Job Discussion Forums

kidkanada · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 12:52 pm Post subject: Your first day teaching

Tell me about your first day teaching. Like what was going thru your mind and all. Were you nervous? Did you do anything stupid or embarassing? Was it fun? Did the students like you?

My first day hasnt happened yet. Im nervous and wondering if im cut out for it and all like im sure a lot of first timers are. So im just curious to here your tales.

Lanza-Armonia · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 1:12 pm Post subject:

First teaching day? I practically played the brown note (translation=cr$pping oneself). I had 35 hyper active grade twos and they did my nut in. I have never been so scared of little kids in my life!

Now, they're good as grade twos can be, bless um

LA

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

My first day of teaching was about 12 years ago. All I remember now is the fear that I had. That's all I really remember though. I forget what the content of the lesson was.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

My very first day in a Chinese classroom began inauspiciously.
I was standing on that dais, eyeing sixty comatose college students waiting for their first English Writing class, when that psychotic NY female teacher colleague popped in, saying I was in the wrong classroom, or she was in the wrong classroom, whichever was the truth?

In fact, it was my class, as we both learnt a while later in the principal's office, who unceremoniously informed us that we had both been assigned the same class at the same time by error.

lagerlout2006 · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 985

When I started teaching EFL I got off quite easy. It was in Korea at a Hakwon...The place had just opened and they really didn't have any students. My "class" sizes ranged from 1 student in grade 3 to 4 in grade 6. After a few months class sizes swelled all the way up to 7 or 8. The school was using the Scott Foresman children stories series. Shakespeare by Korea standards.

In answer to your questions NO it was not fun. Embarrasing Oh yes.

After a cushy 5 months there I had a very rude awakening facing 25 hysterical high school students each class.

Mouse · Joined: 24 Dec 2003 Posts: 208

My first ever teaching day "in the field" was in Sicily. My boss picked me up from the airport, bypassing all customs, which I found rather... interesting... at the time. We drove through the city at a ridiculous speed, weaving through traffic, while he jabbered away in broken English, the gist of which was "I'll show you the school and later, your hotel". This didn't ring any alarm bells, which is quite amazing in retrospect. Anyway, we walked into the school, he pointed to a room full of bored-looking teenagers and said "This is your class". When I nodded, he waved for me to get in and start teaching. With no books or anything (and it was only the first class of several). After that, nothing has ever phased me. Very Happy

Well, almost nothing...

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

I hadn't worn a suit since my wedding day years earlier and there I was sitting in an anteroom to the office while my first ever student finished off what looked like a very important business meeting the other side of the glass partition.

My new shoes hurt, my tie was choking me, my briefcase smelled new and was so empty that you could hear everything bouncing around every time I moved it. I was very very nervous.

Eventually he finished and I was ushered by his secretary into his huge leather and glass office. He reclined behind his immense desk while I, perching on the edge of my leather seat, got out my meagre materials.

Hesitantly, I began what was to become 8 months of daily 1.5 hour private classes for the Managing Director of Samsung UK.

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

My first day was in a Korean hagwan in 1995. I remembered thinking how sorry I felt for my students as they were paying a lot of money to someone who had no idea what they were doing. My training consisted of "here is your class". Then 30 teenage students, who all looked identical to me at the time, stared at me expecting to be entertained. Gulp. It was a learning experience, to say the least. I have no idea what I taught, probably very little. I probably talked about myself, Canada and then was asked very personal questions.

Guest · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2004 3:50 am Post subject:

Hi

I had been told by the Recruiter that I would receive 3 days of training - which did not happen of course.

I had no experience whatsoever and we are provided with no teaching materials, books, anything at this school - what and how we teach is completely up to us.

It was HARROWING to say the least that first few lessons.

My only advice to you is - no matter how scared you feel TRY NOT TO SHOW IT. KIDS ARE LIKE ANIMALS - THEY CAN SMELL FEAR.

Now that I am much more confident after only six months, I find that I can handle the children better and hold their attention longer.

