I have finished 5 days of teaching, and the crash course in teaching ESL has left me mentally exhausted. Without the help of my wonderful sister-in-law, I would probably would not have made it through this first week. However, I have learned some crucial lessons from the children already. Number 1: a little squishy ball can be a teacher's best friend. It serves as both a teaching tool and a time killer for all age levels. Who doesn't like to chuck at soccer ball at their classmates with the teacher's permission. Which leads to lesson number 2: boys and girls automatically separate themselves unless you intervene. It makes me chuckle to see young children mold in the roles that they deem appropriate for their sex. For instance, today the boys were romping and wrestling in the dust while the girls proceeded to play an organized game of toss inside. Kat and I are attempting to break the molds with our rusty "football" skills at the stadium tomorrow.
Lesson number 3: stickers are equal to candy in Ghana. It is going to be hard to save the stickers because I want to reward all the children for their attentiveness and efforts. I have been extraordinarily impressed with the bright students I have in my classroom. Across the board, the students are so diligent with their studies and constantly ask for more work and more books. I cannot even imagine what it would be like if these children had daily access to a computer lab and library.
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