On the First Day

Yesterday marked the first day of teaching for me. It went just about as I expected e.g. it didn't go as expected. But it wasn't bad either. Allow me to explain.

7:25am: My alarm goes off. It's game time. I go over lesson plans in the shower (and that's not a double entendre). I was told there will be two classes today: one of third years and one of fourth years, both from the School of Specific Education. I ponder what exactly students in this school study.

8:50am: Carl and I arrive at the Center, prepped and ready for our first class (set to begin at 9). Too bad the center wasn't even open. Great start.

9:05am: There are about 10 students who have shown up. Carl and I remain downstairs, not sure what room the classes will be in or what exactly we should be doing. We decide to go upstairs to the room where the students are.

9:10am: We learn that the fourth year students have not arrived yet. (The original plan was for all the students to arrive at one time. I would take the 3rd years for a one-hour conversation class, while Carl would take the 4th years for a one-hour writing class. We would then switch). Considering this, we decide the best option is to co-teach the class. Of course, we have not reviewed each other's lesson plans, so we laugh, shrug, and begin class.

9:15am: Class begins (right on Arab time, I might add). Carl and I introduce ourselves, talking about where we live, where we went to school, what we studied, etc. The 9 students in the class (8 girls, 1 guy) seem to be understanding fairly well.

9:20am: We then ask the students to go around and say their names. I immediately only remember a couple of them, compounded by the fact that I'm still unfamiliar with non-Western names. Names are followed by a writing exercise in which the students write a paragraph about themselves and then read it to the class. At this point, two other professors have joined the class to watch/learn for themselves.

9:35am: Continuing with the introduction theme, we then ask the students to work with a partner to find out certain information (where they are from, family, hobbies, etc.). They are instructed that they will then introduce their partner to the class. As it turns out, the students had no idea what they were supposed to be doing (not their fault--I probably wasn't speaking slowly enough). After I went from group to group, though, they picked up on the message. Carl worked with the lone guy in the class. Hopefully another bro will join so he can practice with another student.

9:45am: Quick review session of common mistakes. Everyone sort of let out that "Oh duh!" noise when I brought up some of the errors. This was encouraging, as they immediately recognized their mistakes.

9:55am: Carl assigns homework since we won't see the class again for two weeks (thanks, Fulbright trip to Siwa Oasis). We did the whole, "Now what is the homework?" question to see if they really understood. They did. Check and mate.

10:05am: Class dismissed. Maybe a little early, but it's only the first day (technically it's the last day of the third week of the semester, but who's counting?).

10:10am: We learn that the fourth years will not be coming today but on Tuesday, insha'allah (God willing). Naturally.

10:15am: Carl and I figure out that we might be co-teachers instead of each taking a class. We sit down at the desks confused, as there was previously this overarching question of who would teach conversation and who would teach writing. Regardless, I'm glad I made it through the first day.

10:15-12:00pm: Chillin' like villains at the Center until we decide we can go.

So, the first day was fairly uneventful with only a couple small bumps in the road. We learned more students would likely be joining the classes (pushing numbers to around the 20-25 range). And maybe we might co-teach. Or maybe not.

We'll find out soon enough. Insha'allah.