Day 1 - 6 January 2014 Well, after arriving into Samui after spending 11 days in Phuket, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Decided to do this course as it's been something I've been thinking about for some time so decided I would start the new year with a new challenge. Feeling completely out of my comfort zone already, but Darren and Nuchy were great at introducing us to the course today. They provided us with a lot of information about the course to prepare us for the next 4 weeks. We also managed to have quite a few laughs throughout the day. Looking forward to tomorrow and learning more, but must admit I'm feeling quite nervous and am hoping I make it through. I really don't know if I have what it takes to be honest, but will try my best and soak up as much as I can to enjoy this new learning experience. teflworld-koh-samui.com
Day 2 - 7 January 2014 Feeling really nervous after today as we went through lesson planning and need to prepare and present a lesson tomorrow. I guess the first one is always going to be tough but with a bit of preparation tonight, will hopefully learn a lot tomorrow from my mistakes.
Day 3 - 8 January 2014 Mmmm … well after being quite worried about presenting my lesson today, I found it tough and challenging after all. Probably not quite as tough as I thought it would be, but it was really helpful having Darren's feedback along the way. I have a lot to work on and a lot of preparation for Friday's school class. The CA's I'm finding particularly difficult and will be searching the web tonight for more ideas. Eek - eager to see how I feel by this time Friday. Guess I'll know whether or not teaching is for me.
Day 4 - 9 January 2014 Good day in class where we started to cover the grammar subject. Can't remember even studying all this detail at school but then again it was a long time ago. Big day coming up tomorrow. My first class at a local school. Have spent the last 3 hours in an internet café finding pictures and printing - a time consuming task, but need to be well prepared for tomorrow. I will teach a class of 10 year olds. Will do my best to try to make it a fun class. Again, very nervous …
Day 5 - 10 January 2014 What an experience! Teaching a class of 10 year olds was more fun than I anticipated. Although noisy and chaotic, it was probably something I'll never forget. The kids were just adorable and very eager to learn.
Day 6 - 13 January 2014 Week 2 started today with another lesson at the school. Today I taught a class of 12 year olds and found them harder to control than the younger kids, but saying that, it was still fun. Can be really hard to keep them all focused during the class. One thing the kids do love and that's playing games, especially in the playground at lunch time. They love the simple things like kicking and throwing the ball. Another night of preparation for two classes tomorrow. I wish me good luck - hehe! Think I'll need it.
Day 7 - 14 January 2014 Oh my gosh. I was quite worried about having two classes today, but the kids were so much fun. Most of them are eager to learn and I only wish I could spend more time with each of them, but it's hard having such large numbers in each class. I think I'm starting to quite like this. I'm now starting to think about packing up when I go home and coming back to teach for a few months. As chaotic as it can be, it's nice to feel like you're actually helping the kids and some of them just seem to need some attention and affection.
Day 8 - 15 January 2014 Just one class of 11 year olds today. Overall didn't go too bad, although some kids didn't want to participate and preferred doing cross stitch, while others tried really hard. I'm starting to realise that this teaching thing can be quite exhausting. Really hard trying to keep them all focused but I must say it's a challenge which I like as I feel I'm also learning more and more each day.
Day 9 - 16 January 2014 Today we went back to base at Panyadee for the day which was nice after being at the school all week. I now know I need to focus more attention on Grammar over the weekend - eek. Plenty of beach reading coming up for me.
Day 10 - 17 January 2014 Again, just one class back at Wat Sawang this morning. Taught Year 1 and they were really energetic and funny. So hard trying to get their attention and getting them to focus for more than 3 seconds, but I think they were really good on the whole. I must admit I enjoy the youngest kids best. Now, time to get cracking on next week's lesson plans for the Muang Hotel. Looking forward to teaching in another new environment. Can't believe how much we've covered in just 2 weeks. This is great stuff!
Day 11 - 20 January 2014 Now into Week 3 and Darren hit us with some more grammar. Today we covered different types of nouns and also teaching methodologies. A lot of information to take in, so really need to study these tonight.
Day 12 - 21 January 2014 We covered tenses in class today and I really struggled. Will be studying big time and learning the formulas ASAP, otherwise I won't get through the exam next week. On the other hand, looking forward to teaching at the Muang Samui tomorrow.
Day 13 - 22 January 2014 Nice day at Muang Samui today. A totally different experience to teaching the school kids. It was a nice relaxed environment and the students were obviously older and eager to learn. The 30 minute class went really quickly. The hotel also provided us with lunch which was really nice of them. Looking forward to heading back there again tomorrow.
Day 14 - 23 January 2014 Another nice day at Muang Samui with the hotel staff. Nice to see they are all keen to learn English and try really hard. I'm impressed with how good their writing skills are. Feel very fortunate that we're getting all this teaching experience on the course.
Day 15 - 24 January 2014 Our last day at the Muang today. It's been such a nice experience teaching there. They made us feel really welcome and the atmosphere was nice and relaxed. There were just 3 staff in my class today so I modified the lesson plan slightly to suit the group and make it more personal. Again, they all tried hard and really grasps the words.
Day 16 - 27 January 2014 Can't believe it's Week 4 and we only have a few more days to nail the study and be ready to sit the exam. Wasn't quite expecting to teach two large classes tomorrow. Oh well, just racking my brain thinking of different warmers and CAs, but will probably just go with what has previously worked. Looking forward to meeting more kids tomorrow though. It should be crazy fun.
Day 17 - 28 January 2014 Today was our last day of teaching at a Government school in Bophut. I really loved the kids and the overall atmosphere at this school. Great kids and despite the large classes I thought the kids were so enthusiastic, well focused and polite. I find there's something really special about seeing their faces and how hard they are trying and it makes me naturally want to help them. Oh, and so cute when the younger ones, who I wasn't even teaching, wanted to chat and give me lots of cuddles in the playground - so cute.
Day 18 - 29 January 2014 Wow - 2 days to go. Good day in class today where we learnt about some history, then had some revision time which was really helpful.
Day 19 - 30 January 2014 Spent most of today back at base doing revision and reflecting on our teaching experiences over the last few weeks. Taught a class of 6 at Panyadee and far out, what a handful they were. Much harder trying to keep them focused than 50 kids at the Government schools. Again though, another good experience of how different teaching can be. Can't believe it's all going to be over tomorrow. Have learnt so much during the past 4 weeks and now have to sit the exam. Don't like exams much so am not looking forward to it, but figure if I don't know anything now, I probably won't know much more tomorrow. Have studied every night and will just have to give it my best shot.
Day 20 - 31 January 2014 All over. My goodness. I can't believe how quickly the past 4 weeks has gone. Am so happy to have chosen TEFL World here in Samui to do this course. I cannot fault it in any way. The knowledge and experience I have gained in 4 weeks I'm sure will change my life. Not sure where to start, but the overall teaching manner of Darren was the best I've ever had. He is a natural teacher and knows how to push you without being intimidating at all. His knowledge, honesty and guidance throughout the entire course will stay with me forever. It was also great to have Nuchy to help us understand the Thai culture and enjoy her great sense of humour. Overall, the course exceeded my expectations in every way. I must say it was certainly much harder than I anticipated, but also much better. We learnt so much more than I could have imagined, so I'm really glad I stuck in there to gain my certificate. I'll now go back home and seriously think about returning to start my new career in teaching. Thank you so much TEFL World!
