First week of classes!

I teach the conversation classes. I´m supposed to have around 150-200 students spread out through different sections. This week is orientation week so half my classes were canceled, so I don´t even know what my full schedule will look like quite yet, but I´m a bit anxious. I pride myself on being able to remember people´s names and inane details about them, but I´m afraid I´m going to be a disaster. After awhile, one awkward shy student looks the same as the next. A lot of them are simply mortified to speak English and at times I feel like the evil imperialist with a bullwhip forcing them to adopt my language and culture. I remember loathing Spanish class and I feel a tidalwave of guilt everytime one of them cringes when I call on them. BUT there are also wonderful students who get excited when I correct their English and get all giddy when they finally get the correct pronunciation. There is a lot of English in advertising and on tv and of course the majority of the high paying jobs require English, so the importance of learning English is not lost on even my shyest students, which definitely makes my job easier.