I Don't Speak Czech

Flier for our English courses.
Morning sessions for children and evening sessions for adults.   I could tell you what this flier says,
but I don't speak Czech.

My beginner students.
The board in the background is a chalk board.  Remember those?  The other class had a smart board, luckies!  

English teacher and helpers.
You can't tell by photo how much I love these folks.

I love blogging and writing.  I haven't posted in a long time, because all my creative energy and all my time has been used up these past two weeks.  I used up the time on people, so it wasn't a waste of time.

I taught for a week in Jablonne, Czech Republic.  It was amazing.  It was grueling.  It was amazing.  I'm only repeating myself for emphasis, and because I am still delirious from jet lag.


It was an opportunity that I did not take for granted.  In the morning I taught three sessions of English for beginners.  The challenge for me with them was the language barrier, and that I am not used to classroom management for such small people.  It is hard to manage 7 energetic students when you can not talk to them.  I did have a helper, and she, I think, was mostly teaching the class.  I really just sat in the corner and watched (okay, no I didn't, but Simka was a life-saver).

I also went class to class to talk and sing to the other sections of English.  Then, we would eat, go home for 2 hours, or to the lake or for a run, and then back to school.  In the evening we taught 2 sessions of adults.  Two of those evenings we had presentations and music provided by me.  I had never ever taught anything to adults, and it turns out to be FUN!!!!

I felt on display in this small town all week.  I am not that person, though I am putting it out there by blogging, I get that.  If you are reading this, you probably won't make me a cake, or take my photo, or ask me about the economy, geography of the United States or for some music.  By the end of the week, the hours of teaching and conversation had used me up.  It used me up in a good way, just in time to get on a train, get to Prague to get to an airplane and sit with my squirrelly kids for 11 hours in the air and watch 3 bad movies.  Boy was I beat.

I'm back.  The kids are in school.  My mind is clearing from the fog.  I am nearly happily un-busy.  I am reluctantly unpacking.