Already two weeks into actually teaching and most of my time has been used on other jobs that have surfaced out of nowhere. Proof reading is a good way to supplement a meagre regular income, but sometimes it is just a pain in the ass.It is not the regular proof reading assignment that I can predict I will receive, or the ones who give me decent deadlines, but it is the I-need-this-proof-read-or-translated-ASAP stuff that really annoys me. Of course for the sake of repeat work I can not decline, after all it is reputation building. I do however hate the assumption others might have that I sit in a little cubicle and process Word documents like some sort of machine, even though that's my process.
Anyhew, one long translation and proof read article later, I am ready to begin teaching grammar. There's something about grammar that evokes a love/hate feeling within me. I hate grammar when it causes trouble for me, but love to explain the solutions to those very problems to others. Near to my heart are all those little exceptions in English grammar that have no clear rules, like irregular nouns. Like how would you know the plural form of "foot" is "feet" without actually being told that it is. I do like that fact that this area of grammar poses the same challenge as vocabulary learning, you simply must apply a learning-by-doing approach it.
Enough about that. After two weeks of nursing a cold (with the exception of the opening beercall and D and I's apartment warming party which really put a dent in my voice, but well worth it) I am finally as of two days ago at 100% operating efficiency. Ready to win hearts and minds and make these become One with the world of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and zero plurals. ( I can just sense my former students sweating at the sound of these black magic words). Brace yourselves!
