Spread thin

My office

When you read the title to this posting you think "spread thin" will have something about me doing so many things. I do many things. I work 5 days a week traveling to high schools in Northern California talking to students about jobs and careers. I also train recruiters on how to work with high schools. I have other things I do in work that take up time. I have been working for 2 or 3 hours this evening, a Saturday, so I don't fall behind on my job. I also teach on Weekends for Saturday and Sunday for 10 hours. For that job I have tasks to do during the week for preparation and after it is finished. I also do secret shopping which takes about 5 - 10 hours a week. I like to stay busy.

I like leaving the fog bank

Even though I juggle many different jobs it isn't difficult and it is more fun than not having enough to do. I enjoy all my jobs and I am finally able to make enough money to support myself and pay child support. The problem with being spread thin is I care too much. Is love finite? Is it possible to love so much that it slowly goes away? I'm not sure, but I know when I really care about something and then it goes away it is hard to regenerate that caring for the next time. Every teacher knows the feeling that comes over them at the end of the school year when they see the students they have helped develop over 9 months leave. It is like the "empty-nest syndrome".

Food trucks

For parents that happens once in a lifetime for each child. The child leaves then the parents deal with it and they still keep in contact with the child so that helps dampen the feelings. Classroom teachers go through this problem once a year. They have the 30 students they have cared for and nurtured for nine months leave at once. The kids they have loved like a parent leave, and often they never see the kids again. They might keep in contact through the years, but most of the time not. They do that every year, and then have 2 or 3 months to recover and prepare for the next class of 30 students that they will get close to.

Change of command ceremony

I have recently realize one of my problems is I go through that emotional high and low, when the class starts and when the students leave, every month. I really care about my students. I put my heart into my class and try to help all my students in ways they need. I truly care deeply for most of my students (I would say all, but I will be honest here). My weekend class only meets 6 days, but I concentrate on making them a close group and most of them share the same dreams that it often gets to be emotional on the last day. Even though we only spend 60 hours, in 6 days, I am usually able to build a close relationship with all the students.

I feel this should be my motto

I have had over 45 classes on the weekend. I have had over 400 students. It would be hard to keep in touch with them all. I probably have kept in contact with about 10 or 20. I feel a small part of me has left with each of my students. I know that sounds melodramatic, but I start to realize that is really true. I get very involved in each of their lives, I guide them how to improve their teaching skills. I help my students decide where they will go overseas and introduce them to people either in that country or that has been there in the past. I listen to their fears and give them advice in where and when to go overseas to teach ESL.

Ship bone yard near San Francisco

I teach a group of 15 - 20 students for 3 weekends then have one weekend off and start again the next month. I like teaching this class. I think I am very helpful to my students and most of them appreciate it. Recently I have realized that little pieces of me have been disappearing. It gets harder for me to bounce back. It gets harder for me to recover and not worry about the last class before starting the next class. I am not sure if love is finite, or as I get older my love takes longer to rejuvenate. I need to learn not to care so much. I need to learn from my youngest daughter to be able to let go and move on when something goes wrong. I am too emotional and too caring.

Why study Literature?

California corn fields

If you were a college student in another country and wanted to study English you would find very few schools that offered English Language. Most schools offer the major of English Language and Literature. When I was in Korea I often wondered why the English teachers couldn't speak English, then I found out they didn't study English Language in college, they studied literature. I guess in the U.S. we study English Literature, but that is because we already speak English. People in another country learn to analyze Tolstoy and Shakespeare, but they don't learn to understand Shultz and Sachar. They learn to write a dissertation on classics, but they can't understand children.

I know many people that can write English, but can't speak it. The teachers in other countries don't teach how to speak English, just how to read or write it. It gets worse when you find out that college students study books that were written centuries ago, but they can't understand books that are written recently. Think about reading and understanding Tale of Two Cities, but not being able to read and understand 50 Shades of Gray. I think the best way to learn English is to read children chapter books. It helps improve vocabulary, helps understand culture, and helps gain confidence that it is possible to read a book and just enjoy it without analyzing it.

 Icon of American small cities

Laugh to Learn

Having fun in class!

Teaching is an "art". There are many different ways to teach someone to do things. In my ESL certification class we discuss about different methods of teaching ESL. We discuss "grammar-translation", "Audio-lingualism", PPP (presentation, practice, and production), communicative language teaching, and task-based learning. Those are different ways that have been developed over the years, from the 1700s to now, that have been used to teach ESL. In my class we discuss these methods and how their strengths and weaknesses. Even though new methods have been developed the old methods still work.

Working with partners outside.

