Experiences of a teacher of English

 I've written a lot on motivation in the classroom. Ok, but you may find something I'm lately considering about motivation, and which you can find on my new blog, whose link is on the left hand of this very blog. That new post is #4. I hope you enjoy it. Motivation is ok but since we wish the best to our kids, you might find out other perspectives about motivation and love. Have a nice day. And you may leave your comments. Oh, the label where you can find my other blog is called Other experiences. 

  We teachers may be spending some nice vacation, or otherwise we may be still working, or even we may be dreaming nice about next school year.  It may be a good moment anyway to put our profession in front of our eyes and try to improve our teaching job.  For example we may think that we don’t just teach but also educate those people for a happy future and a happy present now.  As well we have to educate people who will try hard to make happy to those other people our students will treat.  We definitely have to educate those people, but in accordance with their parents and in much way in accordance with human dignity.  For example we have to teach those students how to contemplate beauty.  Not only will we try to form people for the so demanding job market today, but we teachers are right there in the classroom to carry out something else, and that something else definitely is educating them.  I teach English to adults. And we deal with texts in ...

  Experience counts for quite a lot. Also if you try to do your best as a teacher you have a lot won. Also if you try to behave and conduct the best you can, you have a lot already won. Also if you try to be the best citizen you can, you have a lot won. Also if you try to be honorable, you have a lot already done. Because teaching is educating people, educating them to be honorable citizens, right? And experience is already quite a lot. When you have experience you can dominate teaching quite well, and then teaching is like an art. Also teaching is art from the beginnings. It has a lot of a humane activity. It is art, a fine art, in some way. Now that we may be about to finish the school year we can make some self-examination: what did I do well? What did I do wrong? What can I do better? And draw some nice serene conclusions. Have a nice week! / Photo from: ayuntamiento-herrera-del-duque-6945637 Ayuntamientos de España. Now in the north hemisphere we are no...

  Taking care of little things is important for a teacher. It is, indeed. Everyday teaching is composed of little things: cleaning the board after my class, for the next teacher to find it clean and neat; having my students arrange their desks at the end of the work day or after a class if they got disordered; teaching my students to use the bathroom well and thinking it will be cleaned by the cleaning staff or personnel, mostly ladies; not dropping bags and wrapping paper at the playground; having my students have small jobs for them to also learn to take care of little things; dealing with the school material in a nice way for it to last for long, quite long; having their tablets screens rather clean, from time to time; using their books in a neat way… All that said is very educative. Maybe we will not find the fruit of our work now, but our students will be so grateful for our work when they become more mature or adults. Our job as teachers simpl...

I said on the previous post that it seems okay when we decide to obey. However we have to obey if what we’re told is not against our conscience, of course. We have to follow our conscience, when it is well formed and educated. How to educate and form it? I can give an answer from the point that I’m Christian: we can find good sources to form our conscience from Jesus Christ: from our treating with Him, from the gospels, from the consulting upright and honorable people, who we know they want to improve as persons. Besides we can receive that education by counselling and getting advice from our Mother the Church – I’m Roman Catholic. / Photo from: Sorry but I couldn't post a picture, because there was a small bug or error.

  Happiness. It’s something we all seek, right? Okay, I would say it’s something we receive as a gift, rather than something we can seek by all means, whatever good or evil... It is something we encounter, we find, we come across with. If we look for it in a selfish way, we will not find it. If we seek it by living through an enriched life, a life which is full of human plenitude and dignity, we will find it for sure. And as well we should bear in mind that happiness is something we find together with Him, with God; otherwise we will not find it, for man and woman are persons that need the transcendent, what is transcendent. As well we should take into account that we are children of God, and that may make us feel happy too. I think all this is so from what I’ve read in literature, philosophy, anthropology, theology, and seen in some people’s lives. Plus some experiences I’ve lived through. Well, you know, most of you could also add nice brush-strokes to what I’m ...

  Today I’ve sent some wishing Merry Christmas and a happy 2018, by emailing. Why not send you all my readers the same seasons greetings? Here you are, in Spanish, English and German – I adore languages! Os deseo a todos una Feliz Navidad y un magnífico 2018. No os puedo escribir a cada uno y al menos lo hago a todos en general. Pido por vosotros y vuestras familias. Y os encomiendo a la Familia de Nazaret: san José, la Virgen María y el Niño, para que estéis muy cerca de Ellos. Contad con ellos para las cosas de cada día. Y que tengáis un buen arranque de 2018. I entrust you all to my beloved holy Family of Nazareth. They were – and are! – Baby Jesus, his adorable Mom Mary, and his dearest Dad Saint Joseph. To them, and in some way, I consecrate you all, for you to stay close to each one of them, now and in the remaining of 2018. Look, Jesus Christ, true God and true Man! He has taken our flesh to open us Paradise doors! You can turn to him for your everyday things and...

