I received a large package from home today, filled with newspapers and magazines from home. I sat down at my dining table after a long walk and slowly but surely drifted into America. It's very easy to find yourself in another world when reading what counts as menial and banal from another culture.
There was even an article about one of the kids I grew up with who started to grow banana plants in his home and how innovative if not strange an idea this was. Of course, I took one look at the headline and laughed - I have banana trees accidentally growing in my backyard and they're available 365 (er, 366) days a year in any market. People look at bananas as would an American, a potato.
I guess the whole thing just reminded me that novelty is universal and the more isolated a society is, the more that the slightly different stick out. I can't really imagine what people think about (or talk about) my own presence here, because it is SO strange. But seeing what makes news in the States, I know it won't be too hard to make a splash there, too.
My only problem is how to make that splash.
My discipline is slowly getting better. I've found that the most important aspect of discipline is not the actual measures taken but in fact the control it brings to the classroom. And unfortunately, most discipline makes the class even noisier, so I've figured out the timing behind discipline. You have to mete out your punishment quickly and then pick the lesson right back up, even if you have to juggle the two at the same time. If you don't, the students will focus on the punishment and lose focus on the lesson.
I try to envision my role as a puppeteer when I'm a teacher. You really have to manipulate and articulate every student in a sort of dance that has an obvious theme and just make sure every second that the students understand. As a performer relies upon audience reaction to judge the clarity of their performance, a teacher needs constant reinforcement that their train of thought is being more or less followed.
I'm getting the hang of it.
Peace
John
