Somehow I did it. I managed to make it through my first day as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher).
The Good:
-I met a lot of students. I played kickball with students. I ran with the students in the morning. I ate lunch with smaller students. I cleaned with students.
-They love saying hello, telling me their ages, and are slowly asking more questions. When they speak to me in Japanese, I tell them I’m not good at Japanese and repeat the question in English before giving an English answer.
-The staff is very nice
The ‘Ehhh’:
– It was my first day teaching EVER so I can’t expect much, but I look forward to more training. I want to be great!
-I hope they don’t think I’m quiet or don’t want to be around the students, I just don’t know yet what I can and can’t do. Next week, I want to spend less time than I did today in the teacher’s room and more time in the hallways. I had the most fun asking what kids were doing, talking about simple things, and even playing kickball with them.
My Personal Hangup:
As usual, where I excel at is sometimes opposite what I feel is expected of me. In front of groups, I don’t do so well (yet), but with smaller handfuls, I tend to shine, which is why I think hallway time will become really important to me.
I think for my first day, I got a better idea of how things work which will help with my confidence. I do go to a different school Mon-Weds than I do Thurs-Fri though. But, hopefully it all works out and I get the hang of this soon.
Hi,
Congratulations on ALT!!
And I’m so glad that I found your blog. I’m currently writing my personal essay for KCP spring extended term (Jan 2017).
I think the reason that I picked KCP might be similar to yours. I’ve graduated college and have been working for 5 years already. KCP lets people apply through affiliated schools which give them financial aid options, and I’m also looking to apply through University of Idaho.
Could you please tell me how long did you wait to hear back from KCP after you submitted your application? And how long was the UI acceptance process? UI told me that I need to apply there AFTER I get accepted to KCP (which makes sense). I’m just wondering, do you think that I have enough time for all these processes? Because after all that, I still need to apply for the Certificate of Eligibility and such.
Sorry for so many questions! Thank you in advance!
Sorry for the delayed response!
I heard back from KCP within a week about acceptance and UI also notified me to start my application with them around the same time. KCP will notify UI and they will reach out to you to let you know to complete the application.
You should try to get everything in as soon as possible, especially since the deadline for the Visa process is probably coming up. I applied in May and while the process for KCP was quick, everything with UIdaho took about a month. A lot of time was spent waiting on word for financial aid for me too.
For the visa, they are going to end up asking for bank statements and there is a form to fill out for the certificate of eligibility. If you send KCP a message or even if you apply first, the staff there are very knowledgeable and will be able to help guide you through the process/let you know your options with the visa questions. That is probably your best bet!
Let me know how it goes/if you have any other questions!