Experiences of a teacher of English

We teachers have to encourage our students to learn the second or foreign language. But it’s these latter ones who have to want to learn.  Learning vocabulary is one point that deserves their attention and effort. Each word they learn is a step forward.  In order to have a vast lexis they have to learn word by word. I insist on purpose: each word which is learned is a step toward success at learning a language. No words, no language. Many words, a lot learned.  And a skill that promotes learning many words is reading massively and intensely. For example novels, or simplified and abridged readers. With contents that are respectful to our dear students.  When reading is a skill that has been largely fostered and practiced, the learner learns and acquires words even in an unaware way. And that learner is acquiring the language sense, this is, the capability of learning in a thorough way and the capability of using the language for communication with oth...

A good and committed teacher is the one who teaches individually. He may have a class of forty students, but he teaches somehow individually and personally.  He may address the whole class but he’s referring to each one of his learners. He does so because he has love of benevolence toward each of his dear students. He seeks what is good for those students. And so in accordance to their dignity as singular human persons.  And he tries to be an honest and honorable person himself.  Also when he has set some work in groups he circulates among the groups while they’re working and gets to know how to monitor their work. He does not confine to fulfill his schedule but does more than he’s asked to. Also that in accordance to what their parents wish for their kids.  And when his students ask him questions, he answers as if that student who’s asking was the only one in the classroom, although as well he says something that can benefit each and every one of hi...

Let us not forget that we teachers of a second or a foreign language have to foster communication among people, among persons.  Persons with all that that means. People’s dignity pushes up teachers to consider that being a human person entails a lot, quite a lot! For example when treating our students in the classroom as well as out of the classroom along the school facilities, halls, corridors, common rooms, offices… we teachers have to empathize with those people, with those singular and significant persons. Also with very nice and exquisite respect toward them. Also along the school year – which now is coming to an end here in Spain – we have to take into account what we learn and get to know about all those people. Let's listen to them carefully and by keeping what they say to us or to other teachers. A teacher cannot treat those people like they were numbers or, even worse, steps upon which I can move up a selfish career toward my own selfish satisfaction....

The good teacher tries to plan his or her lessons. Also he or she might as well dedicate some brief daily time to think of just something brief that each class-group of theirs may be in need of. Because each class-group is in need of something to improve, and their teacher tries to find out what that is.  All that has to do with intuition. The teacher has some intuition about what each class-group really needs. And that teacher is capable of quickly finding about that necessity.  As well when the school year is over, that professional will write down some brief experiences of how the school year went.  He or she does so in order to next year build upon what worked the past year.  They will write about positive as well as negative points. All that also has to do with intuition.  For example he or she will write about how some new activities or some more general approach succeeded or perhaps did not do. All this can be written on a simple Word...