Not much had changed over the past week or two, until the end of this week.
I had been working pretty hard to try to organize information and plan for the courses I was originally going to be teaching. I tend to be a little OCD organized when it comes to work, so I was basically trying to prep for the entire semester. I knew it was silly, but I figured even if plans change, the information could still be useful. I'm thinking that there can be a way to electronically organize course outlines and info to make it more accessible to future teachers. Above all the practical reasons to plan, I was definitely super energized by the learning process in general. (Glasses are not the only dork feature that I rock) Things were going pretty well, and my course plans were starting to fall into place. I was embracing the ambiguity and really trying to just be as flex as possible. Maybe I'm a little crazy, but the freedom in figuring out how to structure classes and what information would be included, while at times is overwhelming, is also extremely gratifying. It's exciting to sift through the onslaught of information to try to make a cohesive plan.
Anyways, getting closer to now... During the middle of last week, I was told that the courses may change. I might be teaching Technical English. I can roll with the punches (teaching at Heritage was good preparation for that), so I just started to plan one more. This past Friday I got to work and was told that we had a morning meeting at ISECMAR. I had no clue what or where this was. Turns out it is the science and engineering campus in Ribero Joao, outside of the city. We all went to the meeting and it was the first time I realized how large the faculty here is. For the past month it's been myself, Dora (the Director), Eliza, Marina, and Olavo. It was almost shocking. A month in and I still had no clue. Yikes. I didn't understand most of the meeting, but I understood some of the big picture ideas about the university merger.
On Friday afternoon we had another meeting at our campus at 3 o'clock. At this point I was starting to get a little worried. Classes are to start on Monday and none of us have our class assignments or schedule. We all met in the library, and once again there were more people than I had expected. Most of the people I had met, but only briefly, and without a sense of what their role here was. To say I was feeling a little overwhelmed and foolish would probably be a little bit of an understatement. Everything I had planned for was totally wrong or uncertain. I knew this was a possibility, but I was also really disappointed in myself for not knowing the language or my co-workers better after being here for almost a month.
Looking back, I realize that it works both ways. Yes, I've been here a month, but whether that is a long or short period of time is debatable. I don't regret how I've spent my time, and if anything I'm just more motivated to try again to find a language tutor. I can't say all that much to my co-workers yet, but they have been very understanding and friendly. I can't wait for the day that I can shoot the sh*t with them, but I'm trying to be patient at the same time. The only thing I know how to do is to work hard in the meantime. I don't need for my work to be appreciated, but I hope that I can at least convey that I take my responsibilities seriously and I'm invested. I hate to assume anything, but I think most teachers can understand that.
On Friday after the meeting, we found out our class schedules. There are six of us in the department. Three teach at ISECMAR and myself and two others teach at the ISE campus. I am going to teach Oral and Written Comprehension and Technical English for Engineering. The second course I'll teach at the other campus. I'll also be working with the fifth year students to help them write their monographias or thesis papers.
This weekend I took it easy. It's crazy that I've been working pretty non-stop and now that I finally know what I'm teaching, I am stopping to relax a little. Maybe I need to refocus and regroup, I don't know. For now I feel pretty calm and at ease. We went to the beach today with a guest that we are hosting. We were pretty much assaulted by the sand. Regardless, it was sunny and warm so the water was nice. I am pretty sure I'll be rinsing sand out of my hair for a few days.
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