Experiences of a teacher of English

Empieza un nuevo curso en los colegios e institutos de España.  Por cierto que me permito escribir esta entrada en castellano.  Me gusta verte ilusionado o ilusionada con el cambio. Sobre todo, en mi opinión, si estás en un centro privado, quizá podrías presentarte por dirección mañana lunes 1 de septiembre, y saludar al director o directora, a la vez que le transmites tus buenas disposiciones al comenzar el curso.  Vas a poner todo de tu parte para que los alumnos aprendan, aprendan a aprender, aprendan tu asignatura.  Tú, profesor o profesora de tal o cual idioma, haces bien en pensar en hablarles sólo en esa lengua, desde el minuto uno. / Fotografía de: www crystallinks com. Muralla china

All we as teachers do in class educates or the opposite to our students. It’s a result of what I wrote on the previous post, but focused now into the class.  The way we plan a class (or we don’t plan classes), the way we work in the class, how we see our job, all that educates our students or does the opposite – does a harm to our students, hurts them in their education process, and we don’t want to do that, do we?   / Photo, as a mere illustration . buzz aldrin on the moon. First mission in the moon I think. This picture has become an icon of our times, like some of the pictures on previous posts

If I said on the previous post that the family influences a lot on the kids, now I’ve got to say that also the teacher influences too a lot on the students.  Whatever he or she thinks, their vision of life and work, the way they carry out the class, all that influences on the kids’ education.  What teachers do you remember from your school time?  I would even say that the way the teacher is out of the school, the way he or she thinks, their private life… also all that influences on the students. All about that person stays in the classroom. / Photo: it’s an illustration, just that

What the parents think and the way they do and the ideas they have, all that influences on their children.  Because of that it’s so sound to have a tutoring session with them, as soon as possible, as frequent as possible.  It’d be a pity we were trying to educate the kid in one way, whilst at the same time his parents and the whole family think otherwise.  We ought to pull in the same direction.  You can catch yourself insisting and educating in the virtue and value of order, while at home his room is a lion’s cage, and his parents don’t care much about that. I’ve seen similar cases. / Photo from: British Parliament. The picture is a mere illustration

How to win a virtue? A virtue is the easiness we have to fulfill some good action.  Well, with a repetition of good actions you are winning that virtue.  If a kid starts to study and do homework at a given time, one day after another, he’s winning the virtue of hard-working. With God’s help all becomes more simple.  A specific virtue corresponds to a specific value. / Photo from: baker. forums robertsspaceindustries com

Parents should take into account that their kids’ way of being and personality depends on the beginning, when he’s a baby. Even more, when he or she is inside mom.  Parents also should plan something about him or her, I mean, what he or she will be like.  Later on, beside the parents’ project, they’ll have to expect their children’s freedom and responsibility. Aristotle said that a person's way of being depended on his actions. / Photo from: rushmore. custer park. south dakota

If we want our students should become this or that, or better said, because the student has freedom and responsibility, and he wants to change and win a virtue or avoid a defect, he should think of specific points to change, also with the help of his Father God.  Then he should struggle to win at those little points.  Each day, at this or that time, for example before doing homework, he could examine himself briefly how he was at those points.  And again to struggle and fight again, with God’s grace.  Often in order to gain a virtue and get rid of a vice we need time, a period of time. And we should examine the final dispositions that make me fall in that vice. / Photo from: biketrial gasteiz es tl

When tentatively all the family are together for dinner, we have a nice time to let our children tell their things.  Otherwise dad or mom can prompt some clue for the conversation to flow.  We parents or elder brothers or sisters can take advantage of this situation to propose nice things about work, some issue of the family, current news and the conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, Irak, Palestine and Israel…  This can educate and teach our kids for example that we should pray and remember all those people, and we shouldn’t spoil spare food, and we have to help the poor we encounter on the street, by telling them where they can find food. / Photo from: family at dinner table. www nymetroparents com

Any of our teenagers may be too much concerned and worried about what the rest of people can think of him.  We parents and teachers could educate him so as not be so influenced by others’ opinion.  Our teen ought to think – if we attain the goal in educating him: So what? You may realize that they’re so prone to follow fashion, right?  And it’s worse if our teen gets himself too influenced by mind-tailors, I mean, people who try everybody should think the same as them. With our assistance and respecting the kid we adults can help him to make up his own view of life and other matters. The general idea I wrote here is thanks to scholar Alfonso Aguiló. / Photo from: Wendy Pedroso. stateimpact npr org

Hello there, I need more information to include you into my circles.

