Let's face it i'm stuffed!

---

Well this is just a few words about teaching for beginners.....Get Fit First! especially if you will be teaching 4-6 year olds in kindergarten and, you teachers in Aussie land stop your griping these classes have 45-50 in each class. It was nuts... the teachers control the room and the kids listen Bizaar is another word. It doesn't help when you get told you are doing demo classes and you have 15mins to woo the crowd!, 6 classes in sequence all in the morning (when kids are at their most active!) So i have a plan. I have a show to do....! I begin...with the hello song! good, a winner! then some revision on colours! too easy....Ho! they know all this so let's turn up the heat a little and try some small phrases, Apple is red! Banana is yellow! sweet they are lapping it up. Lots of arm actions to liven the show! Laughter is good and this one kid had one of those contagious laughs....so I have to work harder not to cackle with him! By the second class i have the routine down pat! and begin to mix it up a little. It is working a treat, i can use this in my afternoon class too! (wrong). We run between classes and bang in the routine the kids laugh and talk learn some new words and hopefully sign up when they are able to next year for lessons. I mean that is the whole idea too. The school is a business and we are the main attraction. 2 lone Aussies.
Ok 6 classes later for me and 5 for Lynne (she peaked in on my last class and had a giggle at my expertise). Time for a break.....Ok off we go again to Nong Da Kindy. Out come the books and off i go into my routine from this morning...uh,oh! not going so well..Hmmmm...why! Dunno maybe these kids are not as advanced...i know they are quick and pick things up fast but i thought that they were at the same level...CRAASH! time to change plans right full rudder, all stop new range to target!......Crap where did i put the rabbit! for that matter where is the bloody HAT! My head is in a spin but i pull out of the dive (like a true hero) with millimetres to spare. and fall back on some old faithful songs and a couple of ad-lib games....don't breath yet, the games only work for 2 of the three classes the last class is a class of 3-4 year olds and they just want to run a muck! Now i have had this class before so i was prepared for this but this week was a bad week and all my assistant could say was same as last week...needs to be more simple! If i take any more words out of the songs they are no longer songs they are a word to a tune....but this is what they like she says and on the way home it dawned on me as i look out the window of the bus and see the craze of the rubics cube gaining momentum here they are appearing all over the place and as i said it dawned on me SIMPLE.....(To give you an idea...have one kid jump to try to grab a piece of paper while the rest of the class chants a word).
Well off to our next demo classes. This school is amazing...set off the main street it is very unassuming when we pass the outer walls we see 4 stories of children looking at us. A quick word from the boss, classes are only 8mins long! LOL....ok into the first room pull out some pictures "dragon fly, butterfly, jacket, sweater, cricket, pants and sneakers" we chant (i don't pick the curriculum, yea odd mix i know) "ok we go now!!!" whisked off to the next class. So this is what a star feels like when doing radio interviews...ok you have 5 mins ask away!LOL.
I get in two classes. These classes are composed of 70-80 student per class and all attentive....sort of. The quadrangle was approx 30m x 50 m and then the classroom buildings. So not much room for the 1000-1500 students. No sports oval no grass to stand on. Blown away, we have passed this school and seen the parents waiting outside many times and now we know why they wait outside. each class is let out in order and the class is led into the mass of parents by a leader holding the class name. We walk home tired and mind beaten but i still may have to return to the classes tomorrow for another recruiting drive! yikes i need some new material fast!

Bye Bye!

---