I often attribute the changes in methods to someone getting their Doctorate degree and coming up with a different idea. Using a combination of all the methods adds variety to the class and is important. When I teach I bring a lot of my personal experiences to my class. I have been teaching for over 20 years and I know what has worked for me and what hasn't. During my class I try to give words of wisdom about different ways of teaching. One of the most important things I try to instill on my students is that students don't learn as much if they are too serious. I tell my students that when they teach they have to find ways their students have fun. I always say you have to laugh to learn.

Playing games while learning.

I taught in Korea for seven years. I talked to many of my students in Korea about their high school days. I always wondered why so many (100% of the students I met) high school students went to "hagwons" which are tutoring centers that are open after school hours. I was told the normal class was very boring. All the students stay in the same classroom and the teachers come to them. There are usually 50 students in each class. The teacher comes in the room and all students stand up and bow to the teacher and the teacher bows back. Then the teacher turns to the board and starts writing things on the board and talks consistently towards the board until the time is over and when it is time to leave the teacher turns around and the students stand up and they bow to each other and the teacher leaves.

Students have to speak in a conversation class.

When I talk to Korean students I ask them "when" they slept in during high school not "if" they slept during high school. After the students go to class from 8 - 4 and have classes that way most students go to a hagwon. At the hagwon the classes are small, about 15 - 20 and the teachers teach math, language arts, science, and English. Many students will be at the hagwon until midnight then walk home and do 2 - 3 hours of homework for school then sleep for a few hours and then go to school. On the weekend many have tutors or another hagwon. They are given one test for each subject at the end of the semester and that determines their grade. It is very a very ineffective education system. Students have no fun!

Using crayons to learn colors.

Much of my class is spent on different games that can be played to teach. I ask my students to remember the when they were in school and spent many hours studying for exams and how much of that did they retain. I don't know about others, but I usually quickly forgot what I had studied for so long. I think if you have stress when you learn it is short term memory not long term. I also believe the opposite is true, when you have fun learning something then you improve the long term memory. When I teach I want my students to have fun and acquire the knowledge rather than learn it. Start with the activity that we want them to learn and then go backwards and teach what they need to do that activity.

All of my classes spend much time playing games.

If I want to find a way to get people to speak I can have them play "go fish". They have to learn the numbers, how to ask for something, how to say they have it or don't, and how to "trash talk". Students want to learn how to do this so they can "win" the game. As the teacher I don't care if THEY win, all I know is I also win since I got them to do what I wanted. If I want to teach then how to use past tense then they have to learn that before they can play a game like Clue. If I want them to learn to use prepositions I use my favorite lesson which I have on YouTube.

 

August Oxford Seminars class in San Francisco

I have been teaching for Oxford Seminars for over 5 years. I just finished my 45th class and it was my second largest with 19 students. It always surprises me that there is much diversity in my students.

Heather teaching about measurements

This class was fairly equal in men and women with 9 men and 10 women. There were people in their 50s, 40s, 30, and 20s (I have had students as young as 17 and as old as 73.).

Mark teaching American pasttimes

Some of my students were still in college and one was a HR specialist in one of the best companies in America. Two students were from other countries.

Sonia teaching salsa

Sonia is an au pare in the US right now and teaches English to kindergarteners in Columbia.

Sarah teaching grammar

Sarah is in the US studying at a language school and will go back to Japan to work in business. Masaki grew up in the US and plans on going to Japan to teach. I thought it was strange the one person that grew up in the US used their Japanese name (his English name is Tony) and the other person who grew up in Japan used her American name.

Masaki teaching grammar

Sunny teaching grammar

One of the students had just gotten her dream job and decided she needed to do something fun while she was still young. Two of the students were from the Mid-West, Iowa and Kansas, and plan on going to Korea together.

David showing how to use music to teach

Trust me!

One girl commuted from 2.5 hour drive and one guy was a 2.5 minute walk. One student was in school to get her MA. One man was in the States as a break from working in China and will go back to China. Another man is back in the States after working in Europe and will go back to teach.

Park teaching

Jason teaching conversational skills

Two students were into martial arts and wanted to study while they were teaching. One going to Japan and one going to Brazil. One of the students has been studying Chinese so he wanted to go to China to perfect his language skills.

Casey teaching how to control robots

Ari teaching American culture

One woman had taught in India and wanted to go back. One woman  has family in Guatemala and planned on going to stay with them while she taught. Jacqi had a great way to spell her name and Sam was the class clown.
Everyone has their own reason to spend 3 consecutive weekends and over $1000 to get the certification, but this class was wonderful. It is one of those classes I will never forget!!

Two foreigners and the class clown

Pete teaching about democracy

After the last class I usually just drive home. This was only the third class to ask me to come with them for a drink after the last class. I wanted to stay with this class as long as I could. I am sure my class next month will be wonderful, but I don't know if it will be as memorable.

