I love my job! :-)

This has been a busy week, but ultimately, a rewarding week. It's an unusual year in the sense of the teaching load that I have - I have to work it out, but I'm sure that I teach around 250-280 students (at least), mainly due to having 15 seminars (14 of whom I see every fortnight). That, combined with 3 younger classes in Pasteurova, offers me a lot of variety, and I therefore meet students of varying levels of English. Of course, in all of the classes the standards are split into higher and lower making it 'easier' to use the material I work with, but there are always challenges - how to keep the stronger students engaged & motivated (and not dozing off to sleep!), and how to inspire and encourage the ones for whom English doesn't come so naturally...or those who have chosen it as the 'easier option', because they can't hack Maths or Physics (for example)...

On top of that, I also run the English Club...well, I say, 'I' run it...but the truth is that lately, I'm learning & trying to let the students run it more...and it seems to be working ;-) This week we began to look at Motivation - and I have to say that it's an excellent choice for a topic! I did a short presentation on the topic, looking at different types of motivation...showed a short video clip...then got 4 'guinea pigs' to volunteer for an 'experiment'...all of which is improvised! They spoke about what they needed motivation with...and then I asked everyone else to get alongside them & to begin to find out more about the person, and what type of motivation might work for them...the homework being, that next week, they have to come back & propose something concrete for their 'client' - very much an interactive topic, not just theory. 

After the English Club, my wife & I went to listen to an ex-student, Klara Hekelova and her friend, Franta, speak about their 2 months of mission work in Brazil - and a fascinating experience it was too - another side of life altogether.

Oh yes, and just before the English Club, I finally had to confront my colleagues in the kabinet & inform them that they have been saying 'comfortable & vegetable' wrong for all these years...and they took it well :-)!! 

The point to these 'ramblings' is... I LOVE MY JOB! :-) Hard to believe that at 53 years of age, and with all the different jobs that I have done in the past, THIS is the BEST! And a LOT of credit has to go to the students...because without their support & love of English...well...it would be a lot harder ;-)