Great day today!

It was the official first day of classes. Everyone gathered in one room for announcements and to recognize the new arrivals. I've been told that we effectively doubled our program size from last semester -- there are about forty new students enrolled for Spring Term 2011. This puts a bit of strain on teachers (who have to assess students individually and then fit them into the levels appropriate to their language proficiency), but it also means that the program is getting noticed and (we hope) receiving positive endorsements from former students.

My first class was RW (Reading/Writing). I am teaching a Level 2 class, which means that the students have some ability to read/write contextualized texts and essays, but may not be ready to move into full-blown research paper writing. Many students placed into Level 2. We had about twenty-two overall, which means that the class will likely split into two sections. I will teach one section of 11 students and my mentor teacher will teach the other. I have a good feeling about the RW class. Aside from a few exceptions, they seem to be engaged and eager to learn. I hope I'm able to sustain that momentum over the remaining eight full weeks of classtime. My mentor teacher and I will teach individual sections of the same class, but we will essentially use the same materials. I hope to be able to develop my own take on the books, lessons and activities slated for this level. (Putting that stuff together is how I imagine I will be spending much of this weekend after the move-in.)

My CS (Communication Skills) class is tougher to get a bead on. It's big, too (about twenty students) and will likely split into two sections. We pretty much just did an icebreaking activity this morning: students drew the outline of a t-shirt onto sheets of colored paper and were then instructed to write certain things about themselves on the sleeves, hem and neck. We then divided the students into two groups and had them go around, introducing themselves via their drawings. It was a cool activity, and one that I might modify and use in future classes. Most of the students seem eager to speak; I have found that the Arabic men are quite often verbose and tend to dominate the conversation, whereas students from China or Korea tend to be more reserved unless addressed directly. I am going to have to find a way to keep a balance between those students who want to talk often and those who don't.

After class everyone hiked over to the Methodist church on campus for a 'Welcome to the Program' party. INTERLINK catered Chinese food from a local place and we sat around in groups talking about the semester and playing word-centric games. The thing I really like about INTERLINK is that they are so student-focused. I know that sounds obvious, but the level of attention and care about each individual student demonstrated by the faculty and staff of INTERLINK is far and above anything that I have witnessed at any other language institution. Instructors are genuinely invested in their students; they seem to want to do everything they can to help their classes succeed. That doesn't mean that students can simply skate by on good intentions -- I even found myself being more firm than usual with a few students who must have thought they could take advantage of me because I am new. I figure that it's a good idea to set those parameters now, rather than wait until the end of the term when they're used to having things a certain way. That's what I was taught in graduate school: establish authority early because you can always loosen up later -- it's almost impossible to do the reverse.

All the instructors went back to the office after the party to finish up planning for tomorrow. I put together syllabi for both of my classes, got all of my payroll information in order, and helped my mentor teacher grade some in-class writing diagnostics. I am in good spirits and really think that this job is a terrific fit for me. I look forward to going in every morning. I don't know many people who can say that about their jobs.

Also, FYI: Tonight I put my backpack on the passenger seat of my car when I was driving home. It set off the FASTEN SEATBELT alarm. My backpack weighs as much as a small child. Yeesh.