Where to begin...?

I guess you could say that getting back into the swing of things after Christmas break has been a little rougher than usual.  Even now, I should really be doing some prep for tomorrow's classes.  But it's been so long since I actually blogged that I'm taking advantage of my dinner time (yes, I'm eating at the moment) to sit down and do it!

I'm not sure why these past weeks have been so hectic.  I just feel like a hamster running in its wheel--getting just enough done not to fall down, but never making enough progress to be able to take a rest.  Part of it is due to the fact that I've taken on another job.  That's right, Spain is brushing 26% unemployment and it seems to be because I am super-employed! ;)  Ha!  Kidding.  I feel lucky to be in the position I'm in, even more so with things the way they are at the moment.

As I was saying, I took another job.  This time it's a course offered through the city for business people who need English in their day-to-day work or have more contact with English speakers because of their jobs.  The truth is I was pretty excited about this class, if for no other reason than it's fun to do something different and this certainly is.  My students are obviously all adults for a change, between the ages of 30 and 70.  And I am limited to 25 hours of class time to get them using (ie. speaking) English!

Obviously in 25 hours it's impossible to become fluent in a language, but I do believe you can learn the most important phrases and words to be able to get by in a variety of situations.  That's my goal for the class.  It's a highly practical course, so in class we practice pronunciation, and speaking.  I'm limiting grammar explanations to a minimum, especially since they've put me in a classroom without a chalkboard!

There is a great difference in level and experience with English in the class as well as students from all business sectors: from secretaries, to lawyers and business owners to artists!  I decided that the best way to meet the demand of such very different students was to give them access to self-study methods.  I've created a webpage where they can find all manner of links to different grammar exercises, listening activities, videos or newspapers in English.  And I am also creating a page per "unit" with specific help for the vocabulary we're learning.

This week has been the first week of classes and wouldn't you know Monday I came down with a cold!  Yesterday I canceled my classes to lie low and drink orange juice with honey...  Today I'm feeling better, but I'm still terribly congested and my nose is turning pink from so much blowing!  Needless to say, between prep work and being totally zapped for energy from this cold, blogging hasn't been high on my priority list. ;)

The rest of my classes are going well.  I still go up and down, some days better than others, but I think that's pretty normal.  In general, I feel much better prepared and most importantly, I feel like my students are learning.  I am especially pleased because I can tell that my university classes are helping me improve my teaching style.  It's always good to know you're getting your money's worth, right?

Things at the bar are pretty slow, but that is also very normal in January.  Everyone's blown their money at Christmas and now they're saving for Easter.  With the exception of the odd weekend here or there...we'll have to wait for Palm Sunday to do good business.  This Saturday, however, we're doing another pancake feed.  I'm hoping it will be more successful than last time.  Everyone who came to the last one LOVED the pancakes and I've had more than one person ask when we'll do it again so...  We've got all the goods--maple syrup, etc--and Saturday morning I'll be making about 40 eggs worth of batter!

Life is good.  I can't complain.  But now I'm going to have another glass of OJ and hit the hay.  Planning can wait for tomorrow.