Week 1 of Real Classes, Thank God You're Done.

Well hello internets world.  Nice to see you again.

I made it through my first 4 days of REAL teaching, by real, I mean introductory teaching.  This week has been better than the last, I have finally got a schedule, I picked up my visa AND I got a BIKE!  Wahoo, apparently I am going just nutso!

Working at 3 different schools has proven confusing already, especially because there are special restrictions that are put up by the government (that I may only work 13 hours a week), and because ALL the teachers want me, so my schedule is basically that I work with 2 different teachers for certain hours (so every other week), but sometimes I have a set hour to work a certain class (like 8a) with but rotate through 4 different teachers (so I see the kids once a month and work with 8a, 8b, 8c, and 8r), and some are rotating teachers not on the same day but also once a month, and some are just every 14 days (so go into class 7B on Mondays every 14 days, and go into 5C every 14 days).  So. Confusing.

Anyway, so I guess I just need to sit down and REALLY figure it out so that I can get my 13 hours in a week without having to worry about over exceeding my schedule or under-planning.  I already have 3 lessons to plan on my own for next week about U.S. university system, Blacks in America and San Francisco.  It should be good fun to plan, but that's just it, that it will take some actual planning, so I cannot sit around on my bumbum all weekend like last weekend and do nothing :)

Speaking of the weekend, my weekend starts NOW!  I have no classes on Fridays (which means that I work LOADS during the regular week), so needless to say I am very happy to be doing something other than hanging out with 14-18 year olds.  Can I JUST say that being a teacher is MUCH MUCH MUCH harder than it looks, the planning involved, the lessons to actually get students to talk and learn...man, depending on class to class there are many activities that work and don't work, and remembering which one is which is the hardest part!  I really enjoy working with classes that don't look at you as if you are old or just their authority figure, but really want to learn from you.  Not all classes work like this, and since I am at three schools, I am less of a figure to look up to, and more of a guest lecturer.  Thanks, Austrian government, for putting us in a very odd position.  I really would've loved to have been at a single school or even two, just because I think it is wonderful being able to see the same kids and getting to know your colleagues.  It is hard to make long-lasting connections if you are constantly running around, forgetting everyone's names despite how hard you are trying to learn them.  Oh well, I guess I get to forget my troubles for a moment since I am going to go meet my rents in Wien (Vienna) this weekend!  I am really looking forward to getting out of Salzburg already, and can only hope that the 1 day break will re-invigorate my my love for the city :)

Anyway, I guess everything is going just dandy for now.  I'm feeling a lot better about things this week than last week, especially since some things have been working out.  That gives me hope again that I will be okay, and that I am meant to be here to do something.

PS. Funniest teaching story ever...one of my students on Wednesday at the all-girls, private catholic school asked me about my interests and if I liked to read the Twilight series.  I, of course, said that I loved the series and that it was a guilty pleasure of mine, and that I thought it was a little crazy to love vampires but did nevertheless.  Another student raised her hand, and in all seriousness, asked me, "I don't understand zis book, I mean, how does she get a baby?  How can wampires can get erections if they are dead?" First of all, I didn't think that you could talk about this in school, secondly, it was a catholic girls school and she was saying this in front of the whole class AND teacher (who just stared and had a puzzled look on her face as well), thirdly, v = w and w= v in the german to english translation.  I tried SO hard not to die laughing, and just said that I didn't understand either because in the human mechanism you need to have blood to go..well, down there, to make this happen.  I made sure to say that it's a good thing that vampires are not real, otherwise we would be ultimately baffled forever.  I don't know why I would understand the vampire-erection conundrum any better than anyone else just because I am American, hah, but you know what, I did my darndest.  Ask the Twilight author, I'm sure she would know better than I would.

Anyway, more stories to come...hope y'all are well!