  Pheeew! We’re starting the new school year and we need some help, for example by visiting Angela Watson’s blogs. Today I wanted to write a bit about our youngsters. Although sometimes we might think otherwise, young people are passing through an age prone to high ideals. They’re capable of all that is great. They’re generous enough to face great ideals. We should not forget this point. And when talking with them we should pull from the strokes that show they’re capable of those big things in life. I think I’m writing about this issue later or even tomorrow. But please bear in mind about this point: young people can be determined and prone to great ideals. And you may think of the many volunteers who enroll in big enterprises in favor of refugees, or the poor, or the illiterate, or the elderly… or just they’re great citizens or might be so, who can make our countries great too! / Photo from: Police helicopter ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation

  All of us want to work well and carry it out fine at this beginning of the school year, right? And all this blog is about trying to teach effectively and how to learn effectively too. I can assure you that our work makes us better persons. Even and because we have a spiritual part of ourselves we can elevate that work to a transcendent sphere. We can do it with supernatural “lenses”: we can offer it to God our father. As simple as that. And the consequence is that we are transforming that work into something that not only makes us better but also makes us saints in everyday life – remember we have elevated that nice work into something supernatural and we can count on his supernatural help. So we can be happy while working, though we may have some problems, even dire straits. And also we can hold an interior conversation with our dad God while working. I mean, from the ordinary and regular things that occur to us we can tell him about our problems and joys, and in...

  We teachers have a lot to say to our students, their families and all humankind. Also if we’re Christians. A lot of people live as if God our dear Father would not exist. And he does! A friend of mine doesn’t believe in God and the poor man lives as if we human people would be the victims of fate. And that’s not the case at all. I respect my friend a lot, and listen to him. And that transcendent stuff can be said and shown in our everyday teaching and working. We teachers are or may be great humanists, and have the elixir of happiness or may have it. A creature, a person, who listens to our teaching can feel comforted because of our competent working, and trying our dear students would learn a lot of useful things for their lives as citizens of this our dear western world. I’m referring to both knowledge and abilities as well. We teachers don’t confine our work to just fulfilling a report or chart we have to show to our boss: we can have a great soul with plenty of ...

I'm a bit resting today. I have a lot to say on coming posts. Today I wanted, as I said, to rest and to express my love for Ireland and her people and her folk-lore. - I think I've been to the castle on the picture: I guess it's Cashell, is that right? It's in the center of the island, a bit to the west. My family roots come from the north of Spain, Cantabria namely, where the Celts settled a zillion years ago and whose landscape resembles Ireland in some way. / Photo from: helloireland com

  I have some stuff for posting, but today I wanted to write about something necessary both for the teacher and for the students, which is resting and relaxing. All that’s also one teacher’s duty, because amid other reasons the teacher has to spend long with his family and recover strength for next battle. By the way I pray God for peace in so many countries. As I was saying he should stay and remain with his family. In Spain for example we’ve had – where I live, in Granada – some short vacations or holidays, celebrating the Holy Week plus Easter. I was also thinking that the teacher has to learn how to keep his family in peace and harmony: it’d be strange a teacher would be able to pacify the classroom and not his own home… And this harmony passes alike through politeness at home: thanking the helping out, asking for in a nice and kind way, etc. And concerning the spouses I could say that there should be communication between them two, for instance when their kids ...

  Creativity at teaching. Essential. Think of it. Teaching that is not creative is not teaching. But be easy, for you have many possibilities and chances of being creative at teaching, since you’re a committed teacher that passes by blogs about teaching, and stops to read posts. Also because any person is a principle of creation. So he or she are creative teachers. Also because each teacher, as each student, is unique, and I believe in your potential to teach in a creative way. I believe in you, in each teacher. And even more over your career years. The more veteran a teacher is the more creative he can be. But also let’s be careful we don’t innovate at all. A good teacher has to improve his teaching. As he can see the effects of his teaching on his students. I mean, if he sees his students are happier and happier, he’s on the right pathway. He tries – more specifically – each and every of his students would learn and progress as learners and persons. And this entai...

  Leaning on God. That helps quite a lot. The spiritual and supernatural resource and way may help a lot. In today western society we need it. The point is to live as in dollar bills is said: “In God we trust”. Spiritual life helps. The point also is having a transcendent view of life. I mean, transcendent viewing and thinking too. It gives us peace at everyday work, at everyday living. You may think of a teacher that has this transcendent vision of life: life may show a positive and optimistic vision. Obviously our students may also have this vision of life, which is so important today… as always anyway. And parents and families alike. Moreover we know that we are children of God, and not less than that! And that helps a lot, a great deal, as it’s been said. The power of prayer is fascinating. Think of whom we pray to. He’s our Dad, with awesome love of dads and moms! I can assure you living and working in this way is fascinating too – as many of you also know. Or ...

