Magores Works for a Living

I wrote this post over a week ago, when I thought I was going to have internet that very same day. I didn't get it that day. But, I do now.

So, here we go....

Here is a post that people have actually asked for.

This is what I do...

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...I did mention my job, so I guess that's a good a place to start as any. (Plus, Nealo has asked a couple times for me to describe the situation, so here we go...)

My job...

Techincally, I be a Educashunal Consultent. Reelisklee, dis meens I be teechin' gud Englich skillz to the yoot of Chynr.

Seriously, though... I am an English Teacher. Or, to be even more specific, I am a Foreign Teacher of English. This is kind of a big deal. Even bigger of a deal is the fact that I am a native speaker of English. There seems to be quite a few Foreign Teachers here that are not native English speakers. For whatever reason, I've noticed the German accent/language more than any other so far.

So, what do I do?

Well, it depends on the day.

A couple days a week, I travel to a different district of Beijing and teach at a kindergarten. (District = Neighborhood. I live in the PanJiaYuan area of the ChaoYang District. The kindergarten is in the FengTai District.) Depending on traffic, it is a 30-45 minute cab ride to get there. I teach 6 classes in the morning. Smallest class is 12 kids, largest is 25.

Kindergarten is a little different here, than it is in the US. Basically, kindergarten contains 4 year olds in groups(s) and 5 year olds in another group(s). I teach the younger and the older groups.

How does the class work? Well, I have a really nice assistant, that takes care of most of the details. She is more than an assistant actually. She is a Teacher, who happens to be Chinese, and who happens to speak English. But, because I am the Foreign Teacher, she automatically becomes the assistant. She has been the disciplinarian. So far, she has been the one to decide upon the particular material/vocabulary, and I just reinforce what the kids have learned from her. I use flashcards, toys, singing, dancing and plain old goofiness to make the kids have fun... and learn at the same time. We've done "I like...", "I want...", Starting next week, this changes a bit. I will be deciding on material (within the confines of the books/goals, of course.)

In case you missed it... Yes, in the previous paragraph I did say that I sing, dance, play with toys, and act goofy. I guess that makes me a "prop comic for 5 year olds". (CarrotTop without the carrot and without the top?) But, thats only two days a week.

One day a week, I also work with three 13 year old girls. Their penmanship is excellent. Their grammar skills are almost what you would expect from girls of the same age in the US. As you might expect, their speaking skills need a little work. Same with their vocabulary. Likewise, their reading skill is behind a native English reader. But, thats where I come in. For the most part, I'm working with them on pronunciation and basic (real-life) conversation. Vocab is a bonus.

(On a side note... As a native English speaker, did you ever notice how much you/we "slide" sounds together when speaking? For example, say "I may go to the park tomorrow". Now say, "I'm a park ranger." Ever notice how "I may" and "I'm a" sound pretty much exactly the same in normal speech? Ever notice that some people say "a" for "a" and some people say "uh"? Ever notice how some people change it around all the time? No problem for natives, but for ESL (English as Second Language) students, it can be frustrating.)

I also teach a class to seven 4/5 year olds. Content is equivalent to the kindergarten classes, but with different vocab. And, I have done a couple of "review classes" with another teachers class. She is "foreign", but non-native English. I have done some pronunciation corrections, etc.

Also, I do regular "assessments". Basically, I test random children to assess their English level. I developed a "rubric" that I use when testing the kids. I determine what they know. I assign a score to what they know. I compare what they know to what they should know (vs other ESL students and native speakers), and I summarize my findings.

As a native English speaker, I also get to be "the public face" for parents of potential students. I work at public and private schools, so "Native English Speaking Foriegn Teacher" carries some weight. Do you want a native speaking teacher or one who was ESL themself? As you might imagine, I'm constantly on display.

AND...

Every day, I work with a group of seven toddlers. Age range is 1.5 years to 2 years. I mentioned my roommates previously. These are their students. But, I do my thing every day with them. The staples so far are "Hello", "Bye-Bye", "Happy Happy!", "1-2-3 Go!", "High-Five!" and "Happy Feet!" (Remember the Steve Martin skit?)



So, there you go, after one month....

That's what I do.

I work at playing for living.