A day in the life...

A day in the life of a perfectionistic, novice, 1st year teacher in Taipei... it goes like this...

6:10 am   Alarm blares loudly

6:30 am   Arm reaches out to smash blaring alarm clock one final time

6:40 am   Eyelids blink open and stare wildly at white wall (due to lack of decorations, there's only so much  you can fit in a suitcase)

7:10 am   Bleary eyes try to focus on contents in refrigerator: soymilk, grape juice, eggs, rice, fruit jam, and very old bread that looks like new (I won't touch it because of that, must be poisonous, but it's still in the fridge because the recycling comes in the evenings - when I'm at work usually).

7:40 am  After a breakfast of cornflakes (very western choice), teacher hurridly puts rice into a bowl, takes a spoon, and shoves both into a plastic bag and puts in packpack for lunch later.

8:10 am  Mad dash to school

8:20 am  Run in just as bell rings and go to fridge to somehow lodge food in amongst the hundred other food items spilling out

8:21 am  Trudge up to 3rd floor office next to 3rd floor classroom, where students are happily breaking the no-Chinese-speaking rule

8:22 am  Check work email and catch up on news sent after 8 pm previous night

8:40 am  Check clock and drop jaw - 30 minutes to plan 5 classes

9:10 am (regular schedule, not week of prayer schedule) sigh in defeat - yet again a day of not-so-well-planned lessons

9:11 am  Gather up materials for classes: notebook, binder, textbook or two, laptop, backpack, water bottle, pen, notes, anything for any activities

9:13 am  Feel the way down the stairs since it's hard to see over everything and everyone passing by

9:15 am  Smile at students in first class and retreat to corner to set up laptop

9:16 am Students take over the first 10 minutes of class: class president writes topic on board; vice president starts timer for 6 minutes; secretary takes attendance

9:22 am Class pastor comes up to take prayer requests and write them on board and pray for them

9:25 am Students turn to look at teacher...

9:25 am Teacher turns to look back at students

9:25 am + 30 seconds Panic - memory loss has occurred again - what was today's lesson supposed to be about?

9:25 am  Teacher has an idea for an activity

9:26 am   Teacher attempts to explain activity

9:27 am   Students attempt to understand activity

9:28 am   Students attempt activity

9:30 am   Students decide activity is not working and begin to sleep

- Later -

Repeat 5x: same scenario, different students.
.....

- Later -

5:33 pm  Stumble out of school building amazed it is still light this time
5:33 pm  Stand and debate what to do for supper
5:34 pm  Head towards home to get something near home
5:35 pm  Stand at record long stoplight
5:40 pm  Change mind and head to metro station for supper at another place
5:43 pm  At metro station realise metro card is in other purse
5:44 pm  Head back and decide to follow original plan
5:45 pm  Change direction and head to bookstore to pick up wrapping paper for friend's b-day present
6:15 pm  Head out of bookstore, look around, dazed
6:16 pm  Head back from detour route and continue home
6:26 pm  Head into night market to find supper
6:28 pm  Find that outdoor food vendor does not make vegetarian options
6:29 pm  Continue on dejectedly
6:30 pm  Stumble upon housewares store
6:35 pm  Walk out with a huge glass jar for storing water, and a small cereal bowl, congratulating self on two of the fastest decisions ever made
6:36 pm  Make way back home
6:37 pm  Stop at two other food vendors and find one who can make vegetarian egg-fried rice
6:47 pm  Realise he is not only the diner-recruiter, he is the manager, and chef, and waiter, and the egg-fried rice order is at least 5th in line
6:50 pm  Finally walk away with supper and an angry stomach
6:56 pm  Home at last - sit down and begin blogging...


Ok, so perhaps that is a little exaggerated. I actually do plan my classes a little more, but, honestly, things change faster than I know how to deal with it. Moods change and concentration wanes and focus is lost and my memory loses things like water in a strainer. One thing teachers must learn to do - be flexible and prepared for anything. Working with people will never be a predictable job. And did you know that teachers make thousands of decisions a day? So for a perfectionist, that's super-stressful. So, it's 8:47 pm... time to start planning for another day...