Barcelona - TEFL Course
Yes, yes the fun is over. Or maybe not, Barca´s looking beautiful and it´s sunny and 18C today.
We´ve been back to the UK for just over two weeks and stayed with friends and relatives, opened lots of bad news post (not really bad news - just things to do and bills to pay). As a spur of the moment thing, though, we have signed up for a one month TEFL course in Barcelona. That´s where we are now - in the computer Lab at the college to be exact. We seem to be about twice as old as all the other pupils on the course, which surprised me a bit.
I expected to see other late Gappers on the course.
I doubt whether this will be kept up as a daily blog, as we´ve got some work to do, apparently!
We´re back in the UK on the weekend of the 24th March for Esther & Adrian´s wedding in Southampton (Esther is Leigh´s neice) but actually arrive back for real the weekend after. If Spinneybrook´s not let, we will move in there. If it is let, we´ll resume our former Paddy & Max lives, the Mad Nomadic Merrix!
Hi Peops, Rita here! Oh yes, Work to do. This is day one of our course and we are plunged in with some Bright Young Things all in their mid-twenties. We could be their parents! They are all alarmingly confident and extrovert. We had to teach to our fellow-classmates today for approx. 4 minutes ´"teaching" them some skill but we were warned we must not "lecture". Our subject matter was to be our own. Leigh´s subject was how to organise a Pub Quiz and my subject was how to fold a Vietnamese pancake roll. I demonstrated this with a sheet of A4. Mine was singularly unimpressive compared to our "Confident Bright Young Things" all of whom appeared to have a wealth of skills to draw upon. Who cares - we got through it! This evening we have our first session of observing an experienced teacher in a real class for 45 minutes - and then we all whizz off for some TAPAS courtesy of our Tutor.
Our accommodation is just fine. We have one small bedroom and shared bathroom with a great shower. We are in a house of 3 school teachers all in their 30´s. The area though central is really first class and very safe. The house is clean, tidy and well organised and the library opposite us is fantastically modern, large and well equipped. Also there are parks nearby for studying and exercising (if one has a mind to). So, all in all, it is looking very promising but we suspect that it will not be without its seriously challenging moments, i.e. there is a 3 hour Grammar exam in week 4 of the course and if you fail this, then you fail the course! On Wednesday we start our Teaching Practise for real with real Spanish students. Oh, Mon Dieu! Sometimes these things that strike one "as a good idea at the time" maybe a bloody bad idea when one has one´s got their "CAN`·T DO" head on (i.e most of the time!). Oh well, I guess life is for living...(precisely so, so what on earth are we doing here, putting ourselves through it...?)
More tomorrow if not too swamped by HOMEWORK and studying GRAMMAR:
We´ve been back to the UK for just over two weeks and stayed with friends and relatives, opened lots of bad news post (not really bad news - just things to do and bills to pay). As a spur of the moment thing, though, we have signed up for a one month TEFL course in Barcelona. That´s where we are now - in the computer Lab at the college to be exact. We seem to be about twice as old as all the other pupils on the course, which surprised me a bit.
I expected to see other late Gappers on the course.
I doubt whether this will be kept up as a daily blog, as we´ve got some work to do, apparently!
We´re back in the UK on the weekend of the 24th March for Esther & Adrian´s wedding in Southampton (Esther is Leigh´s neice) but actually arrive back for real the weekend after. If Spinneybrook´s not let, we will move in there. If it is let, we´ll resume our former Paddy & Max lives, the Mad Nomadic Merrix!
Hi Peops, Rita here! Oh yes, Work to do. This is day one of our course and we are plunged in with some Bright Young Things all in their mid-twenties. We could be their parents! They are all alarmingly confident and extrovert. We had to teach to our fellow-classmates today for approx. 4 minutes ´"teaching" them some skill but we were warned we must not "lecture". Our subject matter was to be our own. Leigh´s subject was how to organise a Pub Quiz and my subject was how to fold a Vietnamese pancake roll. I demonstrated this with a sheet of A4. Mine was singularly unimpressive compared to our "Confident Bright Young Things" all of whom appeared to have a wealth of skills to draw upon. Who cares - we got through it! This evening we have our first session of observing an experienced teacher in a real class for 45 minutes - and then we all whizz off for some TAPAS courtesy of our Tutor.
Our accommodation is just fine. We have one small bedroom and shared bathroom with a great shower. We are in a house of 3 school teachers all in their 30´s. The area though central is really first class and very safe. The house is clean, tidy and well organised and the library opposite us is fantastically modern, large and well equipped. Also there are parks nearby for studying and exercising (if one has a mind to). So, all in all, it is looking very promising but we suspect that it will not be without its seriously challenging moments, i.e. there is a 3 hour Grammar exam in week 4 of the course and if you fail this, then you fail the course! On Wednesday we start our Teaching Practise for real with real Spanish students. Oh, Mon Dieu! Sometimes these things that strike one "as a good idea at the time" maybe a bloody bad idea when one has one´s got their "CAN`·T DO" head on (i.e most of the time!). Oh well, I guess life is for living...(precisely so, so what on earth are we doing here, putting ourselves through it...?)
More tomorrow if not too swamped by HOMEWORK and studying GRAMMAR:
posted by Leon Trotsky | 4:25 pm
2 Comments:
Leon! Rita! It was good to see you yesterday. Hope you made it back to Barcelona OK. I'm jealous, you know... it's such a lovely city. (You may not know me by this name, by the way, but you'll recognise my profile photo.)
Keep in touch, jc
Johann
Splendid name & splendid photographic depiction.
It was good to see you too.
We're back from Barca now, living a relatively conventional life, but hey, excitement could be just around the corner.
Take care.
Leon & Rita
Post a Comment
<< Home