Getting up at 6am on a Monday morning isn't exactly the most exciting thing to do. Nevertheless, work is work, and it definitely isn't something you can easily turn a blind eye to.
Being a teacher is not easy at all (I still wonder how my teachers do it!). While a lot of effort and time is put into the preparation for a class, a teacher must be prepared to teach something impromtu, i.e. without any prior planning. And that is exactly what happened to me today!
I planned to teach the kids the letter Q, but as soon as I started to teach, we had three new volunteers join in and my lesson plan went from ABCs to basic 'Conversations' (for e.g. 'How are you?', 'Where are you from?') instead. Aude, Heather and Yanna are three foreigners who have taken to teaching Cambodian kids for some time. There were some confusions regarding our teaching-time clashes, but alls sorted now. They're really enthusiastic and motivated. We shall be travelling to school together tomorrow onwards.
One thing Heather pointed out, and something I have come to agree, is that there is some inexplicable joy in teaching the kids. Trust me, as cheesy as this may sound, its really true. I tend to be happy for no reason after every class. Of course there's 'relief' as to having the class conducted successfully, but this happiness is something else. Genuine satisfaction perhaps. All the same, it's great.
Being a teacher is not easy at all (I still wonder how my teachers do it!). While a lot of effort and time is put into the preparation for a class, a teacher must be prepared to teach something impromtu, i.e. without any prior planning. And that is exactly what happened to me today!
I planned to teach the kids the letter Q, but as soon as I started to teach, we had three new volunteers join in and my lesson plan went from ABCs to basic 'Conversations' (for e.g. 'How are you?', 'Where are you from?') instead. Aude, Heather and Yanna are three foreigners who have taken to teaching Cambodian kids for some time. There were some confusions regarding our teaching-time clashes, but alls sorted now. They're really enthusiastic and motivated. We shall be travelling to school together tomorrow onwards.
One thing Heather pointed out, and something I have come to agree, is that there is some inexplicable joy in teaching the kids. Trust me, as cheesy as this may sound, its really true. I tend to be happy for no reason after every class. Of course there's 'relief' as to having the class conducted successfully, but this happiness is something else. Genuine satisfaction perhaps. All the same, it's great.
