Experiences of a teacher of English

I’ve told you that we have to love our students with love of benevolence. Which means that we seek what’s good for those people we love. Also we love their parents and families. Plus our fellow teachers and all the school staff.  Because of that we strive to teach with high standards of professionalism.  Most of you do so. You do your best. You do even what’s farther than what you are asked to do. Most of you do so and I admire you.  You seek what’s better for the people you treat every day. And therefore you teach and carry out other tasks with creativity.  Most of you do have creativity. You set yourselves to solve problems and improve your daily work.  Creativity, what’s creativity? Well, you as human beings, who can reason, set to offer your best, and don’t confine to a mere teaching but seek for your students to be happy: you offer your best, you plan your lessons, you look for and search for suitable material, you try hard for your...

It seems sensible teaching and directing a school would be with collegiality. I mean, two or more people can see more than a single one, and all of us sometimes need to contrast our view of a problem with other people’s ones.  You know, two or three people can see more than me myself.  Also we could compare and contrast our teaching ways with other people’s ones, inside the same school department.  All this is an art, which cannot be improvised, but we need to learn it over time. We need to listen to others, maybe sometimes change our mind, share views with others, to count on other people and the best from them.  I can assure you all this has helped me over years, so I can propose it to you fellow teachers.  Finally we need to accept that other people sometimes can have better views than us ourselves.  Even some other times we need to listen to our students – well, better said, we have to be always prone to listen to our studen...

Some days ago I told you that before and at the beginning of the new school year we teachers could have in mind some few and exciting and necessary goals for our students.  Okay then, let’s come back to those few nice goals on the following days, also so as to internalize them deep in mind and heart.  I do know your school also demands more goals from you, but inside our heart we should have those objectives we have thought of.  I mean it: we tentatively know our students and so we know what they need. Perhaps we do not know some new students but we reckon what an average student may need, because we can have taught some or many lessons already.  For starting the new school year it is enough we have those aims by heart. And we try to apply them. Then we will try to define some other objectives our school asks from us. Have a nice week, fellow teachers and everybody else! / Photo from: ABC de Sevilla

So we’re before a new school year, right? Let’s enjoy it. Yes, you’ve read correctly.  Let’s not think I’m going to have four more classes taught, and after that I’ll enjoy some free time.  Let’s enjoy to teach. Because we treat human people, and so we can expect a lot from them.  Let’s interact with those people, our students. Plus their parents plus our colleagues. We treat people. Don’t forget it.  In the classroom and in the rest of the school we make people act, work, give some reply, participate. And all that’s great. Simply great, isn’t it?  A class, a lesson is something of two: the teacher and the students.  Let’s enjoy treating people, in the classroom and along the school corridors and halls. That treating people enriches us teachers and our students.  Well, plus their parents and the rest of the school personnel.  Let’s not be too perfectionist, if the case. Let’s learn how to enjoy. The point is lo...

We teachers cannot treat our students in the classroom as a mass, as a mass of people, but we have to treat them as individuals. As persons. As persons with intelligence. Persons who think, who receive the messages we give them.  And they’re free, free and responsible.  As well we will trust them. Otherwise if we treat them as people we don’t trust, and from whom we only receive nuisance, from whom we only expect they’re against us teachers, we’ll get little from them.  In some way we’ll treat them as adults, or as persons who have, as I said, intelligence, plus feelings and will. They like this way of treating: we respect them as persons.  We will trust them I said. For example we will give them some message in the classroom or individually at the school halls, and we should trust and have confidence that they will accomplish what said in that message.  More likely than not, in that way, they will follow those instructions or whatever w...

On the previous post I told you a nice list of what a teacher may be. Okay then, so I told you that a teacher may advise his students, if convenient. If convenient and if my advice is in accordance to human dignity: what a responsibility I have, a nice one!  I have to be an honest, honorable and upright person, to be able to advise my students in a correct way, and tentatively in accordance to my students’ parents and families.  Also I’ll take into account their dignity, our dignity: for we’re children of God, and not less than that! Our profession is so great! Have a nice week, you all my dear teachers! / Photo from: teacher teaching english FTW

The teacher you said? The teacher is many things together.  The teacher is an expert in his or her field. The teacher is an educator,  a tutor,  a clown sometimes,  a consultor,  an advisor,  an animator,  a showman,  an actor,  a psychologist,  a friend,  a family expert,  an entrepreneur,  an artist,  a counselor,  a painter,  a story-teller,  a computer expert,  a communicator,  an assistant,  a declamatory person,  a writer,  a magician,  a humanity herald,  an expert on human kind,  an apostle,  a judge,  a health helper,  like a sollicitor,  an astute person,  a sportsman,  a detective,  a talkative person,  a museum usher,  an excursion expert,  a leader,  a hot news expert,  a corrector,  a peacemaker,  ...

