Notes on life

I know I wouldn’t be reading for my thesis so diligently if it weren’t for the truly wonderful and fun teaching opportunities I’ve been blessed with in the past couple of weeks.

Firstly, teaching the German-Greek kids every day is going incredibly well. They are a very lively and spirited bunch. There’s never a dull moment in that first grade! They require constant attention- and believe me, when I say constant I mean constant. Oh the stories I could tell you about the mischief they get up to if you turn your back for a split-second. Makes you wish you had eyes at the back of your head. Like a cameleon. But these kids are also adoringly sweet and charming and I love this job so, so, so much.

Secondly, every Thursday I’m so incredibly lucky to spend half a day at an international, bilingual private school in the city to do research for my thesis. I’m writing about drama education and about how the implementation of drama techniques in ESL teaching could help enhance the students’ oral skills etc. The drama teacher I’m working with is absolutely lovely- she’s an acquaintance of the professor who’ll be examining my thesis. That’s how I got in touch with the her and the headmaster of the private school in the first place. She teaches me so much, she supplies me with all the information and material I need, she includes me in everything she does.. and for the next couple of Thursdays I’ll even be teaching her three drama classes (two first grades, one second grade). The piece I’m rehearsing with the first graders at the moment we’ll present at Friday morning assembly at some point before summer break. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to bits. Thrilled. This is more- way more- than I have ever hoped to get out of this experience.

I truly am high on teaching at the moment, and I love that my thesis will revolve around what I’m doing at the private school. I have a thousand words and thoughts bubbling and brewing in my head already. These last weeks of university seem to drag on and on and on, but these teaching opportunites make my days infinitely brighter and happier. Sometimes it seems crazy how happy teaching makes me.

Oh, and that private school is absolutely the kind of school where I’d love to work one day. Seriously.

11 pm:  Since I will have to get up really early for class, I decide it’s time to get ready to go to bed. I need my sleep. I took a short nap in the afternoon, but some more sleep can’t hurt considering I’m still fighting this cold.

Midnight: Off to bed.

00:30 am: I’m not sleeping yet. I turn from side to side, I open the window to let in some more air.. not the faintest sign of falling asleep anytime soon. Still, I decide to keep trying to fall asleep.. That, as we all know, makes falling asleep infinitely more complicated.

01:00 am: I’m getting more awake by the minute. I wonder which time zone my internal clock is set on tonight. Since I’ve been thinking about tomorrow’s German lesson all the time, I decide to get up to change minor things about my lesson plan. Maybe I’d fall asleep easier afterwards.

02:00 am: I’ve flickred and scrabbled for a bit. I’ve edited my lesson plan and I have prepared two more worksheets for the kids, just in case we speed through the lesson tomorrow- which is unlikely, but for some reason I felt like I needed to prepare something else. Damn my perfectionist streak. I decide to try that sleep thing again.

02:30 am: Luzie to self: You’re not asleep yet. Self: I know. Neither are you. Luzie: Seriously though. It’s time to sleep. It’ll be morning too soon. Self: I know! And this is something we should talk about right now. Do you think it’s even sensible to fall asleep right now and then get up 3 1/2 hours later? Luzie: Are you kidding me?? I’m really tired. Self: Are you really? If you were, wouldn’t you be asleep by now? Luzie: I am tired. Self: Then why do you keep talking to me? Luzie: I don’t know. I’m tired. Self: Well, tired or not, I think you should stay awake now. You’ll feel worse once your alarm goes off at 6. Luzie: Whatever. I’ll try to fall asleep now. *Luzie contemplates the issue*. *Self grins. Self knows Luzie will relent eventually.*

03:00 am: Yes, I relent after thinking this over and over and over for a while. There really does not seem to be a point in trying to fall asleep only to get up few hours later. I might as well get up, make myself a steamy cup of tea and read a couple of pages for my thesis. It’ll be six o’clock soon.

03:30 am: Done blogging. Reading textbooks now. Good morning, Luzie.

04:00 am: Skyping with Cory.

04:45 am: While talking my way through the night, I notice that it’s beginning to get bright outside.

05:15 am: I’m wide awake, it’s morning. I’m so wide awake you would think I’ve slept for twelve hours straight. Should be interesting to see how long that lasts.

One thing I have most certainly mastered ever since I started college is the art of surviving nasty colds without having to slow down too much. While I’m all for the healthy option of slowing down and getting some rest to bounce back quickly, sometimes this just isn’t possible.

Right now is such a time. Busy as I am- and I’m still crazily busy, maybe even busier than a couple of posts ago- I can’t stay home sick. Hence, in order to stick to my slightly insane but really fun weekly schedule of class, work, teaching and reading/research, I’ve fully relied on homoeopathic remedies, paracetamol and killer sinus decongestants for the past couple of days.

I’m not feeling 100% again yet, but the cold is most definitely getting less annoying, and I really hope I can speed up a little again soon. Because as crazy as it sounds, I totally thrive on a busy schedule.

According to an English-Greek online dictionary, δάσκαλος is the Greek word for teacher.

It all happened pretty fast: I got the job offer on Wednesday, had the interview on Friday and signed my contract on Monday. Today then was my first official day as a substitute δάσκαλος at the German-Greek European School in the city. For the next couple of weeks I’ll be teaching a bunch of really adorable first graders their weekly seven hours of German.

As I left the building today I walked past the music classroom. The door was open and I saw kids dancing the συρτάκι (sirtaki).

I’m loving this job already.