Wednesday

On Wednesday I had my final observed teaching session and am now a qualified TEFL teacher! I taught 2 lessons. The beginners – where I carried on the colour shape theme and after a review and a poem about colours and shape we explored primary and secondary colours before moving on to do shape printing (with washing up sponges I had created!)....

The afternoon was the middle children and I taught about the Town/City – using Hereford as an example of a town (OK I know it is strictly a city) using the postcards I had brought with me – I think the director of education at the orphanage has a distorted view of England now after the postcards showed the Castle Green, Church Street, the Black and White house and a view of the cathedral and old bridge over the river (sorry non- Herefordians for the detail!).... Anyway, it was an extra hot hot day and so the children were pretty un-motivated and wanted just to fold and cut paper! Luckily this is what I had in mind – but with an educational element of course! So, after teaching and playing a game involving the bank, the library, the pharmacy, the cafe etc, the children made 3D models of their business of choice. ... this kept them busy for a good 45 minutes and what was a really moving thing was that Goiey – the girl who is often forgotten or not catered for because of her mental health problem, joined in and cut of the template of the building in such a good way that I was able to glue it together for her and she even attempted to decorate it and was engaged in the process for at least 25 minutes – a real rare moment. That was a really satisfying part of the day and nearly made me cry! .... This was of course unlike Lily.... the sight of England on the postcards was obviously all too much for her and after that point she just slept through the lesson...

... You wil be pleased to know it was another day when I have worked all day!