Diary entry

Just got back from the trip to Shymkent, will update on that particular trip sometime this weekend when the insanity that is my weekly schedule dies down.

Things have been getting more and more exciting with each passing day – with each passing week and hour of work I put in, I feel more integrated in with the staff and I see definite progress with everything that’s going to happen.

The week before I left, I worked feverishly with a group of students to put the finishing touches on an English newspaper to submit to the dean for approval – I’ll be meeting with the rector this Wednesday and hear the final verdict as to whether the University will support such a newspaper and be willing to pay for all of the printing involved in each of the monthly issues. Exciting news number 1.

Exciting news number 2? I’ve been given my own group.

Over the past two semesters, I’ve been doing what’s essentially called “supplemental teaching” – meaning that I teach 1-2 hours a week for a number of different groups, focusing only on specific things like listening and oral practice. However, a 3rd year teacher, Julia, left the faculty this past semester to return back to her hometown of Pavlodar. Generally, in cases like these the group is divvied up and split up into the remaining teacher’s groups. However, this development comes at an inconvenient time because the groups are getting too large as it is and is rather difficult to manage.

Given that I’m here, I volunteered to take the group under my wing and to make them my own group, teaching them all parts of the textbook, as opposed to just the listening and speaking sections. I’m confident I’m capable of it, but the only problem is that it’s going to take a lot more time on my part, and in a way, it’s at the expense of the other groups because I no longer will be able to teach those groups due to scheduling issues.

This week in particular will be hell on earth for me, as I have to juggle these new groups, finish up with my old groups, continue to teach the 2nd year students, having a rector’s meeting on Wednesday to discuss the journalism class, and lastly, substituting for Olyessa, a French and English teacher who is meeting with the French Attache (diplomat) this week.

As a continual example of how fast news travels in my particular university, I was getting text messages on my telephone from students protesting my decision to take the single group within 15-20 minutes of the decision being made.

It’s always a struggle, because it’s one of those things where everyone wants you to help, but there’s only one of you – and you can’t sav-

*8:37 PM: In the middle of writing this particular entry, Jay receives a phone call from the local English teacher’s association*

Hmm. Looks like I have a meeting on Sunday now.