First week of teaching!

Here is a typical Tuesday or Thursday for me and Ben.

     We wake up at 6:00 a.m. in a state of complete exhaustion...we're still getting use to waking up this early! We are usually out the door by 6:45 a.m. and catch bus #4 at 6:50 a.m. We then travel together half way and then Ben has to get off and change to a different bus that takes him to his High School. I stay on the #4 bus a few more stops and then get dropped off at the big bus terminal. This is where the "fun" begins! I then have to figure out which bus is going to take me to Ebes, which is about 15 minutes outside of the city. There is only one bus that takes me there and it leaves at 7:35 a.m. However, as I learned this morning the bus does not always clearly say on it where it is actually going to. This is where I get to practice my "awesome" hungarian language skills. 

     I probably look like a lost child searching for their mother when I ask, "Does this bus go to Ebes?" The bus driver either say nem, or igen. If they say igen (yes) then I feel an overwhelming sense of relief as I pay the driver and take my seat. But if he says nem (no) then the search begins all over again. So far the morning bus rides have not resulted in a crisis. (But I'm still worried that one day I'll take the wrong bus and end up in God-who-knows-where-little village, where no one speaks English!) 

     Ben has it a bit easier in the fact that he gets to stay in the safety of Debrecen and will most likely never get lost. He does have a harder schedule than I do on Tuesday's and Thursday's. He works six lessons straight at his High School with no lunch break. Then has an hour break before he has to go teach at a company. 

     My Tuesday/Thursday schedule consists of 4 lessons (but soon I will also be in the nursery after school). My kids range from 2nd-5th grade this semester. The strange thing is that one 5th grade class is more advanced than another 5th grade class. Shouldn't they be the same in theory? Same with my 3rd graders--one class is very advanced the other one struggles a lot more. This makes lesson planning a bit challenging. I am constantly adjusting my plans while teaching to fit the speed of the class I'm with. I also can't do the same lesson for the 5th graders as I do with the 3rd graders. Each grade needs it's own lesson plan. So late at night while I'm trying to fall asleep I start thinking about how to lesson plan! Ben has the same problem, he teaches 9th-10th-11th and 13th grade.  The 13th grade is for adults between High School and College level. 

     The hardest part about teaching is overcoming the language barrier and getting them to listen to me and not talk. I usually start my lesson with a basic introduction of what we're going to do. Then have them work quietly on it or with a partner (sometimes this consists of using their language workbook or having them write down and answer the questions I put on the board). Then after we've done the "hard" part for the day we do a "game." But these games are usually just an extension of what they just learned. Such as having them do an alphabet race game in teams after reviewing it. They love to get out of their seats. The last 5 minutes of class usually consist of either finishing the game or a short "sponge" activity. These "sponge" activities are short ways of occupying time and not letting them get out of control. 

     After all my lessons are completed for the day I head back to the bus stop for home. I usually have to wait between 5 minutes or 40 minutes for the bus---depending on when my last lesson ends for the day. Once I arrive back in Debrecen from Ebes--I sigh with relief. I made it! I successfully got to and from school without being dropped off in some random Hungarian village! 

(I will never take driving a car for granted again!) :)

My classroom.

The computer with my name!