It's usual adolescents, teens, show off pride. They feel different, more than ever before. They aren't children any longer.  They may feel confused, insecure, they have to show what they are, who they are.  In this process they even can be arrogant. Male teens speak up or shout -- they want to be noticed.  They like little of their adults, and right now it's when they need us more than ever! It's, again, an important age for their families to help out, even deeply, but at the same time we have to respect their intimacy.  Parents should be at hand, and even they can prompt a conversation teens don't dare to hold. They have doubts, confusing ones. I don't want to exaggerate, anyway. All of us adults have passed through that age.

Self-examination.  Here I don’t refer to examination of conscience, which is also important for a person; for example we Christians make an exam according to the Ten Commandments, or we compare our lives with the model, Jesus Christ, or before confession.  Here I want to refer to finding out how we did in the classes, whose examining is a realistic quick view: Have my students learned something?  Have they gripped and incorporated communicative competences?  How were the classes?  What did I do in them?  How did I help my students acquire the language?  What have I done so far?  How far have I reached?  Am I fulfilling the goals I thought of at the beginning of the school year?  How are things going?  How did I conduct in the classes?  What did I do?  Are my students happy? Disappointed? Distressed? Willing to learn and acquire English? / Photo from: www theguardian com. teacher at desk...

I would tell you to speak clearly to your students in English, the target language.  Also give them clear instructions.  An English language teacher told me we teachers should pronounce clearly, all the words.  Nevertheless sometime you could think you have to speak more quickly, as people they encounter will pronounce.  Vocalizing is so important anyway, more at the beginning of the course, in my opinion. / Photo from: www english iup edu. Teacher smiling

Babies are pretty open to learn a language in which people around speak.  They're like sponges.  They acquire the language, in our case English.  They acquire two ways of communicating with their adults around, the mother and the target languages.  So, start as soon as possible to talk English at home. Other times you can speak in your mother tongue.  Lose fear to tell him things in English. At the beginning he won't say anything, but it's the silent period. Help with signals, gestures, tone of voice, pointing at something, repetition in different days. You're building up his English. / Photo from: stateswim net au. learning to swim

I would today thank the people, like you teachers for example but not only teachers, for including me into your circles and for following my blog.  Unless you follow the posts, it'd useless to write.  I like to write, and if possible, help you out with your job or as persons, let's say.  I write from tricks to implement in class up to some anthropological small texts. The teacher and the students are human beings, and thus you deserve my keeping on writing. Beside writing is cool, isn't it? / Photo from: www nikkoladanielassociates co uk.  Teacher at computer, like you.

If you're a teacher of English or any other language, and want to have conversations in that language, as a private teacher, you need to have the language.  And even more if you want to have those conversations at high levels - think of B2, C1 and C2, which are the highest levels within the Common European Framework.  You're a professional teacher, I presume. So something that can help you refresh the language is by means of reading a novel in the target language,  for instance, as simple as that.  Why novels? Because they have everyday language. You'll remember words and learn others. / Photo from:  Private classes. afabudhabi org

We have freedom, tentatively, and by principle. First premise.  However if I skip any compromise, I can't use my freedom.  If I compromise with someone about something I must fulfill it, right?  Albeit some people think that getting married for example doesn't entail to live with your spouse for the rest of your life, I'd say that compromise is for all the lifetime of one of the spouses however. I do know many marriages that have lived together until death of one of the spouses. / Photo from: compromise-settling-our-differences-in-agreement-thumb. howtodateinlv wordpress com

You told me you have loads of work, you stay in your post of work for many hours, but your wife told you that you should dedicate to your children and the house.  I think I understand your wife: you disappear early in the morning and come back home late, and you think people need you at your work. Be careful.  If you're honest with yourself you'll discover that your wife is right - also she works out.  Come back home earlier, you can, fellow. And kiss your wife with no tired a face. And turn to your kids, and kiss them: albeit you think you're losing time, it isn't true: you, man, should dedicate a long time to home: that's the best corporation you work for.  And they need you. / Photo from: www gettyimages com. arriving home

