So I made it through my final day of practicum. It could have been better, but it wasn't the worst day I had either. The first day was really rough. The projector stopped working so I had a little improv to do. It worked. I even got one of the boys in the back to read me his story about aliens and not finding good Chinese food. It was really exciting to see that though I should have done a little more to make sure everyone was working on the assignment and that the assignment was understood. Some students seemed lost until I told them "Once upon a time" was a good way to start a story. Not going to lie, they were all adorable. They stressed me out and brought me out to feeling like I really wanted to reach all of them because I know they are good kids. It made me so happy to see people volunteering who were not the girls in the front. I know they are all smart and capable so I always feel frustrated when I can't reach all of them. I realize that's a tall order when I'm leading large classes 16 times a week but all the same I want to know and I want my students to know that they can do it.
It was actually really funny when the projector wasn't working and our field director stepped in to help. All the girls in the front row got really excited about being close to him.
Basically, I got a crash course in how difficult and rewarding this next year will be. I doubted myself before, but my goal for everyday will be to reach everyone. I only had my students for a week but I really liked them. Even the "difficult" students are really good kids and often just didn't understand what was going on because I asked them to do something very difficult. They were really adorable and really were doing their best to improve their English. It's just that sometimes they were afraid to make mistakes or were intimidated. I used to be the really quiet kid in class so I can understand. Hopefully my own middle and high school experiences can help me with my students since I know how perfectionism can freeze someone who wants to do everything well and be the absolute best all the time. I will miss my students sorely but I am looking forward to working with my students in Zhuzhou soon!
It was actually really funny when the projector wasn't working and our field director stepped in to help. All the girls in the front row got really excited about being close to him.
Basically, I got a crash course in how difficult and rewarding this next year will be. I doubted myself before, but my goal for everyday will be to reach everyone. I only had my students for a week but I really liked them. Even the "difficult" students are really good kids and often just didn't understand what was going on because I asked them to do something very difficult. They were really adorable and really were doing their best to improve their English. It's just that sometimes they were afraid to make mistakes or were intimidated. I used to be the really quiet kid in class so I can understand. Hopefully my own middle and high school experiences can help me with my students since I know how perfectionism can freeze someone who wants to do everything well and be the absolute best all the time. I will miss my students sorely but I am looking forward to working with my students in Zhuzhou soon!
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