Teaching is always what I have wanted to do. From a young age, when someone would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, it was always a teacher. At one point I pondered with the idea of marine biology and gymnastics, but that of course turned into teaching marine biology or teaching gymnastics. Even when my younger sister and I would play together when we were little, we rarely played house or store; we always played school, and I was always the teacher. Truthfully, I do not really know what first sparked my interest in teaching. Maybe it was the feeling of helping people, or the ability to teach people new information, or maybe I just always liked being in charge. Whatever it was, I truly think teaching is just something that is in my blood. Whether it be in a formal classroom or not, I hope to teach for as long as I can.

Despite my lifelong love affair with teaching, it is safe to say that I was extremely nervous going into the first real day of my teaching internship. Teaching students my own age seemed like the scariest thing I could do. What if they think I am some dumb American? What if they think I look weird? What if I trip and fall as I head to the front of the class? So many silly thoughts filled my head. 

As I anxiously walked toward the academic building, thankfully I ran into the professor of the class so I did not have to aimlessly search for the classroom myself. As we talked about what I planned for the lesson that day, she could sense my nervousness. She was very sweet and simply reminded me to be calm and that I could do it. Short, sweet, and to the point, but it did help me feel a little better. 

Once the students arrived, it was showtime. The professor introduced me to the class as Ashley, an American student who would be their teaching assistant who will help them with their speaking skills. Yep, that is me. Once the floor was handed over to me, it was time to get down to business.
Being the first day that I met the students, I decided to have a pretty simple lesson for the day. I had each student jot down one question that they had for me about myself or about life in the United States. Then, I had them brainstorm a topic or two that they want to cover while I am with them this semester. Once they had written down their question and topic of interest, we went around the room and each student said their name, question, topic, and something interesting about themselves. I got a lot of the same types of questions, like about my family, my hobbies, and to be expected, my President. Boy, was that an interesting question to answer. One student even asked about the gun policy in the United States and if I own a gun… hmm.
As far as the topics the students want to learn about, I got one common answer: American culture. But, what does that actually mean? American culture is such a broad answer, but the students did not seem to have a very specific idea of what that meant to them. A few students weee interested in movies and music, some liked politics, and a couple even wanted to learn about the education system in the United States. I was actually pretty impressed with some of the topics they are interested in, and it definitely gives me a better idea of what I should focus on. 
Overall, I really got every student talking, and they even laughed at some of my jokes. I would say that my first day was a success, and looking back on it, there was no reason to be nervous. All the students were nice, and they did not think I was a dumb American or that I look weird and I did not trip. Mission accomplished. Tomorrow I teach the same lesson to another class, and I definitely feel more confident going in. It seems as though this internship should go well. Here’s hoping for a good internship that will fulfill my teaching dreams… with no awkward moments!