Everybody, tentatively, would like to improve and better.  Some months ago I was listening to the radio. It was a show where a father had to tell something about his family. He was saying that he had the purpose of showing his wife that he was a good father of their children. And, so as to finish, he told some things he did with their daughters.  If we wish to improve against a vice we have we could specify one particular point to improve. So we focus on some points to gain a virtue or custom or habit, and we struggle to improve on those points.  And we ask ourselves how the things are going, both positive points and things we do wrong. And evidently we can ask our angel to help us. All this is what some psychiatrists recommend. / Picture from: technician. dlm-tech com

Pragmatics. This area of knowledge and performance teaches us for example that the same expression or an equivalent one can mean diverse things.  For example in Spanish I can say “¡Dios mío!” and means to turn to God for help.  However in English it is better not to say that expression, inasmuch as I know, and some people say “Oh, my!” and that’s it. A professor who works in London told me about this.  There’re other similar expressions in Spanish and English.  For instance, in Spanish it’s a bad and wrong word to refer to the Eucharist (God hidden in something that looks like bread, after the priest’s formula in the Holy Mass), by using a synonym of Eucharist, “Hostia”. / Photo from: group people talking in cafe. www handsonsuperhealth com au

Some people have told me they don’t like to read fiction books, because it’s something made up, invented, yearned.  Nevertheless just the author models a world with a specific view, about people, regular life, conflicts, sentiments, satisfactions, love, ways of being, ways to solve problems... / Photo from: reading an ebook . www teleread com

The examinee of an official diploma of English should face up with the exam with a mentality of winning: he has been training and has studied and worked for long.  The real exam is one more time to take exams that sort.  So he can attend the exam relaxed, tentatively but it’s a realistic mood, believe me.  Besides he’s asked his angel to help him out.  So this person, this candidate will move with serenity, also because he’s a son of God. He shall not be alone: he has Heaven on his side and close to him, and to his classmates. / Photo from: www cyclicx com

In order to relax ourselves before an exam or we teachers before a class we can follow these tricks:  breathing deeply once and slowly,  relaxing the tense muscles of the face,  slowing down the rhythm of thoughts per minute and second,  relaxing arms and legs and body as if they were rather heavy,  letting them drop,  moving slowly,  sitting down,  repeating all these things. / Photo from: www tridenttech edu

You Ukrainians keep being one of the countries that call me up and view my blog mostly.  I hope this latter thing would help you find something helpful and useful.  You may know that I keep bearing you in mind by praying to the Lord, for all the people that live in your beautiful country. / Photo from: Ukrainian landscape with huts 1901. www wikiart org

At the listening part of exams of English or another different language the examinee should write down quick notes about each person who speaks, if the case.  Later the candidate will probably have to give the same information about each character in other different words.  This demands the examinee ought to have a lot of English internalized.  Remember that rather to aim at an exam the diploma will certify that you are proficient at each level, say First Certificate, Advanced or Proficiency, in relation to the examinations of the University of Cambridge.  By the way, aural parts of these exams, namely speaking and listening may be the most difficult of the tasks. / Photo from: radio show

I start a new label or tag today, due to the growing interest in the examinations of Cambridge, Trinity and TOEFL. For further previous posts you can type into the Search box.

I’ve experienced that behind a bit disruptive student there is a family, and we have his parents, who can be so nice people.  This has helped me to change the view and concept about the student – meeting his parents.  Just he was an adolescent that showed a behavior typical and characteristic of a person that age. We’ll insist on adolescents later on. / Photo from: student praise. www yurtopic com

A situation that sometimes occurs is that the teacher thinks he is not obeyed and followed, while the students may be thinking they are not understood.  It is sensible to bear this in mind.  A general reprimanding to all the class while shouting (in English) is like a blow in somebody’s face.  Nonetheless on an oncoming day we can compensate by treating them in another different way. I even know that that same teacher sometimes told his students they were nice people and he had noticed their effort and struggling. / Photo from: elmilmariposas blogspot com

It could entertain students and help them learn if we play a film with captions or subtitles in English.  I propose Singin’ in the Rain . This movie is rather simple to follow. It was released in 1952 and on the picture above are from left to right, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly. Debbie then was some 18 or 19.  I presume that girls would enjoy more than boys, but since it’s an academic activity they might like it too, at least a bit though they show the opposite. Oh, I forgot, the scene above is the unforgettable song “Good Morning”. By the way, boys and girls learn English in a different way, as I can say from my own experience.