I was wondering that you may be fortunate if you can count on a textbook or an iPad or tablet with the corresponding textbooks. Why? Because you can follow it with your students in the classroom.  Textbooks today tentatively are something great and also a great help.  I have to make up my own materials, but I by no means protest for my situation. Why? Because my students are so great and collaborative, except for some exception.  As well you can count on teaching materials from TeacherLingo and that’s a great help too.  Some many years ago I had textbooks in the school where I was teaching. They were great too. My head teacher, however, used to tell me that textbooks were just some aid and not necessarily had I to follow it at the letter, at every step or exercise.  Now also I teach one-to-one classes and in those cases I follow an English-language textbook. And so I can see it provides texts and activities that pretty help my student. W...

Memory. It is a great value for learning.  I can assure you it is kind of elastic and susceptible of being trained, even when you’re rather old. Even it can prevent from Alzheimer. Or other similar diseases.  When you practice your memory, you can get a big one.  I notice all this concerning vocabulary. And memory is necessary for learning a language. I’m an English language teacher and learner too. I’ve read massively and intensely through years. And my memory has become greater.  And thus I realize that when writing these posts some useful words come up to mind while writing. I have created a tank of vocabulary. And everybody or close to that can achieve the same goal.  Also I can answer to most of the questions my students ask me about lexis. I can cope with those questions so far.  Something I often do is that I have some book being read, at least from time to time. Should I be reading always? Maybe. I have other stuff to re...

Our students are free. Only so they can learn. I’ve written a lot on classroom management and discipline. Also on freedom and responsibility.  My school head deputy once told me that classroom management was right, but ultimately the students are free to listen, behave nice and learn.  Our students have to be free, and subsequently responsible. Otherwise, if not free, as you can infer, they will not learn. And they will not love. Love is the keystone of freedom. I’m referring above all to benevolence love: seeking what is good for the other person, for the other people.  Thus we have to manage the classroom behavior and the students’ learning but willing they be free.  And we will accomplish and achieve that goal if we treat them as persons, with intelligence, will and feelings.  We manage the classroom but the students ultimately keep being free. All this – freedom and willing to do things the right way – flows from the students’ interi...

Self-discipline. We teachers also must have self-discipline. To start the new school year afresh. To have interior and personal force and strength to start to plan that nice school year.  To dream about those classes we’re going to teach. With our students in mind. For we are treating human persons and they deserve all from us – all our dedication.  To think and get excited about some basic and few goals we think are suitable and adequate for our dear students. Also to come back over those nice goals tomorrow and have force and strength enough all the year round and not only the first school-year day.  There are few geniuses but there must be many committed teachers with a medium-size talent: teachers that are perseverant and constant, all the year round.  Self-discipline. We teachers must have it if we want our classes have nice classroom management. Because we want our students be happy both in the classroom and outside – along the rest of thei...

Warmers are necessary at the beginning of lessons. For both the teacher and the students to warm up into the class.  It can be something like rearranging their desks after the previous lesson, this is, to set their desks into neat rows again, for so it becomes easier to set class discipline.  Even the students could stand up when you the teacher enters the classroom.  Also an activity as a warmer can be suitable. Something to warm up into the class thread. If you teach a second or a foreign language, you could ask the kids questions in that language, kind of something as a routine.  Something which could calm down the kids and which could attract their attention.  Even a game sometimes, for which you have examples on post #259 from my blog – you can type “#259” into the search box and you’ll find some 100 games. Or click on the tag "games..." below. Over time you will see which activities are more useful to make your students get focused int...

However we start a lesson in the classroom is so important! A lot depends on that.  I remember a teacher at high school that used to smile and look at us in an elegant way, at the beginning of the lesson and as a lesson warmer.  He was prone to serve and help us in all ways he had at hand. And all that with nothing extraordinary or eccentric or extravagant.  With some other teacher my classmates – well some of them – used to make some ridicule of – I say that with pain because they did something horrible: I so much hate that attitude. I hate the attitude but not my classmates.  Okay, all that said, I can carry on. As I was saying, that teacher of ours used to have a nice and kind attitude with us his students. And his classes were quite good, yes they were. And interesting.  Also he used to realize about our teen problems and stuff. And we the students used to correspond to that kind attitude with effort and struggling to learn and study...

