Afterward, I sat back and thought – this is going to happen again, isn’t it? I spent a dark, dark night planning those 15 lessons, the internet became my savior. I like to make lists, tick off lists, you get the picture – LISTS are my particular way of life!
I color code my spreadsheets, I plan most things a month in advance and I don’t even find thrillers surprising. Who is this disorganized nincompoop? I bet they gave her loads of notice and she just forgot.īut let me tell you, I am not a nincompoop. You might think – sure, that would never happen to me. The 15 weeks’ worth of lesson plans weren’t due by the end of the month – they were due the very next day. To say I almost had a heart attack is the understatement of the century. Just you know, to add to the overwhelming feeling of nausea. I was also told the principal would attend these classes. And then to plan 15 of those lessons….all at the same time. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to fill up two hours with fun activities for bored fourteen-year-olds… but it’s hard enough when they speak your language, let alone when you will be miming 90% of the time.
During my second week in South Korea, (a newly-minted teacher with lots of stickers and enthusiasm) I was asked to plan not one, not two, but fifteen weeks worth of two-hour after school classes (that quickly put a stopper on my enthusiasm, and it quickly turned to blind panic. There are days when churning out another TEFL lesson plan is going to feel like an impossible feat. Maybe you’ve got more lesson ideas than you know what to do with, I was like you once… young, eager, the power of my TEFL notes clouding my vision. You’ve got some lesson ideas under your belt. So you think you can TEFL? And it’s true, you’ve got the certificate, you’re fully qualified and all set to teach English abroad or even teach English online.