VanKen · Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 139 Location: Calgary, AB Canada

My first teaching day was at a high school in Nicaragua almost 20 years ago during the height of the Contra war. Everything was disorganized. I was handed a map of the school, 2 pieces of chalk, and a list of my 7 classes for the day, then pointed in the direction of my first class. No textbooks, no syllabus. Nada.

I entered the classroom to find that the students hadn't a homeroom teacher, so they hadn't been informed of their schedule yet. I spoke to them for a few minutes to explain who I was and what I was doing in their classroom, but they just stared at me as though I was from another planet. When the silence became deafening, I dashed out the door and off to the principal's office, unable to cope with a roomful of 12 year olds.

The principal and I had a nice chat for about half and hour. He gave me some suggestions for what to do, showed me a teaching syllabus, and reassured me that I really could teach English. I returned to the classroom and it was smooth sailing from then on. I fielded a million personal questions and we got to know one another. The older kids were quite talkative, but most of them just listened and wrote everything down.

By the end of the day, I was ready for anything.

struelle · Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 2372 Location: Shanghai

I was in Tianjin, China, and had been relaxing for 3 days previously with my coworkers. It was lots of fun settling into the city, getting our apartments figured out, exploring around, and kicking back on the big sofas the school provided.

So far it was excellent, but I was getting more excited about beginning the actual classes.

My first teaching gig was with a summer volunteer organization. Before coming to China, we had been given an intense program of in-house TEFL training - some days we worked more than 14 hours. The training was good and we were bombarded with the communicative method. It was the first time I'd ever seen this method so I was a bit skeptical. But I figured, what the heck, let's try it.

Fast forward to the first day of my class. I went into the room early, set it up, and prepared the materials for an intermediate-level ice-breaker lesson. I was getting nervous as the time came near, but I since I made a solid lesson plan, I was ready!

Turns out the lesson went far better than expected. I did a 'Find Someone Who' activity and experiments with question / answer forms to kick things off. This really boosted rapport, and I was amazed by how motivated and respectful the students were! We finished with me explaining class rules and textbooks. As well, I did an activity on phrases the the students could use in class, for example, 'Please repeat that', 'Speak a little slower', and 'What does ____ mean?'

That class had a strong rapport as the weeks went on, and they went out of their way to help me feel welcome in China. Needless to say, I was deeply impressed and it was settled that I'd be doing this for awhile.

Steve

Deborann · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2004 11:11 am Post subject:

The first class I had in China - Speaking and Listening in the Business faculty, with 1st year Uni students - I walked into the class room, and the entire class clapped! Where could I go from there!

Capergirl · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2004 11:52 am Post subject:

Kindergarten class in Korea...cold turkey. I'm still traumatized from it. Shocked

Irish · Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 371

Yesterday was my first day to stand up in front of a classroom as a real teacher. Although I'm not scheduled to start solo teaching until next week, my co-operating teacher for my practicum had a doctor's appointment that conflicted with another class, and she asked me to cover. The thought of going it totally alone terrified me, but I didn't see any way out of it so I agreed.

By the time class began at 2pm, I was in a panic but put on my best game face and forged on. When I got there, I found a TESL student waiting to observe the class. "Oh, great," I thought, "it's not enough that I have to humiliate myself -- I have to do it in front of one of my peers!" But the class was great! The students were very friendly (albeit chatty) and I enjoyed helping them with their work. When the hour was up, I was actually disappointed. I had so much fun, I didn't want to leave. Even the TESL student came up afterwards to tell me how much she enjoyed my class.

Although things went well, I know I was lucky. This was a small class (8 students) and the lesson plan was done for me. Next week, the training wheels come off and I'll do all the planning for three weeks for a class of 20. But I'm not nearly as frightened by the thought of it as I was before yesterday.

Dr.J · Joined: 09 May 2003 Posts: 304 Location: usually Japan

I hardly remember my first class. Just try not to be what you think a teacher 'should' be, but just be yourself, a person who happens to be teaching people at that moment. Imagine you are teaching a kid brother or something.

I'd say you get used to it after a few months, but there are still moments of fear when students start fist fights with each other or you suddenly remember that you have a class in 10 minutes with no plan.