Every job, by definition, is service. Teaching is a lot of service. And very nice, hard sometimes though. Our job is great!  Often we may catch ourselves helping beyond what is expected from our plain job as teachers. Who has never given a hand to a hectic colleague? Or dedicated some extra time to a student in need of help?  Now I remember Juanfran offering his help to correct another teacher’s exams. That was nice and kind. Yes it was. Another teacher made me realize of that nice example.  And service is based on love, otherwise it could be not that nice. I’m referring to love of benevolence: to wish what is good for the other person, for other people.  When we love others with benevolence love we seek what is good for those people.  And before a new school year we have to refill our gas tank. At present I’m thinking of teaching extra classes – we’ll see. At one of the schools where I work. And we can turn to our Father God for help, w...

We teachers of a second/foreign language should create an atmosphere in the classroom where that language is spoken.  I’ve seen it this summer once again. And it was nice. Even before and after the lesson that language can be spoken, between the teacher and the students. And it is nice. It is.  Also we may have a student from another different country and with him we could speak in that tongue, English in our case. This summer I have seen kids for whom English is a difficult language and they spoke in English with a kid from Hong Kong. They were speaking in English with him! Kids for whom English was difficult!  It was so but by then they tried hard and nice to talk in that language.  On my own I thank my students because when I arrive at the classroom they address me in English, the language I teach. They have become accustomed to doing that, and the classroom is a place where English is used for communication.  The classroom is like a ...

We are near a new school year. Are you curious about what you’re going to teach?  Now we teachers can plan that school year with ample lenses, which is better for our regular planning.  I mean, come on, sit down at the computer and think of few points you would like to implement along the school year. Few and exciting ones.  Think of what you would like for your students to gain in that new school year. Think of specific and exciting goals. You’re becoming more of an experienced teacher.  Think but not too much time maybe. Think of useful stuff, something you can see at once on your computer. Not many points, at least at a first moment. Later you’ll plan furtherly. Goals you can realistically implement.  Think of those goals for not too much time, and come back to those goals tomorrow, for letting the subconscious work on its own, for letting the little flood sediment on mind. / Photo from: Boeing 747 vs Cessna YouTube. Well I posted tha...

It is not simple at many schools yet and their teachers do whatever they can: they do their best! I only wish to help my colleagues.  I mean that unfortunately at some - only some maybe - Spanish schools yet a lot of English grammar is presented, but no emphasis is put on gaining some communicative competence.  However, this is changing in Spain. And the problem is not simple.  The thing is that some teachers feel in some way compelled to meet a school-year syllabus they think it is rich in grammar. And teaching teens is not simple. And they have not much time. Yet this is changing, or this has already changed, as I said. I’m referring to teaching English or other languages.  Lately I had to teach a student to pass a September exam of English, and a lot of stress had been set at his school on grammar and nothing on winning a communicative competence. His teacher might have done her best anyway! Nevertheless more and more Spanish schools are t...

When I had to correct and reprimand some student from the summer course I’ve recently attended I used to appeal to his sense of responsibility. And it worked, it did.  I have to say that I had some friendship with those students or at least I treated them in a nice way. I put them to their sense of responsibility, and it worked.  At the end of the brief conversations with them we reached the resolution that they would do their best. It took me a bit tired and hot, so I had not much like at scolding them, so I made them think on their own, about what their best behavior should be.  Altogether those kids tried to do their best, but they’re cunning and they – some of them – put their teacher to the test in some way. At the end of that summer camp both the teachers and the students were content, satisfied and happy: they’re good kids and the teachers were nice guys, brilliant professionals. / Photo from: Airbus A380 Traveller com au. Teachers have to conduct ...

I’ve returned from an English-language camp for boys. A summer camp. Also I’ve recently taught private tuition to a kid aged 17.  He had problems with his school subject of English. Okay then, as I was teaching him and giving him examples of sentences that appeal to him and meet his life and interests, that young man was finding more motivation at English.  I believe he’s finding his way to success and passing his school subject of English: he has found that English has to do with his life. He’s a great guy. / Photo from: ireland com