How to Prepare for the Worst
No matter where you are, things are going to go wrong. Murphy’s Law, and all that. A foreign country can throw some things at you that you’ve never experienced before, and you never want to find yourself unprepared. So here’s a short list of things I do to make sure I’m ready for class—no matter what comes at me.
Your lesson is gold. Protect it. It might seem excessive, but I like to put my PowerPoint on two different USBs, so I know I have my precious PPT no matter what. Some computers can be picky, and once or twice it’s happened that one USB wouldn’t work, while the other did. And if you happen to forget your USB at home or in another classroom, there’s no need to sweat because you have a backup. Also, saving your PPT in two different formats, for example, 2017 and 2013, has saved me multiple times. Some computers haven’t been updated in years, and they must just not open your fancy 2017 format.
A couple of words can make a whole lesson.Take a picture of your vocabulary words. After completing each of my PowerPoints, I would take a picture of my vocabulary word slide and save it on my phone. Then, in case the USBs didn’t work, the power went out, or some other strange anomaly happened, at least I had my vocabulary words as a guide for my lesson. Since these were also new or unfamiliar words, I was prepared to show students these words in another way, such in Tip Number 3.
Get creative with technology. If there’s something you need to show your students, maybe a chart or diagram, and for some reason, your machines aren’t working, don’t forget other technology. Pull out your phone and send the picture/document to them in your class WeChat group. Your students will love the excuse to check WeChat anyway.
Text away!If your PowerPoint isn’t working, just write the main parts of your lesson on the board. But, if your classroom doesn’t have a chalkboard (I taught in a chalkboard-less classroom for three years, as unbelievable as that sounds), don’t be afraid to use your phone. After giving an assignment or discussion topic verbally, just send a quick text of what you said in your group chat for them to look at more carefully. Never underestimate how valuable it is to see directions in writing, instead of just hearing it verbally. Just be careful to use this sparingly throughout your unusual lesson. It tends to break focus, and you don’t want to look like the teacher who scrolls through Instagram during class.
Always keep a game up your sleeve.There have been a couple of times when the power went out, we went through the lesson too fast, or the dean popped her head in and told me my hour-and-a-half class would today be two hours. In situations like that, you can whip out a review game, or even a game just for fun to fill the time.
I hope these ideas help you be prepared for unexpected situations while teaching overseas! If you’re teaching in North America or Europe, you might not have your power go out during class all that often, but if you’re teaching ESL in a second or third world country, it’s always best to be prepared.