I started helping more in class around my third week at school. My coworkers asked me questions so that the students could hear my point of view and how I pronounce words. Many German students learn British English, so American English is new for them. This made me feel included in the lessons. I wanted to help more and more with each lesson, so once I felt comfortable, I asked if I would be able to teach partial lessons for certain classes. Regardless of whether it was a small vocabulary game or just playing a song, I wanted to make sure I was interacting the best I could with my school to get off on the best foot in my new community.
When I had the chance to teach for the first time by myself, it was the absolute greatest feeling! On the same day, I taught the eighth and tenth grades with no guidance and this made me extremely hopeful for the rest of the year as a teaching assistant. Since it was just me directing the class, I had the chance to interact with my students one-on-one and they also got to see how my teaching style is different from their teacher's. After class, both my students and coworkers gave me extremely positive feedback. With each class that I teach on my own, I get even more excited about what new things I can show my students.