Sarah and sucker

Mark and sucker

Alice and sucker

Sunny and sucker

Jacqi and hoody

David pondering

Sonia paying attention

Jason dozing

Sarah wishing for break

Monthly doldroms

19 students this month

I teach a certification class every month for people that want to teach English as a Second Language in other countries.I teach 3 weekends a month, get one weekend off, and then start the next month. I really enjoy teaching this class and know I am helping  them improve  their lives. Even though this class is only 6 days the students get very close and it becomes a family. I have had people cry at the end of the class because they had become a close knit group. I teach them how to build a team and show them a few techniques on how to do it. As I am demonstrating this approach the students are binding into a solid group.

Kimberly walking around like a zombie

I try not to become part of this "family" because they need a leader and someone to help mold them. They have this experience once, and I have it once a month. Every class asks me if they were my favorite, just like children do, and of course I tell each class that they are my favorite. I have a few classes that are very memorable and many that I don't really remember (I have taught over 35 classes). What no one knows is the drive home from every class is very difficult for me. I feel a void because I go from having people that are important to me suddenly disappear and just an empty space. I know they are better for the experience and will always remember the class, but live moves on and people are off and doing things.

Jacqi marching to a different drummer

I don't move on. I sometimes keep in contact with my old students, but most of them I don't know what happens after my class. This is the day after my August class is over and I feel in the doldrums. I feel like I was just separated from my family and I hope they will all be good with their futures. I know that void will soon be filled by another class of students and I know I will miss this class for a long time. I will write specifics about the class later.

Sonia was teaching how to do the Salsa

When I realized this feeling was coming over me I was reminded of how I felt when my three daughters would come for the weekend and then leave to go back to their mother's house. I felt like there was a void in my life. It was filled then it was empty. I didn't expect that feeling to happen with my classes, but it does. Classroom teachers have that feeling once a year at the end of the school year, I have it once a month.

Mark having a sucker

Recruit Suit

Sarah had no recruit suit

I have a woman in my class this month that is very interesting. Her parents are Korean but she was raised in Japan. She's Korean Japanese. She looks Korean, but speaks and dresses like Japanese. She is very smart and after a little shyness opens up and becomes everyone's friend. The first day of class I asked all my students to dress "like a teacher" for their final lesson. I ask guys to wear ties and women to dress nicely (I never tell a woman how to dress). At that time this girl was very nervous and didn't really understand what I meant. She had thought I wanted her to dress like she was having an interview. She meekly raised her hand and said she didn't have nice clothes because she was here temporarily while going to language school. I said that was fine and it was only a recommendation. The next class she was dressed nicely and I asked why she said she didn't have nice clothes to wear when she was teaching (the previous classes she had worn jeans). She looked at me with a puzzled expression. I didn't push the point. At today's class she also dressed very nicely. I asked her about it again.

Sam in his recruit suit

She told me she thought I wanted her to wear a "Recruit Suit". I told her I didn't understand what that meant. She said it again, and it sounded funny when she said it (say it rolling the R). I told her that wasn't English, it might be Japlish (Japanese English). She was shocked to hear that. She searched the internet until she found a picture of a "recruit suit". It was a woman's suit. I told her we call it a suit. Matching jacket and skirt or pants in a nice material is the picture she showed me. I wondered what a "recruit suit" was. She said people bought one when they were looking for a job. I asked what the difference was between a recruit suit and a regular suit.

Alice only had a dress no recruit suit

She said a regular suit that women wear to a job is black and a recruit suit can be any color. I asked what they did with the recruit suit after they got the job. She said she didn't know because she was never successful in finding a job. I looked at her and made the suggestion that maybe her recruit suit was not working and she should get another one. I could see her mind working. I asked again what people do with a recruit suit after they get a job. She said her friends have either given theirs away or put it in their closet until they look for another job. It is fun to find out about traditions in other countries.

Table decorations

My daughter's school has a tradition that the seniors decorate some of the tables in the "senior steps". My other daughters have done this over the years and usually the tables are very colorful and decorative. The tables this year are very colorful and decorative, they celebrate June 6, 2014 and have everyone's name on the tables and benches. There is one table that is different. There is one table with pictures of all the people that decorated it. Great imagination!

This is the first time I have seen a table covered by pictures taken throughout the high school years of a variety of close friends. It was fun to see the pictures. Of course as a father I didn't like the swimsuit picture of my daughter on the table. I did like the pictures of her prom and winter ball. I liked the pictures of her during Battle of the Classes competition over the years. I liked the pictures of her going out to dine with her friends over the years. Seeing the table made me very happy, I will go back to the table the whole year when I visit the school