Forging Ahead at Waikato University

Things have been pretty hectic for me recently with my course, the Postgraduate Diploma in Second Language Teaching, getting to the busy end of the first semester and so I have a few assignments to hand in. I am still really enjoying this course because I connect with the material having experience teaching in ESL in Korea already, and I have a passion for teaching and also understanding other cultures. My Three papers: CALL (Computer Aided Language Learning); Curriculum: Materials, Design and Methodology; and Teaching Practice and Observation, are all very interesting to me and I am very engaged in class discussions and group assignments.

On the work front I have also been busy doing a couple of one-off Saturday nights at 'Gails of Tamahere' being a waiter for some weddings. I also got myself some tutoring work helping two 6th form chinese students with their economics and accounting homework and understanding the courses. Tutoring in economics and accounting is something I have been doing since I was 16 due to my deep understanding of these subjects and I really enjoy helping people 'unlock' the material for themselves. Finally I have been accepted as a part-time casual language teacher at the Waikato University language Institute on Monday and Tuesday Afternoons. This is the job I really wanted because it will look great on my CV and is good preparation/experience for when I graduate. I am currently teaching the General English LSP (Listening, Speaking, and Pronounciation) Class and I really enjoy the students who come from all different corners of the globe to little old hamilton to study English.

I also enrolled in Korean School which is every Saturday morning from 9:30am to 12:30pm and this is as one other classmember commented 'the highlight of my week'. Last week we had a drawing competition and went out to lunch and this week we are practicing writing some speeches in Korean. It is great fun for me already having some knowledge of the langauge and culture and the online Google Group we created is great for me to practice using CALL-type activities as a student.

Last Wednesday during Cultural Hour at Waikato University, I presented some great speeches in my 'Civil Rights Oratory' which I had prepared for over two months earlier. It was a success even though it rained and I am happy in some ways to get it behind me to concentrate more on my studies. I feel I have done my small bit for the 'culture' here at Waikat Uni.

Finally, at University I am slowly getting some of my ideas heard such as: getting names put on some of the building blocks that are currently only named by letters; setting up a S.E.A.T. (Student Environmental Action Team) to do activities to help our environment on campus; setting up a University 'college' or 'house' system that students can belong to; asking the University Administration to look into instituting some compulsory core courses at Waikato like at Stanford; and finally I am hoping to set up University clubs for Human Rights and Volunteering to name a few.

So been pretty busy, but I still get time to relax.

Get back to you soon!

Owen McCaffrey