Just got back from my first morning at Cert TESOL training. Wow! My head was spinning on the way home, still is, so be prepared for a bit of a giddy ride. The good thing is that writing a journal (PDA I think the acronym is) after each session is part of the coursework, so I’m blessed. I get to do what I like doing (writing about me) and I knock of some coursework at the same time.  The teacher did however emphasise brevity – oh well I’ll try.

 

The teacher is brilliant, friendly, full of energy and has a dry wit (I love it!) . As an icebreaker she asked all 15 of us to stand in the middle of the room and order ourselves alphabetically according to our first names. Maybe she (I can’t remember her name) should have joined in, because the exercise was not only a brilliant way to remember some names, it broke down our sense of personal space as we gostled and jived trying to worked out our relative positions.

 

I get the feeling that the course is to be a lot about this type of thing; practical teaching techniques - teaching practice. I am excited about this, as it is something that challenges me. I think maybe I have issues about telling people what to do, which is a little ironic given that in much of my previous work this was seemingly a primary role (i.e prison officer, lecturer, social worker, probation officer). I do note though that in all those jobs I was in an established position of authority. Maybe I’m just afraid of asking ‘ordinary everyday’ people (with total freedom of choice) to do something; afraid they’ll just won’t do it or think I’m silly or something. 

 

Mostly my head was/is spinning about the 10 minute presentation we were advised we are to give in a couple of weeks time. The suggestion is that we extend the 5 minute presentation we gave at our interviews. If you are wondering why I am spinning then click here Φ .

 

It took a lot of courage to give that (very non-interactive) 5 minute presentation to one person, the thought of giving the same presentation, now involving the participation and interaction of 15 people  for 10 minutes is somewhat daunting, and yet I find myself wanting to do it. 

 

I recognise this moment. When I am committing myself to something that IKNOW:

 

• will cause me discomfort and self-doubt (suffering)
• I will think about between now and then
• will cause me to practise letting go, and TRUST (cessation of suffering)

 

What a GREAT start to a course. To feel challenged from day 1. To have a sense of anticipation of not just learning something new but enjoying that learning process. To be practising the eight-fold path. Yehaaaa, bring it on…

 

x bhavatu sabbe mangalum x

 

 

Tags: suffering, tesol

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