My job

I had a request to write about what I am teaching in the classroom. Yes, I take requests. So, here is a little bit about what I do in the classroom...discipline. Seriously, I do a lot of disciplining. The kids here think nothing of walking out of class to get a drink or go to the bathroom. They don't ask, they just walk out. So, we have been going over rules of the classroom and how you have to ask before you leave the room. Ok, but here are the details of what I am teaching in each grade level.

In Playgroup 2 (aka preschool), I usually read a book and sing a song or do a finger play. I only have 10 minutes once a week with those kids so I keep it really simple. I am told my time with them is to get them used to people speaking English.

In TKA (aka Kindergarten 1), we are going over the letters of the alphabet. I have half an hour twice a week with those kids. This week I am teaching about the letter T. We sing the Ants on the Apples song for each letter. I had never heard of this song but, it is a great one for teaching the alphabet and the sounds each letter makes. Then we do an activity about the letter (coloring turtles on the tile, etc.). After that we have story time and I sing a song or do a finger play if there is time. Yes, this week I am teaching the kids the Tiny Turtle song and they LOVE it!

In TKB (aka Kindergarten 2), we are also going over the letters of the alphabet but in more detail. I have half an hour three times a week with those kids. They have quickly become my favorite class! We do worksheets (writing the letters, cutting and pasting pictures, etc.) and activities (memory game, etc.). We have story and song/finger play time if there is time.

In Grade 1, we reviewed each letter and now we are focusing on short vowel sounds. This is a little more difficult because the "teaching" books I have are from America and some of the pictures are not things the kids in Indonesia know anything about. For example, bib and sled. They have no concept of what a bib is or what a sled is. I also read a story every teaching time. I have 5 35 minute sessions with those kids per week. However, they are split into 2 days. So, I teach them for 70 minutes one day a week and 105 minutes another day during the week. I would much rather go into the classroom every day but, the schedule is not up to me.

In Grade 2, we are going over the parts of speech. I have been teaching about nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. It's a little rough since a few of the kids don't speak English very well (or at all). But, I am trying to make it as simple as possible. We also have story time every teaching time. I also teach those kids 5 35 minute sessions per week. These sessions are split into 3 days. So, I teach them for 70 minutes on Tuesdays, 35 minutes on Wednesdays, and 70 minutes on Fridays.

In Grade 3, we are also going over the parts of speech as well as, sentence structure and usage. This week we are talking about plural s versus plural es versus irregular plural nouns (sheep, geese, etc.). We also have story time every teaching time. We just finished reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8. This class is only 6 students and I really enjoy the smaller class size. We have a lot more discussions and freedom in that class. I teach those kids 5 40 minute sessions per week. Again, these sessions are split into 2 days. So I teach them for 2 hours on Mondays and 80 minutes on Thursdays.

Unfortunately, I have heard from way too many kids that English class is boring so I am trying to think of fun activities. So far we have just done a lot of worksheets. But, it is hard to plan for 6 different learning levels when you have to write your own curriculum and make it fun. So, any fun ideas would be greatly appreciated!

This week we are doing formal assessments, which means I had to write tests for grades 1 thru 3. I found this out last week. This is when I really wish we had curriculum. I am so not a writer and am not good at writing tests!

I looked over the English Teacher Handbook last week. I was given this notebook on my first day and read it then but wanted to re-read it. I noticed that they mentioned the goal is to teach the students functional English. So, I need to rethink what I am teaching and focus more on teaching them functional English. I just have no idea what that looks like. Do I teach them to call everyone Dude and to say 'Sup as a greeting to everyone? This is functional English in my opinion but, not what I think I am supposed to teach. I do have a Scope and Sequence for each grade which tells me what the kids should know by the end of the year. That is what I have been basing my lesson plans off of so far.

I hope that gives you an idea of what it is I do at work and what I am teaching. If anyone has tips on how to make English class a little more fun, let me know.

Love and miss you all!