January TESL class

January 2013 in Berkeley

Today I finished my first TESL class of 2013. I teach 3 weekends, 10 hours on Saturday and Sunday. This month's class was in Berkeley. This was the first time I taught a class in this hotel. I didn't like the room they put us in because it was long and narrow like a bowling alley. I like having the desks in a U shape because I want to teach them the advantages of having their class set up that way.

Watching Drew teach from the back.

The people in the hotel were great and treated us nicely.

Sheila teaching Sam table manners.

Like every class this one had it's own personality. We had 2 couples that are planning on teaching in other countries together. We had 2 Koreans, like I often have, that were sisters trying to improve their English. There was a girl that is a nurse in Japan and she is looking to open a small school over there. There were two guys in the class and will graduate soon and want to go to the countries they studies about, China and Russia.

Ken and Liana discussing occupations.

There was a girl from Mexico that will be going back next month and will combine her Art background with teaching English and open a school. One man was in his 50s and wanted to change his career. One woman was changing her career and going to India to see if she could make a difference in people's lives. One man is a chef and his wife is from Peru so they will move there and he will teach English if he can't get work as a chef. Another girl love to dance, especially Salsa, so she wanted to go teach in Brazil. One woman presently works in a college and enjoys that environment so she wants to teach in a college overseas. She wants to go to Taiwan with her partner because, as she says, "Taiwan is more queer friendly".

You can't learn sitting at your desks all the time.

This was a fun class and they got close quickly.  They had fun and that meant I had fun too. I look forward to my next class starting. I have one weekend off and then I start again in San Francisco.