Classes in Bar Bulak

June 27, 2013

I taught my first classes here in Bar Bulak yesterday. I used the same introductory lesson that I had planned for my first classes in Toguz Bulak. It worked really well in the first two classes, although it was rather over the heads of my third group.

As in Toguz Bulak I am teaching three groups, although the set-up here has little else in common with the set-up in Toguz Bulak. The classes in Toguz Bulak were organized by age, and the students were selected based on their English ability. Here, I am not entirely sure how the classes were chosen. The first two groups each range in age from 8 to 21, and the students range in skill from low beginner to high beginner.

The third group consists of students ages 7 to 11, all of whom at least know the alphabet (to varying degrees), and who range in skill from flat beginner to low beginner. (For some reason, a 21 year old had initially been assigned to Group 3, even though she is 21 and a high beginner – at the end of our classes I asked her if it would be possible for her to come to one of the other classes instead, and she willingly agreed.)

Classes went well, although like I said, my lesson was too difficult for Group 3, even dumbed-down as much as I could on the spur of the moment. I will be able to use the same lessons that I used for my groups 2 and 3 in Toguz Bulak for my groups 1 and 2 here in Bar Bulak, but I will need to prepare completely new material for Group 3.

One thing that I really like is that my three groups meet back to back, at 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00. This means that I am finished by noon, giving me a lot more free time. (Not that there’s a whole lot to do in Bar Bulak, but I do love free time!)