Teaching on the Wilder Side

Well life in Ulan Baatar has been good. Its warming up now, which means I've had this strange sensation of sweating in the past 2 weeks. I usually cant see my breath and each day results in comfortable strolls outdoors. With less than two months left in Mongolia, I'm really looking forward to this summer. I've been par-oozing the markets for riding gear, and am breaking in a pair of old German army looking riding boots now. All in all things are good, but the longing for the ride cant wait much longer. I'm so very close to a dream that has been 3 years in the making. To come so close now and to fail, would be an epic failure. To not try now, well, that simply cant happen.

As for teaching, its been a good experience. I'm teaching far more upper level courses now which makes for more enjoyable conversation that discussing family members, asking 200 times a day directions to things I already know their location, or asking "Whats your occupation?". That's the basis of a fundamental or level 1/2 English class. Once you get into advanced conversation, you can really learn and connect with the culture. Whether its been asking about Kazakh Marriage traditions, contemporary politics of Mongolia, to do before I die list homework, or other randomness we talk about, teaching is rarely dull. (Then again, any job I have that doesnt involve me wearing a giant mouse costume or flipping burgers, is fun) Been there... Done that.

Anyway I was playing "the adjective game" in which my classes are required to act out an adjective from a long list, then one comes in from the hall to try guessing the adjective based on the actors. This was attempted in by far my worst class, I say worst because its full of students who should be in a lower level and who for the most part are forced to be in there by their parents. I've tried everything known to education to get them involved, or slightly interested in the class. Even talking would be welcome. Nothing had worked until yesterday. The adjective our group chose was "dangerous". When the class for the most part wasn't acting "dangerous" I decided to do something the other foreign teachers had joked about doing. I opened a large window, and hopped onto the ledge outside the building and walked over to another class room, peaked in, and walked back, then climbed back through the window. My 16 and 17 year old students were wide eyed beyond belief. Had their teacher seriously walked out a window to describe something? What is this guy thinking? Well after that, there was interest in the game and people starting acting the other adjectives, such as quiet, exhausted, violent, lazy, serious, etc. So in an odd ball way that will perhaps go down into education theory as either brilliant or slightly deficient to the point of idiotic, I succeeded in getting a class to speak English, so at the end of the day, yep. Its all in a day's work.

Only problem is with teaching ESL... Its not my truest passion. I enjoy conversation classes, I'm paid to talk, and those that know me, know I can talk all day long. But English was never what I really wanted to teach. I remember torturing my Jr. High English teacher, Mr. Pawley. Oh well, I've reaped what I'd sown all those years ago. What I really want to teach are my passions. Anthropology, Travel, Adventure, History, Exploration, Theology, Philosophy, Everything associated with the Wilderness. Ah now if I can find a place to teach those mixed up a bit, I could buy a ranch in the mountains and settle down. Until then... Living it out will have to do. So in the end, teaching English around the world and riding horses into the sunset, means I'm probably doing just that.