November 7, 2009

Thursday, 12 November 2009 16:01

I have two months of teaching under my belt.  It’s time to take a breath and look back at what’s happened.

I’ve felt like Dorothy in Oz¬—there’s so much new information, so many opportunities in Prague and things to learn, and every day there is something interesting I’d like to do or attend—so it’s been almost impossible to keep any perspective.  I prepare lesson plans for the next day’s classes, and that’s about as much foresight as I’ve been capable of.  A current pulls me along.  Normally I would feel uncomfortable about such a feeling because I like to know I’m in control of my life, but here, in Prague, I have to admit there’s a lot beyond my control.  Still, the current keeps taking me into better and better things, so I don’t see any reason to fight it.

I actually enjoy teaching.  At first I was in too much shock to really appreciate it, but in the last week or two it’s beginning to dawn on me just how cool of a job I have.  My students basically want to talk, and my only job is to help them say what they want to say.  I have a wide variety of classes, from one-to-ones to small groups and even a few children’s classes, and I can honestly say I like all of my students.  It’s a very different feeling to work with students who you like as opposed to co-workers in an office.  In an office, it feels forced, even if you like your co-workers.  When my students come to a lesson, they leave behind all the stress of their jobs for a time and give their minds something else to think about.  I try to make the lessons as interesting and as entertaining as possible, and I think my students appreciate it.  I have a sense that while my students are in my lessons, they are on break from their job and all of the hassle.  I’m learning that effective lessons can and should be fun.  And because we have fun, my students seem to think of me as a friend.  Even though I’m getting paid to fulfill a specific task, and we are meeting in their offices, somehow it feels instead like I’m visiting with friends in a pub.  I’ve even met teachers who meet their students in pubs—for lessons!  They’re getting paid to go to a pub!—but I haven’t done that yet.

I know I still have a lot to learn about teaching.  To be honest, in the first two months I felt all I could expect of myself was to keep my head above water.  Now I’m starting to spend time researching methods and better ways to do things, and it makes me feel good because I know how to go about becoming a better teacher.  My school has plenty of resources, and the TEFL course prepared me to be able to use those resources.  It’s a personality trait of mine that I really don’t like to do something unless I can do it well, and the reason I didn’t stick with teaching when I first tried it years ago was because I knew I wasn’t good and I had no idea how to become good.  The TEFL course and my school entirely changed how I feel about teaching.

And Prague!  I’ve lived in this town for four months now, and I’m still falling deeper in love with it.  I expected the honeymoon to last about a month or two max.  But there’s so much to love about this town.  I’m still amazed at how beautiful it is.  Travelling between classes, I’ll catch sight of something and just think, Wow.  How did I ever end up here?  It’s also incredibly easy to meet people here.  I’ve already found a ton of great friends—so much that it’s hard to keep in touch with all of them.  Expats living in Prague are always willing to meet new people.  Part of it must be that the type of person who comes here is open to new experiences and new people.  Another part of it is probably that we are all far away from what we know, and there’s a certain loneliness about living in a foreign country, so we all reach out to find some familiarity in people.  And I’ve found some truly wonderful, interesting people here in Prague.

One thing I have to work on is meeting Czechs.  A lot of expats plan to leave after awhile, so they don’t seem to mind if they only hang out with other expats, but I have no plan to leave.  Except it’s kinda hard to make friends with people if you can’t talk to them.  My school offers free Czech lessons to teachers, and I started two weeks ago.  It’s a tough language but I intend to learn it.  I know it’ll open a whole new dimension of Prague to me once I can speak to the natives.  My goal at this point is only to get enough broken Czech that I can hold a conversation in a bar.  From there I can build and improve, but my goal for now is only to communicate.

In the meantime, there’s plenty to do even if you only speak English.  Last night I went to see the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which is my favorite play.  I couldn’t believe it when I heard it would play in Prague.  It was great.  How many years could I have spent in an American city without ever getting the chance to see it?  I had other friends who were going to a concert.  It’s really surprising how much there is to do here even if you only speak English.  I guess that’s why so many expats never bother to learn Czech.  I’ve just always wanted to learn languages, so for me it feels more like an opportunity than a chore¬¬—once I learn enough to communicate, even if it’s broken and awful, I’ll be able to walk up to just about anyone on the street and practice my Czech for free!

Michael Matejka

 
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