School in London - Week 1

Sunday 4 September 2005. 

Before I say anything about me or my time in London I just want to tell you that what is happening in south central US, and in New Orleans in particular, is a major focus of attention here. It is front-page news to be sure: “10,000 dead”, “Third Word America”, and even the staid Financial Times of London’s headline today reads “’Handle the goddam crisis’ Bush told”.  It seems to be the general consensus, at least among the respectable newspapers that the present administration is patently inept or fundamentally uncaring. Tragic indeed.

It has been a very busy week for me and based on my experience I will probably just be updating the blog weekly.

Wednesday – our group met at about 8:40 am to brainstorm for a bit before we went to class at 9:00.  After 2 lectures (punctuated by a short break) we had lunch at 12 and returned by 1 to start setting up our room. In fact this would become routine, since for the next week and a half we would be teaching the same group in the same room (we met the group for the first time Weds. afternoon). From 1:15-3:15 we had our first teaching practice (or TP as they call it in school), and this was unobserved. We had been given the materials, the timetable, pretty much what we needed to do this had we each taught for 23 minutes. It is not clear as to why we were “unobserved”, and I may just ask that question this week. Anyway, we have to successfully complete 6 hours of teaching practice and two hours of observation of experienced teachers.

Afterwards we had feedback time amongst ourselves from 3:15-3:45. We also decided to start meeting s a group every day after our scheduled feedback session, so we now also meet every day from 4:00-5:00.  It was during this end of the day session that we get feedback from each on the next day’s lesson plan (LP) and brainstorm ideas, etc. This has been one of the smartest we have made as a group, and has I think, been of a great help to us all.

Thursday and Friday, after our morning lectures we began our “observed” teaching sessions which will form the bulk of our teaching practice. Our tutor (this week it was Annie) sat in the back of the classroom and, well, observes. She takes notes, reads through our lesson plans (which we gave her before class began) and then afterwards, from 3:15-3:45 we have her feedback. The half-hour feedback session focuses on the three students who taught that day. Each student begins with a self-assessment, followed by critiques from each member of the group (we have to observe and take notes on each other) and then Annie provides her input.

Thursday was my first time out and fortunately I went third in line. It went well, I was very nervous, as were we all, but we all did fine. Friday I was off. Christina was the only one of the group who actually taught all three days.

After our feedback session with Annie we met until after 5:00 pm. We are also slated to meet Sunday at 5:00 pm outside Victoria Station to prep for Monday. I lead off Monday and while my lesson plan is in place I could use the feedback before the Monday AM rush. I also hope to find a Kinko’s somewhere in central London where I can do my photocopying and prepping for my class, since the school library is not open on the weekend. The fact that the library is only open from M-F is my only complaint to date about International House.

Our group consists of Kaye, Sophie and Richard, all three from the UK and Christina, a Greek-American and me. We range in ages from late 20s to, well, me I guess, late 50s. We seem to get along well and play nicely together. Each one brings a particular strength to the group which every day becomes more important: Sophie’s hard work and attention to detail, Kaye’s nuclear brainstorming which produces absolutely grand ideas, Richard’s insight and perceptiveness, and Christina’s relaxed demeanor and her previous experience teaching English to Greeks, all produce thoughtful and helpful ideas and directions as to where any one of us may want to go with a plan. I cannot emphasize enough how generous everyone is with their time and with themselves.

Smiles and laughter from a group of trusted comrades (“mates”) after a long day of perhaps just trying to figure out how you’re going to get by the next day are vital to our mental health and emotional well being.  And this is a group for laughing. Kaye, she seems to be laughing constantly but out of a sincere depth of sense of honor at laugh, even when she is feeling anxious – like the day before her first time in front of a class -- she could not help but laugh, make light of her situation and get on with it. Just when I think that Sophie, who seems to well-stand the value of a smile given sincerely as almost a gift, just when you think she must have run out of something to smile about in pops another one! And while Richard is less likely to burst out laughing on the same scale as Kaye, his smile is almost as wide as his face and he is not afraid to use it. And shy Christina; she doesn’t say much but will get a smile on her face, and the smile will grow like a time-lapse photo of a flower opening up and then BAM! she will break out into a great laugh, which becomes really infectious and naturally everyone else joins in.

If you have to work in a group this is a group to be with and certainly the folks you want to be working with under these circumstances.

NB. I did find a Kinko’s open 24/7 on Chancery Lane, just across the street from the Chancery Lane tube station. The good news is there is a 24/7 Kinko’s very near the Green Park station which I use to get to and from school every day and is probably a 10 minute walk from school. I shall plan on using these as needed on weekends since our library is closed. It is also a bit more relaxed and less harried to make copies at Kinko’s than in our library in any event, what with other students rushing about – like me - trying to get their work done before class or before their next scheduled whatever.