Experiences of a teacher of English

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “Each class-period is different. Each and every one of them should be one step forward for your students. Each class is worth making good use of the time, worth thinking of one goal. Or two for example, not many anyway. When you plan the next class, I assume you think of what suits your students best, according to the pace of their learning. Many teachers plan their classes this way. A few months ago a teacher told me that he had changed his mind: he would make photocopies of some texts according to his students’ needs and pace of learning. It was a short course of English. Another colleague told me he planned each class on a sheet of paper, like the guidelines of the specific class. This teacher used recycled paper, writing his notes on the blank side of a photocopy.” / Photo from: ventanas. carpinteria-aluminio es Below is a comment on post # 671, by Eugenio Olivares Merino. Thank you, Eugenio, for the so interesting informat...

Today I wanted to pay homage to England and the ancient English people. The following text is from Beowulf , the first great literary classic in Old English, in its original version. I dedicate this post to E.O.M. I know he’ll like this post. The first line of the text below is number 22 in this poem. Beowulf was written sometime between the 8 th century to the 11 th century. / Photo from: Bayeux Tapestry historyofinformation com. I think to remember that on this tapestry is shown the battle of Hastings (1066), when Normans entered England from France, led by William the Conqueror. From that time on, basically speaking, the English and French languages began to mingle, originating our English now. This former comment is simplistic and an ample view of the history scheme. Sorry. 22-46 þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen wilgesiþas, þonne wig cume, leode gelæsten; lofdædum sceal in mægþa gehwære man geþeon. Him ða Scyld gewat to gescæphwile felahror feran on Frean wære; hi hyne þa ætbæro...

One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “You know, it depends on the way a teacher is, but if it’s helpful to you, I’d tell you to be serious and kind in the class with your students, polite and firm, nice and concerned about each student. This makes the class push up the human tone and level to an atmosphere of rigor in work. Important too is to have them engaged in doing things, profitable ones of course, directed to assist and back up their learning process and your teaching conducting. Shift the activity to avoid getting your students bored and discouraged if it’s lasting too much, so, proceed into the next scheduled activity. Or the one you do up and improvise because you feel it’s the appropriate one at that moment.” / Photo from: hurling demo 4schools ie. This sport, let me try to explain, and sorry for the errors, guys, is kind of a combination of rugby and soccer, played with sticks, and the doors are similar to the ones of rugby. This sport is played in Ir...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “On post # 655 I told you about the values you can help your students gain, all right. I mean virtues too: repetition of good actions that enable to achieve a good habit. Both value and virtue are complementary, or even the same thing perhaps. One example of values and virtues? Well, now I’m thinking of the roles the small ‘council’ of students of your class can carry out. There can be three student-members of that council or whatever you may call it, plus you, teacher. I learned about this when I taught in a school of a city south of Spain. Their function is to help out and assist their classmates. They meet with you every fortnight (two weeks), briefly. They’re a bridge – one more bridge of assistance – between the students and you, and between you and the students. For example the students of your class-group tell their representatives that they think your grading (marking) the tests is not fair, and the first mentioned ones...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “Once a student of one of my classes told me she was reading a novel, in the original version in English, on her own. She also told me that she plunged into the interesting plot so much that she read quickly: the story was so attractive and caught her so much that she didn’t realize of the fact that she was reading in English. She didn’t care she didn’t understand some words; the context was clear and the story so action-packed that the reading was a page-turning; also the characters were well depicted: they were like real people who she identified with someone of them in some way. The novel was The Ice Limit . All in all she looked up some words in the dictionary to also learn and keep that expression; also read more focus-like on the language grammar and usage. Quite soon I noticed that her writing and speaking in English were getting more fluent and she understood my classes more and more. Reading extensively creates like a...

One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “Using newspapers in the class of English may be very useful, believe me. This activity is for advanced level students, because they have to face with authentic and genuine language. Realia bring them to real, authentic English. You can tell them to buy a specific paper at a newstand. However, I think this is not realistic in practice: just some of them or most won’t buy them, from my experience. So something you can do is buying a copy, and photocopy a piece of news as many times as students you have. Please show clearly the name of the newspaper you all are going to work on. Another way is to go to the computer room and read the online version, or in their laptops or tablets, etc., if possible... For me the core point is to actually read the news, its headlines and the body, and understand the contents. Remember to utilize news that really concerns them or something they know about. Many activities can be implemented: preread...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “I’d tell you that your corrections and reprimandings to a student should be something educative, not merely a dry impelling to fulfill rules. You could wait for later or for the next day, when your temper is more objective to judge. Discipline, a sane one, is essential. You might ask him how he sees his act of misbehavior, what he thinks about it, with serenity, in a delicate but firm mood and mode from you. You can tell him what the right way of doing things is, and the reason why. Let him think on his own, trying to foster his growing maturity. Stay by him, humanly, but mending the error, firmly. Let him see an exit: do not scorn him, humilliating him; let him see there’s an exit to bettering. The action of misbehavior can be due to malice or (also) to lack of a good habit to do things okay. Help him acquire the good habit, or talk with his tutor about the wrong action that happened. And his tutor should track him in the pro...

