Begin with the end in mind.

Begin with the end in mind.

I remember this phrase was reiterated during training last year. This year as I am again preparing to teach courses I’ve never had before I am reminding myself of the statement’s value. I remember last year during the middle of the semester when it hit me- I have to grade these guys!

How do I grade them?

How do I evaluate their learning?

What have they been learning?

What have I been teaching?

Feel overwhelmed, I did! I still do!!

So, I told myself I’d be different this year! I would begin with the end in mind. I had hoped to know what I would be teaching and a little about my student’s level and interests before I met them on the first day of class. Suffice it to say, that didn’t really happen. So here I am sitting, struggling over what direction to take the courses and what I should do for lessons on Monday. I’m feeling the pressure! 

This semester I am teaching all non-English majors. Some of my students have English levels that allow us to have extended conversations, others I can’t even get to speak to me. They are studying all different majors (ranging from law, finance, and virtual reality to underwater acoustics, mechanical engineering and topics they don’t even know how to say in English). Thus, their interests and motivations for learning English vary also. I had hoped this semester I would have smaller class sizes. 

I honestly don’t know how many students I actually have because the class rosters haven’t been set by the school yet. The school told me the students can kind of choose the section of the class they want to be in (aka shop for their teacher from among all the foreign teachers) within the first few weeks of school, then the school will give me a roster. 

So for now,  I have a list of the names of the people who decided to come to my classes for the first week. We’ll see who chooses to come this week!

I’m not sure if you’ve ever taught a class before or if you’ve ever been given an almost blank slate that includes a textbook with over-expressive British speakers that sound a little too enthusiastic and asked to prepare a class for a large, mixed levels class. If you have, perhaps you can empathize with my present situation. Or perhaps you’ll look at me and wonder what the problem is and why it is Saturday night and I don’t have a plan for class on Monday. For those of you in the later camp, let me try to explain.

It’s not that I’ve been ignoring the need to make these executive teacher decisions. I’ve been thinking about them a lot. Possibly too much! I’ve been watching video clips to choose ones appropriate to use in class and I’ve been working on creating meaningful homework assignments. But, then I pause, sit back and ask myself if it’s actually doable. 

Do I actually have 600 minutes to listen to students’ video or audio files of conversations in the first quarter alone? Not to mention second quarter!

Can I actually expect my students to look up these video clips online and to come prepared to discuss them?

And, how the heck am I going to grade all these students?

I know I shouldn’t get hung up on the fact that I have only 8 weeks with about 120 of my students. The school wants to utilize our foreigner-ness so, for my post-graduate classes I will only teach the students for 8 weeks, then I will teach a new group of students for the remaining 8 weeks. 

Begin with the end in mind.

You know, I think that’s what Papa did. He began with the end in mind. He knew the choices we would make that would break His heart. He knew the costs that lied ahead when He gave us the ability to make decisions. He knew how special it would be when we decided to return to Him.

Begin with the end in mind.

There is a feeling of urgency as I prepare these courses. For the post-graduate course I have only 8 weeks with these students. One week has already passed and the last week will be devoted to their final examination. So, we’re left with only six weeks. 

I want my students to learn in this course.

I want them to grow.

I want them to ask questions, to find answers and to ask more questions.

I want them to be challenged to think critically.

I want them to grow in their confidence.

Most importantly I want them to know Love and Grace.

With only six weeks and about 40 students in each class it doesn’t provide a lot of time for me to have one-on-one conversations to really hear from each of the students. I also feel like there’s not a lot of room for failure or flopped activities.

For example, the homework assignment I’ve designed to be worth 10% of their total class grade necessitates that I assign and explain the assignment this week and each week a group presents their assignment for a grade. I’ve never done an assignment like this, so I’m nervous that if it flops or it happens to challenge them too much there’s not a lot of extra time to regroup and to change direction.

Begin with the end in mind.

How do you begin with the end in mind?

I'll close with a poem I think I'm going to be using as part of my homework assignments this year. Perhaps it speaks more eloquently the thoughts I've just spewed out.

 

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

Robert Frost