First Days!

My week at work was both challenging and very exciting: I finally began teaching! I'm working with the youngest group of preschoolers, all aged around 2.5 years and all still very attached to their parents and nannies. We've opted to gradually introduce them to preschool by having their parents attend class with them for their first two days. On the third day (this past Friday) they attended class by themselves for the first time. After thirty minutes, we let their parents into the classroom to show them that their parents would always be back for them, they weren't being abandoned. Next week will be more of the same, short classes meant to help them get over the tears and get ready for our regular schedule. I was pretty anxious about teaching my first day... rather than teaching a class, it was more like giving a performance for the kids, their parents, and assorted coworkers. I sang songs, introduced them to Mr. Cow and the letter C, and explained to them the difference between big and small with various big and small objects. Everything has thus far went really well! Even after three days I'm feeling much more comfortable with what I'm doing and how I interact with my students. That said, the challenges of my position are also becoming very obvious. I only have five (Yes! Only five!) students at the moment which means I have plenty of time to attend to their individual needs. But that said, these five students are all at completely different levels. While one understands English well, at least two of my students don't understand it at all and the final two are so shy that even if they understand, I have no way of knowing! Also, I've been so fortunate to have had the support of my coworkers in class this past week. On Friday, as my students cried for their parents, my coworkers were all in the classroom, comforting my students as I began to teach them. In a few weeks the other classes in the preschool will start and I won't have so many people to help me keep them under control. I'm quickly realizing the length of the preschool attention span and wondering how to deal with it. However, I'm fortunate enough to have a wonderful Thai teacher in class with me. She's been working with young children for much longer than I am and will be able to speak to them when they have trouble communicating with me. At any rate, I'm excited to keep working with these children and see them grow throughout the year.