Also tests are helpful at school because we teachers learn what our students know about some topic, and henceforth we teach upon that knowledge and practice they may intend. / Photo from: plus google com

I would say to candidates and examinees of First Certificate, of Cambridge University, that they should take the exam when they have high communicative competences and potentials.  As well, before the exam proper something useful and helpful is to read texts in English: they prepare you for the aural part and the rest of the parts too.  Take into account that First Certificate means that you’re capable to utilize the language in various contexts, about varied topics, with the ability of expressing what you think.  The equivalent is B2, within the European Common Framework. 

Assessment. It’s necessary for the student and for the teacher; in the latter case, in order to see how to improve, what I have done wrong, so it’s for my students’ benefit as well.  I think you should have a clear concept of assessing. Let’s focus briefly on written tests.  Beside grammar and vocabulary you should get a clear idea of the student’s capability to communicate in English, because we teach English for some people to get capable of communicating with other people (you in this case) in English. / Picture from: Poetry_writing_residency-Lanning_Sq_School www perkinscenter org

Here is the translation of the text on post # 1912. Well, it’s my translation – sorry for the mistakes and errors. Indentation is mine. “Life and work must have their own rhythm.  They should not be choked nor out of their orbit.  A delightful labor means and signifies physical and moral harmony. It’s free poetry, it’s an atmosphere of quietness and peace. Fusion, harmony or composition, unity, poetry: they’re a composition that brings out peace.  Life should be regular and common, and then exalted, thanks to a poetry meaning.  The delight and enjoyment of our own work bring out a piece of respect, also a delightful feeling, toward the enjoyed labor of somebody else's.” / Photo from: www canadapost ca

Today I offer a piece of a longer text written by Spanish poet Juan Ramón Jiménez, who was the author of unforgettable Platero y yo . The text is about work and soon I hope to give it a translation into English.  “La vida y el trabajo no pueden tener otro ritmo que el suyo, no pueden ser hostigados ni desviados de su órbita […] trabajar a gusto es armonía física y moral, es poesía libre, es paz ambiente. Fusión, armonía, unidad, poesía: resumen de la paz. La vida debe ser común y lo común altificado por el trabajo poético. El gusto por el trabajo propio trae el respeto, gustoso también, por el gustoso trabajo ajeno.” / Photo from: www shutterstock com. man working in lab

Any ideas are welcome, tentatively - this blog is open regards any comment, any claim, any joke, any suggestion... Anyone can participate; first you readers, either in Spanish or English... even in Latin. / Photo from: What_to_Look_for_in_a_Gardener_2309384_460 www dexknows com

We teach and treat human people. More than once we might have wandered about the students and their things and their conducting, right?  In Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate ( Charity in truth ) we can read, “Charity in truth, to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life and especially by his death and resurrection, is the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity.” / Photo from: www esciclismo com. trials

A friend of mine once told me that he noticed her progress at English with each new word she learned.  She even felt she was getting closer to become a bilingual speaker. / Photo from: www bestofsampleresume com. emale teacher

The first educators are the parents of the family. Secondly other members of the family can give a hand and help out: elder brothers and sisters.  And in the next stage we have the teachers. These ones cannot substitute and replace the parents.  And what about the family atmosphere? There should be love and trust, helping and receiving, honesty and sincerity, communication and interest for any member, however he or she is.  This is a valuable premise: each member is loved for his or her sake, however way he or she is.  This education also entails the chaplain of the school, if the parents choose him. Parents should always be able to choose the school and sort of education – this is a basic premise. / Photo from: mother-daughter-relationship-main. www feminiya com