Day 12 & 13 - the end in sight and techno-glitches

The pressure has been lifted slightly in that my lesson for Friday was moved to next week and we are knocking off earlier each day to have more time for assignments. Have two more assignment hand ins and then two more lessons and then my continual assessments are done - yeeha! Can't wait till Wednesday next week :) I will then be one happy bunny - or at least hopefully :P

Been observing quite a few experienced teachers as part of our assignment work. Cool to see how it is done and note some tricks of the trade. Going to still feel a little nervous going into the real world after this and having to make my own way but the grounding we've been given will hopefully come to the fore. I have a potential job with a language school in Oxford teaching English and biology at Lady Margaret Hall. As long as I pass the course!

Briefly met up with my good friend Warren yesterday and he introduced me to video clips of "Killer Karaoke" - made me laugh so much - good stress relief. Have a look here :)

Glad I got in early this morning as had trouble with the speakers for the MP3 player I needed for my listening lesson today. At one point the plug of one got stuck in the socket and I was trying to lever it out with a knife - health and safety rules broken and I'm lucky I didn't electrocute myself in hindsight.

The coastline was hidden on the bus ride home this evening as sea mist was engulfing the mountains and sea. Met an interesting lady from Kenya on the Myciti Bus who came from Kericho where my Mum lived when she was a child. Apparently the tea estates there now supply The Queen and the sheikhs of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Interesting.

OK to work!

Day 7 - the countdown begins

Well today feels like it should be Thursday and getting to the final tutorial required numerous cups of coffee (admittedly Ricoffy but yes caffeine!) Worked late on my grammar lesson last night. I improved on my eliciting but had to include parts of speech more. I now have to observe one of my learners and see what he struggles with, which aspect of learning i.e. visual/auditory/kinesthetic is his strength and find out about him and see where he might have difficulties. I then have to set him exercises on key problem areas to help. Eeeeek! When I'm not teaching and watching him I will be observing qualified teachers from tomorrow so it is all go.

Next week is going to be hectic but I am looking forward to the following Tuesday when I have my last teaching prac and will have handed in all my assignments. Not too far away but possibly a week from hell in between with hopefully enough sleep to survive on.

Will be going with my cousin to the beach on Friday night though to watch fire throwers. Anyone in Cape Town that I haven't seen or would like to see me again is welcome to join us. Let me know if you are keen.

Have met some cool international students from a university in Sweden on the bus. They are French, Belgian, American and Brazilian and we have chatted twice now on the way to Sea Point. They are here on internship to look at social entrepreneurial projects in the high density areas for sustainable development. One is a musician and his father who is a carpenter learnt how to make marimbas from scratch in America. Discussed with the Brazilian the difficulty in explaining the difference in pronunciation between ship and sheep.

OK need to finish tomorrow's assignment.

Day 5 - TGIF, survived week 1 of CELTA

View from our classroom in Sea Point

Well last night I was burning the midnight oil again as had to give a lesson on grammar today. I explained too much this morning and needed to elicit more and hold back on making it too complicated. Have an assignment to work on this weekend on language form, contextual use, phonemes and pronunciation and structure. Tonight though I'm going to chill and get an early night as I'm knackered. Glad I'm not the only one, everyone was rather weary when we finished class at 5. We had welcome drinks on the deck of the school. I then jumped on the Myciti bus back to Hout Bay.

I love going the coastal route each day, passing Llandudno and Camps Bay and seeing the Twelve Apostles side of Table Mountain. Hope to have a chance to hop off the bus one evening when I don't have too much work and dip my feet in the sea. It was quite hot again today.

Thankfully the fires are calming down but there are still helicopters flying over regularly with water buckets. We luckily have been safe thus far.

Going to visit Christchurch Kennilworth on Sunday. Otherwise mostly taking a bit of a break in between my assignment and lesson prep for my next teaching prac on Tuesday. So glad tomorrow is Saturday and I don't have to get up quite so early.

Have a Libyan student in my class and when I told him I was from Zimbabwe he really didn't believe me as he thought there were only black people there. His face made me laugh as he looked on in complete disbelief. My other Congolese student continues to wear a large Halloween witch's hat to class.

Camps Bay route