The Teaching Gods Are Smiling!

Last week, we did not teach on Monday. Classes started on Tuesday. As a result, I didn't see my Monday class (Class 01) last week. So today, after lunch, I show up for the class and things are proceeding well with my Week 1 Lesson Plan (What You Need for Oral English Class, Name Cards, etc).

At some point well into the class, I notice two students lurking outside my door and awkwardly trying to get my attention, so I go out to ask what they want. They seem to be trying to tell me something about teaching their class now. But I am teaching Class 01 now! So I tell them I don't understand and they should ask one of the Chinese English teachers to come and explain to me. And they depart, never to be seen again (at least during this class!).

I continue my Week 1 lesson, name cards are successfully created and all is well, I think! And I'm planning to head back to my apartment because (as far as I know) this is my only class for the day. But wait! Suddenly, the "scheduling gentleman" appears at the classroom door with a new schedule in hand! And according to the new schedule, I should have been teaching Class 04 during this period. (But let me point out that no other teacher showed up to teach Class 01 while I was there. So I don't know what they would have been doing.) And further, according to the new schedule, I will be teaching Class 02 DURING THE NEXT PERIOD! And I have already taught my Week 1 lesson plan to Class 02! YIKES.

So I have to teach Class 02 my Week 2 Lesson Plan on the spur of the moment (the other option is just to "throw the class away" by doing games but I really don't want to do that). This is where the teaching gods were smiling on me. Fortunately, I had already planned Week 2 and amazingly had already transferred my Week 2 power point onto my USB. I didn't have my Class 02 folder but I realized that I still had on my clipboard the list of names that I had written down last week. The only things really missing were (1) the lesson plan set out in the order I wanted to do things (but fortunately I had written a draft of it and could remember most of it) and (2) the hand-out for Week 2 (which was on my USB but not photocopied yet). So I was able to punt (thinking of my painting at home: Ladies Who Punt!) and no one was the wiser! I will give them the hand-out next week. PHEW. A close call.

I like my new schedule better. I have two classes everyday, and most are consecutive periods, either in the morning or the afternoon. And I have only one "early" class (starting at 9 a.m.!). And two mornings completely free so I don't have to set my alarm clock! And it's a good time to Skype with my children.