An F for First Day

Today I had my first official English class.  I wont lie: I felt like a bit of a hack.

A few weeks ago, I was called by Berlitz for an interview.  They said they weren't expecting to recruit (I'd actually already received a "Thank you for you CV, but..." reply from them earlier) but they had some spots they needed to fill, fast.  Lucky me! (No sarcasm implied).

After 2 interviews, I was invited to their 8-day training session to learn the "Berlitz Method."  Oy vey, is it involved.  Given, a lot is teaching-English common sense and familiar to anyone having gone through either an education or TEFL/TESOL course: there's still your PPP (Presentation, Practice, Performance) and your TTT (teacher talking time), your listening/speaking/reading/writing activities, and your Role Plays and Skits.  Then there's the actual method.  I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill you.  Well, maybe not, but I did sign a confidentiality contract.

During the 64 hours of training, me and 6 other teachers-in-training had many opportunities to practice with and for each other, the different methods.  We also had two separate mock-classes on which we were more formally evaluated.  There was also just a half-day devoted to understanding the myriad of paperwork that goes into each class and student.

Admittedly, I may have had a sip of the Kool-Aid.  Berlitz seems pretty cool.  The company is certainly well organized and as a product, it makes big promises.  I'm hoping for my own opportunity to take some Berlitz classes.  I would love to see if the method works for me and my slow-going German (while also hoping to take notes from other teachers).

Most importantly, I'm also very grateful to now have a paying job.  Although the pay is not spectacular, it's also average for Berlin. And, after my performance today, I don't necessarily fault them for it.

Today was my first class, the first of the next 20, I'll have with this small group of women.  I certainly committed a couple of the teaching sins: I managed to neither get any whiteboard markers or check that I had a CD player in my room before class started.  Smart Katie, really smart.  And as much as I tried to stick to the formula we went over (and over and over and over...) in training, I don't know if I really succeeded.  I know that I didn't really feel successful.  But more than anything, I think I just felt nervous.

At the end of each of our demos during training, we were first asked how we would evaluate our own performance.  I wouldn't give myself very high marks for todays performance.  I don't know how I would really change it, other than simply being more prepared and less nervous (a "duh" statement, I'm aware).  In the end, I know what most of it comes down to is that I'm learning as much about teaching (and teaching at Berlitz) as my students are English.  I might even argue that I'm learning more.

Phew.  And this was just the first class.