I'm Awesome

You know those days when you feel like you're doing something right? This would be one of those days.

These past couple of days have been a bit strange, and I haven't really been getting enough sleep for the past two weeks...or rather, I've been getting too much. Or, really, a combination of the two. You would think that this would reach a contented equilibrium somewhere in the middle there, but no. It does not. As I prepared to walk home after work, I caught sight of my reflection in the hall mirror and noticed just how run-down I looked. Pretty.

Nevertheless, yes, today was good overall. I had prepared my own lesson for both 1a and 2a, both about Ezra Jack Keats's children's book, The Snowy Day. I created the flashcards from scratch, along with the activity that the children were to work on after I read aloud the story. Honestly, it was a bit rocky with 1a; the class as a whole was unruly, and our special needs student was a bit troublesome as well. Already feeling tired and off-balance before the class, I was looking forward to my two-hour break thereafter. Still, the kids who really like me in 1a were trying to set a good example for the rest of the class, and they did rather enjoy the "treat" of me reading a story to them. Though we didn't get to the activity part, we shall continue with the theme next week.

There is a few minutes during my break that I rather look forward to, and that is talking with Susanne...or, rather, listening to her rant about the students. Susanne is one of my favorite people at the Grundschule Klein Hehlen, simply because she's spirited and, as there is simply no other adjective to describe her, peppery. Today, her rant consisted of the students of 4c, and, through her Czech accent, I notice the aggravation and, yes, concern for these students; they're not the best we have, behavior- and smarts-wise (with a few exceptions), and it drives her batty to have to be hard on them...since it's pretty much the only way to deal with the lot.

The students of 2a were their usual wonderful selves. They were very excited to see me and know that I was going to read them a story. They were very impressed that I had drawn everything from scratch, and Lila in particular had to tell me that I drew very, very well. Many had thought that I had just made copies from a website. (And, yes, that is the sound of my ego inflating.) Dylan was also his usual helpful self, as he is always proud to show off his English skills (as did Emily, who pointed out that her father spoke to her only in English).

My favorites of the day:

Me: (pointing to a flashcard) "What is this again?"
Dylan: "Why, that's a stick! And" (getting up and pointing to the others) "that's a snowsuit, and those are snow angels, and that's a snowball!"

And:

Me: (playing the game 'What's Missing?') "Well, what's missing? Was fehlt?"
Dylan: "Why, the snowsuit is missing, of course!"

Adorable German kidlets make me happy. It also helped that everyone wanted to color the pictures of their mini-books just like I did my flashcards. Oh, Kinder.

Surprisingly, 4c also went well. As I had previously done with 4a Tuesday, I read aloud the story, Winnie the Witch, with great success. I think they're finally warming up to me, or perhaps my narrative performance. It also helped that they understood the story very well...or, at least the "smart" kids who actually volunteered to translate (Susanne's words, not mine). The story itself is very comical, and I must remember to purchase a copy online...

After work, Frau Doehrmann and I had a very nice chat in her office about why I've been so tired, my improved living arrangements, and how things are going with me at the school. And, one of the best parts? 90% of the conversation was in German. As in, not-awkward German. Though this may be a small step, I'm quite proud of myself.

In fact, looking back on everything, I'm very proud of myself. Who would have thought that someone like me would be doing something like this? And be happy? This has gotten me thinking about future plans when I return Stateside. Perhaps an advanced degree in TESOL is the way to go. From my work experience from summer 2008 onward, it just seems...natural. I'm still aimless as to what I'm go to do when I'm out in the Real World (a term a detest), but I know that I have to teach in some form. TESOL, history, literature... I just need to decide.

And I think that my tenure as a Fulbright E.T.A. is helping me with this decision. Thank goodness.

Edit: Oh, I almost forgot! Special thanks to Charlsie for sending me awesome teaching supplies! I've always wanted to try out those foam animal things. Sweet!