But, do you know what?  Most of all I´m learning.