Teaching Demonstration

My first teaching demonstration was yesterday. After the demonstration, I spoke with the school's president for a debriefing. Here are the takeaway points from both: 
 
I have an energetic, clear, well-enunciated speaking voice. This was a major selling point and a good thing to have in the "well-done" category. Because speaking style is more a characteristic than behavior, modifying it would be much more painstaking. Cool.

Speed, idioms, and phrasal verbs. Before the lesson, I consciously reminded myself to speak slowly and avoid idiomatic expressions. Easy enough, right? Not exactly. Public speaking slow and ESL slow are different. ESL slow for a newcomer like myself seems patronizing and uncomfortably slow. And idioms and phrasal verbs pepper the English language. For example, look at the second sentence in this post: "Here are the takeaway points." For my English audience, the intent is clear : the synopsis of my demonstration. However, it's actually a sports term describing a backswing in golf or change of possession in other sports and we just make the connection. In a practical sense, asking,  "Class, what is the answer?" rather than, "Class, what did you come up with?" elicits a response instead of blank stares. 

This is a biggie: my awful whiteboard writing. I hadn't thought about this prior to the demonstration but should have. I have awful handwriting and that translates to awful whiteboard writing. Markedly, it's not precise, and usually that is fine. However, these little kids are like sponges. When they see semi-cursive, mashed letters or a mid-word capital letter, they get confused and wonder why they get yelled at for doing what Teacher Tim just did.

Overall, I left the school with a sense of accomplishment. I have one demonstration under my belt and know what needs to be improved upon. I am up against five other teachers who are interviewing and demoing throughout the week. I will get an e-mail after the school has made a decision. While I'm waiting, I'll continue job hunting.

First Interview

Wooohoo! My first job interview went well. I learned what to expect in future interviews, gained some insight into the expatriate network here, and most importantly, received an offer for a teaching demonstration.

NB: victory, not D-bag

In sum, it was pretty relaxed. I met the school's local recruiter at a Starbucks - in the Kaohsiung Cultural Center. Yep, Cultural Center. Oolong tea cost more than my usual lunch. Ok, anyhow, me: dress pants, shirt and tie. Him: cargo shorts, polo, bowling ball in camouflage. The interview was more a conversation. I talked about why I was in Kaohsiung and interested in teaching, my experience with kids, and my comfort-level presenting in front of groups.

In the process, I learned more about the expats and English teaching scene. There's a lot of camaraderie amongst the foreigners here - we come and go so exchange housing, mopeds, and furniture. It is definitely insular but inviting - I will take up the offer to go bowling on Mondays, but only after I lock down a job.

 When the interview ended I got an offer to teach a demonstration. It felt nice. I hitched a ride on the back of my interviewer's scooter and went to the school. I looked at the books, peeked in some classrooms, and met a few of the teachers. It seems like a cool place to work and I'm excited to demo tomorrow.