  Men and women, by nature, have to connect with other people. As simple as that. And they are happy if they seek other people be happy too. It’s something by nature. Men and women are social beings. It’s natural for men and women to wish and seek what’s good to others. Men and women are happy if they have friends. Friends to whom they may wish happiness. It’s the way things work and turn out well. Teachers are happy when they seek goodness to their students – plus their colleagues and students’ parents. So are things. It’s something we can’t change. Everyday teaching seeks goodness and happiness to students. I know you teachers try that way. Even because you’ve read so far, until this line of the post. And every single day, since you’re committed teachers, try hard to do things well. I’ve seen it. Why do I say all these things today? Look, there’s a huge and deep thirst for plenitude, happiness and love, among men and women today. And you can see it in novels and m...

  I told you all on post #3058 that communication inside marriage or between the boyfriend and the girlfriend is of a paramount importance, right? Well I knew of a marriage, not long ago, which got this interesting communication one day, by walking along a beach, in winter, like now, and they could talk between them and have small laughs. That’s just one example of getting and achieving communication, and getting to know each other, which is very important. They were strolling along the seaside and talking and laughing for pretty long; they two alone. At other circumstances, day by day, both marriage and courting couples should attain this marvelous communication, to get to know the other person well. Human being needs communication, and, by the way, we foreign or second language teachers can do a lot about all this. This post has been written from some notes I scribbled last Christmas, and I just wanted to let you know about it. Engagement is a basic and fundamental ...

  On the last post I told you about marriage love, right? Aristotle had to know a lot about it when he said that spouses’ love increases according they both grow in virtues and values – virtues and values thus would enamor each other. Maturity also makes that love increase. When years pass, that love can increase too: each spouse tries the other be happy, and this latter point makes you mature a lot, I’d say. Love is a feeling, first of all, chronologically I mean, according to psychiatrist Enrique Rojas, but love is not only feeling and sentiment, but also it is love of benevolence – think about what I said that in marriage each spouse tries the other one be happy. As well it has something of saying, “Okay, I would like to share my life with you, forever.” In other words, both spouses wish to live with the other one: it’s like saying “Okay, it’s so great you exist!” So we have love is a feeling, benevolence love too, sharing common life too, plus reason: not only hea...

Last Christmas I read about a marriage whose love to each other was so extraordinary… and ordinary too. It was a non-fiction text. In that couple you could see so marvelous love is within marriage. Now I would try to tell you about it, in brief lines. The main point was that each spouse desired and wished the other spouse be happy, up to the point each person would forget about himself or herself, in some way. Each spouse did not seek him or herself in a selfish and egoist way: they sought the other’s happiness, as I said. Something practical they did to maintain and hold their mutual love alive was to dedicate and devote some daily time for communication with each other. Ok, but what if they had children and these latter ones would like to tell about their own things? I can assure you their children signified a union and joining point for those two people. However they also tried to save some special time for communication between them two, maybe when their dearest childre...

  We teachers should bear in mind we have a great help for our dear daily teaching: the transcendent. We can lean on the transcendent. Man has a thirst for the transcendent. We can turn to God, and count on his big help, and this is a grand truth! As well on his blessed mother, and our mother alike, Saint Mary. We human people have a soul, some spiritual part of ours: this is a plain truth, I’d say. Material things are okay, but we also need the spiritual. We long for love and happiness. And we can see it in novels and films, is that right? We need transcendent values, we cannot confine to material stuff, which is okay anyway! / Photo from: Osterrike-Alpene www comwest fi. We also long for beauty! And that’s a beautiful photo. - I think it is from Finland.

  Young people have to be rebellious, in the good sense. Rebellious against what makes them be mediocre and common place. They have to be rebellious nowadays, against what makes them become like beasts. Because the young people who don’t find obstacles cannot be good and virtuous: they show themselves as good when they find obstacles to jump over: hard times, wars, lack of what’s necessary for living, hard day-to-day, even just daily education! Now there are good young people at many places: those who have to behave as human people at those difficult and tough situations, or at simple daily situations too! For example they don’t want to be dragged by drugs, alcohol, sex, but they want to be as they are, human beings. Spanish famous doctor and writer Gregorio Marañón used to say a good young person is good when he or she has to find obstacles in their way, because good with no difficulties is simple and easy. He wrote about this in an article of 1966. Think now of a ...