One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “Do you think in English – you’re not a native speaker of this language – when using your diary-organizer, when you write something necessary about your everyday conducting, for example, when writing notes or typing documents, not only concerning the school but for other purposes? I tell you all this if it’s useful to you. When you have the chance of speaking in English with someone you encounter, do you put your natural fear aside and plunge into the water? It’s very good practice, and can be fun. Also when planning your classes, or when all is in English in your computer. As well you can use this language when thinking about your students and their needs, the activities that would suit their needs and also your expectations to raise the challenge of things your students have to do in the class. It’s definitely an effort, worthwile though. This will help and make easier to you to say all in English during your classes, even th...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “On post # 660 I told you about the difference between the learning of rather old students (from some fifty to seventy-something) and the learning (even I’d say, acquiring) English by a kid of 8 years. Now I simply would like to add that after thinking about this latter student’s case I realized that he in the classes listens and speaks in English directly, I mean, not by translating the heard and spoken messages into Spanish, his mother language. From the way he used English in the class, both listening and speaking, I think I can assure he used English as something of his own, as something natural, as something acquired. He has been taking classes of English since he was a baby, at his school. One thing I should point out anyway: his communicating in English is at a very basic level, yet.” / Photo from: portalfruticola com. A farmer laboring in a field of wheat in Spain.

One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “How can we achieve, or assist, our students to become ‘professionals’ of study and learning? It’s something I can try to tell you about, from what I think. The class should be a work team: both the teacher and the students should work together in the same filed. The teacher of English has to help the learners find their own unique path to learn English. These students ‘let’ the teacher teach English, also talk massively in this language, set activities, study, make them think, make them become more creative with regard to learning, to writing, also the students let the teacher assist them to become aware of their own learning strategies. One example: The teacher says to one student that his guess was right. I mean, for example, the teacher, in certain moment, asks them how we’d say, in English, depende del tráfico , and one student responds ‘depends of the traffic’, while the correct answer would be using the preposition ‘on’....

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “Beauty is a value that educates. When I lead an excursion out of the school, for example to Sierra Nevada – there’s still snow, in mid-July-, from time to time, I stop the trekking with my team of students and make them focus on such and such point of the far landscape. In this way I try to make them observe details as well as the range of mountains or the bright blue sky, so as to make them contemplate something different from what they watch every day. Well, it works though not always. It’s worth to do, I think anyway. My colleague teacher of Fine Arts knows how to teach her students to contemplate a picture, a Gothic cathedral, the Great Wall of China with its surrounding bright green lands and the wall, stuck on that land like it was a serpent. Thus, we can, and ought to rise and create sensitivity in our students. This value of beauty helps a person to become better, and a better learner of English too. Some other times I...

One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “Hints to be able to recall your new students’ names? Maybe when one student says his or her name because you asked them so, you can repeat his or her name, in a low voice, as a singular person who you appreciate. More and more you gain the capability of learning names. You can recall one’s name when that someone means something to you. You can, if you want, read the list of your students, quicky, when planning the next class to real people, with their needs, expectations and potentials. This is very important for your teaching, and the students’ consecutive learning the language. You can teach English to people when you know them.” / Photo from: popartmachine com. High School Victory Corps. Investigating in future airplane mechanics.

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “I knew about this, obviously, but I’ve experienced this phenomenon more clearly lately. Adult learners of fifty-something and older tend to learn English by translating into Spanish, their native tongue – in general terms, with regard to those ages, and as false beginners. Also by translating from L1 to L2. In relation to kids aged 8 – this is the youngest student I have now in the summer course – and up to 12, they use the target language as something natural. All the class is in English. They hear and listen a lot in English, assisted with body language by me. In the classes, they ‘know’ I ‘only’ understand English, and when they speak in Spanish I make faces. The class is a context when English is the only language used. This hearing and listening in English for long – I’d like to keep being their teacher for longer, but it’s not possible – reminds of me of the ‘Silent Period’ that Krashen used to refer to. Someone told me ...

