A teacher is one who makes himself
progressively unnecessary…
Thomas CarruthersAs you've read earlier, I am now preparing to become a volunteer English teacher in Chile. I am leaving January 5th and could not be more excited! In order to prepare, I have to become TEFL certified (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). About a week ago, I began my certification courses and have been struggling with the student mindset since. It must sound ridiculous being that I only graduated in May, but to go from "hahaha everyone else is in school and has to study" to "hey wanna meet up and study together" was definitely a change that I was not excited about. Fortunately, I have quite a few friends who are still in college or studying for other things in their life that enjoy meeting up at Panera, Starbucks, or other various locations. Unfortunately, Simi Valley is not well equipped for students who do not posses the ability to study in their home. When I lived in San Diego, I was very content to walk to the nearest coffee shop which was outfitted with several comfy chairs and plenty of plugs for my computer. I'm now on a search to find out where students go for a quiet study session due to the fact that Panera and Starbucks are on constant chatter mode. And why shouldn't they be? People go there to have lunch too!
As I go through my courses for my certification, I am doing my best to absorb the information in order to return it in essay form at the end of each module. For those of you who don't know me well, essays are not my favorite. I wouldn't say that I am bad at them, I just really don't enjoy them. Thankfully, so far, the essays I have been writing are mostly about my ideas and thoughts about how I will be teaching certain topics or concepts. NO RESEARCH NECESSARY!! It's fantastic not having to quote at least 10 sources for each essay like I did in college. =D
What is my status now, you ask? Well I leave in exactly 57 days, I am 15% finished with my certification, and I'm thankful I don't need any shots/immunizations. My struggles at this point: being patient as my essays are graded so I can move to the next module and figuring out how on earth I'm going to pack!!
i was looking for a "like" button. hehe
ReplyDeletethat top quote feels like something dad would say!
ReplyDeleteHAHA I totally agree! You can mark it as "interesting" or "cool". Also, feel free to repost it on FB if you think your friends might enjoy reading about my trip and all too. <3
ReplyDeleteWe will be reading your postings and keep you in our prayers. How exciting to live and work in Chile. We love it there. It is much different from America though. Where are you going?
ReplyDeleteBob and Sandy Rice
Nice blog! I like your writing way. I'm doing practice GRE here: masteryourgre.com . I hope it's useful for GRE test takers.
ReplyDeleteBob & Sandy: I am so thankful for your prayers! I've never been and heard nothing but praise from those who have. I will begin with orientation in Santiago, but will be teaching in a region in Patagonia. They have not yet told me exactly where, but when I know I will definitely post it for everyone. I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts on Chile and your experience there.
ReplyDeleteGMAT: Thank you very much. I will definitely look at that website.