Day 5

January 21, 2022

Today we are actually teaching for the first time. It's supposed to start at 7:15 to make sure we are punctual. Regina is coming at 7:30. There is an air of anticipation in the car, no one really knows what to expect. I have prepared four lessons for four different classes. When we arrive, the school has already started, but it doesn't seem to bother anyone. I am supposed to take over the next English lesson in P6. Unfortunately, that's exactly the lesson I am least confident about, where I have to teach using a different teaching material than the others, and where the teacher intimidates me quite a bit. I have no idea how long this lesson is supposed to last. I start with explanations about different types and shapes of roads. Three students try to participate, while all the others look at me with big eyes and I have no idea if they understand me, the topic, or nothing at all. I accidentally find out that I am supposed to teach for 80 minutes straight. I had prepared for 40 minutes. The teacher is nowhere to be found. So I just continue. What doesn't make the situation any easier is the fact that only I have a book and I have to write everything on the board for the students to copy. Honestly, I can't exactly remember what I did, after this lesson I was so exhausted as if I had already taught for a whole day. Without great expectations, I then went to the next classroom for P4 teaching. Here too, I had prepared a lesson in principle, but had to sustain for 80 minutes. This lesson was a lot of fun, even though they had already had the topic, some of the class benefited from some repetition. I also tried to include some activation exercises to keep them focused. So we also went outside to look for adjectives and "touch" them, played a clapping game with numbers, and observation games in the classroom. From this lesson, I came out similarly exhausted, but much more fulfilled. Ideally, I should have taught English P5 directly afterwards and then continue with another double period after the break. However, the math teacher then told me to only do the double period after lunch.

With this class, the topic was car parts, so I took them outside, gave them post-its with terms that they should stick on. At first, they were quite hesitant, but it got better with time, until they also thawed a bit in the classroom. It is incredibly difficult to assess whether they have seen all of this before, whether it is repetition, who understands what, and so on. After giving an assignment, you ask if they understood, everyone says yes, but no one does anything because no one understood... This applies to all classes, they repeat everything you tell them, but they don't understand it. They write everything down to memorize it, but they don't understand it. These are such entrenched patterns that it seems difficult to try to break them, but I would like to activate them more and especially get a better grip on this P6 lesson.

I then asked Regina who the English teacher was in these classes because I hadn't seen anyone and no one had been in my class. She looked at me surprised and then said, oh yes, there isn't one. That made a lot more sense to me. Actually, I had also prepared lessons for P7, and when I asked where they were, Regina said, oh yes, there isn't one. That made a lot more sense to me. The three students who were so good in P6 were actually supposed to be in P7, but due to Corona and because there were so few of them, they were combined.

By now we actually had a schedule according to which Céline and I should work six hours (plus) a day and Philipp about four hours. By chance, we then realized that three subjects were missing from the schedule. So now the schedule has to be redone and we have no idea how things will continue. But for now, it's the weekend.