One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “I could tell you many things I’ve read in H. D. Brown, a brilliant expert in teaching/learning languages, an Emeritus Professor in the State University of San Francisco. I don’t know anything about him lately, anyway. I owe him a lot. Now I’m going to read something that might be useful to you, teacher, and to your students. Even more in these latter ones’ case. The quotation is from his book, published in 1989, A Practical Guide to Language Learning. A Fifteen-Week Program of Strategies for Success . Any learner can be concerned or worried about the errors or mistakes he or she might commit, and sometimes they keep quiet, as you know. Listen - it’s addressed to learners: ‘You simply must convince yourself that mistakes aren’t signs of weakness or failure. They’re natural patterns of learning.’ These lines are from page 18 in his book. Take this note and read it carefully.” / Photo from: empireonline com. Buzzlightyear, from...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “Everyone of us teachers need to have discernment. It’s a key word. Look. Each of us gain discernment together with maturity and experience. Even veteran teachers continue to gain discernment all their career long. It’s not compatible with lukewarmness, with lack of enthusiasm or with the firm resolution to improve as a professional. Every day is different; you told me about this some days ago. Discernment hits the target. It’s not compatible with taking the same yellowish sheets of papers to the class, one year after another year. With passing time your work may not blaze as in the beginnings of your career, but your daily effort and fulfillment of your duties still continue teaching people and making people learn. More and more you value every student as a learner who needs your hand. You can comprehend each student with the way each one is. This maturity enables you to face up problems and look high in the teaching/learning ...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “From what you told me this morning let me tell you something. Kids that age naturally are playful and frisky. You told me you’re teaching a short summer camp of English, during their summer vacations. And their ages are from nine to thirteen, and the class has about twelve students. Okay, calm down and think over it. Today’s class was a bit messy. First, you can tell the student of thirteen to explain something in English to the kid who understood nothing, tell him to explain that something in his own words. Sometimes his own words are more simple than yours, and easier to understand, teacher! And as well you learn something from the older student’s way of speaking. Next day tell this veteran student that today you saw him sort of frustrated because he felt like all the class was childish, and that you’ve thought of activities and games according to his level and age. Combine easy things with higher-level activities, same clas...

One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “Something that helps me manage the class and keep discipline is that at the beginning of the class I gaze at each student, randomly, in their faces, sometimes recalling their names. Each student feels being stared at, not like an ogre myself, but as their teacher. Each student, I guess, feels like involved in the class of English, after the math class. Evidently I consider each student as unique. They’re not a mass of people in front of me. Someone told me this may be fostered with your gravity and seriousness as a teacher. This attitude doesn’t hinder from sense of humor. I call them by their names, and more when a disruptive spark arises. I call the disruptive student either by his name or by means of gazing at him, silently. I try do all this as gently as I can, in order not to humiliate him because I shouted at him and denounced the wrong in a hoarse and crazy way. In no way do I shout right at all the class as a mass when...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “I’ve been thinking that the school should teach values. Many, many schools do. Firstly these values are or should be fostered within the family. Think of solidarity, environmental friendship, love, generosity, hard-working, obedience because I want to obey, hard-working, sincerity, joyfullness, fortitude, tidiness, compromise, faithfulness, having a small job at home or in behalf of the school community. And you teacher can do a lot to help these values become virtues. Virtues are operative habits that make easier to do good actions. When one student does his or her homework one day after another, this capability to work becomes easier and easier, so because of that it’s a good habit. Virtues make the person better. I’ve seen all this in many students. And correspondingly, in many cases their familes educated their kids in this way. All this, totally, helps the students learn English.” / Photos from: hometeamsonline com. Kid p...

One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “Although you should assess what the students have learned and acquired, when the academic year is approaching, I’d advise you to set a final written exam. Most teachers do; it was rather silly of me to say it. An exam including grammar and vocabulary, reading, writing, perhaps listening too. Whatever you think most appropriate. Focusing mainly on the communicative competente. When assigning the final grade, consider each student’s effort as well; and their partial grades. I think the final exam should be also one chance to pass the course, albeit the three or four or five evaluations or assessments were fail. During the year you’ll have assessed the speaking skill. Take also into account their effort, their struggle to improve (or their contrary, obviously). I incline to think that all this final grading should be something educative too. I mean, something humane, not a cold and strict adding or substracting numbers. There’s a...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “Once I had to teach English to a class-group, a small one, about ten students, in a short English summer course. The ages were from 10 to 12 years. The course was an extra-school activity, where my set goal was to foster listening and speaking. I found out the first day that roping the kids into aural games was something to be preferred than just confining myself to keep them quiet and still all the class long. This is perfectly compatible with respect and learning to take care of the material of the study hall, where I taught. I tried to teach them also not to laugh at any classmate; also how to listen to me, to the other classmates; I avoided them be so jumpy and playful - on my side, with gentle gestures and stopping talking. There was one typical smart cookie student to tie tight. So to speak, in these classes the point was gaining the students to my field, and make their minds get busy with the stuff of the games. I tried...