So just a quick post about my first proper day as a language assistant, and I really got thrown in at the deep end!
6am: Wake up. Well, wake up and set alarm to snooze for 10 mins, then get up.
6.50 am: Walk to train station feeling oddly awake.
7.04 am: Catch train. Tiredness hits.
7.41am: arrive at train station.
7.55am: Catch bus to school (can't always find a lift) and sit awkwardly amongst 30 kids from the school who think (like everyone else at the school unless we've been personally introduced) that I'm another pupil. Awkward.
8.10: arrive in school, discover the teacher who's class I was supposed to be observing for 2 hours is ill, and so I have to teach it ON MY OWN in 5 minutes time.
8.11 - 8.15: have mild panic attack.
8.15: recover from mild panic attack and go to class. No clue what I'm supposed to teach them or what work they're doing, can't read handwriting in class book which doesn't help as well.
8.16: Stand awkwardly as 30 fourteen year old german kids eye you incredulously and try to think of something to do with them.
Rest of the lesson: Figure out what work they can do from their textbooks whilst trying to keep my nerve. After the first lesson (yes, it was a double) I shameless stole a format another group had prepared at the training the week before, using role play to learn food vocab and how to order in a restaurant. Group 2, Saarland crew, you are lifesavers. Anyway, it went down well I think.
10 am (ish): collapse in staffroom only to remember I have another 2 hours of teaching in 5 minutes time (though I knew about this one in advance. )
10.05: Walk into class 5b, who are a) 10 years old and b) very sweet. This lesson went a bit better as I'd prepared it in advance but I still was terrified throughout. Are all teachers this terrified of the kids at first? I hope so as I'm here for a year.
Midday: Collapse again. Thank God schools in Germany finish early (at half 1 anyway) Have a lift to the train station at 1.30 so spend the time preparing a lesson on Wales for year 10 next week.
1.35pm: arrive at train station. Need to cross to other side of the platform, but the barriers come down on level crossing so can't, meaning I miss my train.
1.38pm: Get to other side and realise there is an underpass which I could have taken to avoid waiting at level crossing. Realise I am also an idiot.
1.39pm: Driving rain starts. Huddle in shelter freezing and soaked through waiting for the train to arrive.
2:16 pm: train finally arrives. Immediately fall asleep listening to a Scott Mills podcast.
2: 48pm (roughly): wake myself up by bursting out laughing at something on the podcast which i was still half listening to in my sleep, startling fellow passengers as well as myself but fortunately stopping me from missing my stop in Trier Süd.
3pm: Arrive home. Wet through, shattered but oddly content. Today I did something I frankly didn't think I was capable of and moreso didn't make a fool of myself. I taught 4 hours of lessons, most of which (particularly for the 10 year olds) was in German and was understood. This year abroad really is testing me but so far I've not done too badly, in my opinion anyway.
Until the weekend then folks!
PS. I can't wait to sleep in tomorrow morning. 6am starts and I will never be best buddies.
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