Experiences of a teacher of English

  I think most teachers are hard-working and committed, as I’ve seen. However, we teachers could fall on the following pit: to think, well, I have such and such lessons to teach, let’s see if I can just teach them and then I will do what I really like to do. Thus we could get alienated with our professional work.  What I mean is that someone could have the mind of just fulfilling my contract and not to move a single finger to do something which is out of my contract.  I know that most teachers exceed their strict contract and do quite many other things, starting with working also at home on planning lessons, making homegrown material, grading tests, etcetera. Also giving yourself to your dear students.  What I mean today is that a teacher is there to serve and help out other people … as most teachers actually do.  I want to see you even enjoying teaching lessons. Let’s go to our post with that mentality every day. And we'll be happier. And when lesson planning y...

  You may be at the summer break now, if you’re a teacher in the north hemisphere. Anyway, I hope this post can help any teacher wherever you may be in our dear planet.  So you may have had a hectic and busy school year, as any teacher has. And you now seek to rest, relax, and rejuvenate yourself, right? Also because you want to start again in fall to give yourself to your work as a teacher. I think you have good ideas thus.  Even more, when the new school year begins, you wish to give yourself to your dear students, as I’ve seen in many many teachers: in class a good teacher gives him or herself to their students so that these ones may really learn and work and study. And they end up tired after the class - the teacher I mean.  As well what about considering to also give yourself – in that way – to their families? Even also to your colleagues the other teachers? The good teacher can be like a light beacon who lights up the place where he or she works, also the perso...

  A teacher needs to have enthusiasm for his or her teaching. And they will show that enthusiasm when teaching, at least sometimes it will be shown.  Now I can remember a teacher, some weeks ago, one who teaches English, and one day in class you could notice his eagerness when writing on the whiteboard and trying to explain something in English.  I know some of you may have disruption and discipline problems in class, and you may be fighting against that problem, but what I mean is that a teacher oughtn’t to have lukewarmness and indifference, and feel kind of well you are there to fill out your lessons with a minimum effort, and you’ll be paid.  You cannot be one with indifference toward your teaching and your students. And I know that most of you teachers are committed and try and do your best in class.  Notice that most of times your students get motivated if you also are so.  One should not teach with some paper notes which are old and getting yellowish...

  Let’s see. Do we really want teaching quality? We do, I guess. It depends mostly on the teacher’s quality. If we wish to improve our classroom teaching, well, we have to better ourselves as teachers. And I do know many of you are trying and working on it.  If we wish our schools improve, then let us improve as teachers ourselves. And that is fulfilled on regular and ordinary days, like today!  Now I’m reading a book on Spanish teacher and teachers’ teacher Tomás Alvira (1906-1992). And he stated that quality on education (and we as teachers are also educators) is accomplished through quality on the teacher.  A teacher needs to gain virtues, or values, like a strong will, imagination, dedication, a thorough personality, a strong vocation, attention, motivation to also motivate the kids or adults …  That teacher ought to have a nice and strong will, otherwise how is he or she going to get their students interested in the school subject?  Something else. A t...

  Working as a teacher? Wonderful it may be.  Today I wanted to tell you that a teacher needs resources for his or her teaching, for example a coursebook. And perhaps some others.  Yet we must bear in mind that the main resource, say, is the teacher him or herself. And we must take care of them. For they, as I said, constitute and make up the main source for lessons.  And it’s him or herself who have to invest their best in class. Which is something quite common amongst teachers, although they have to fight against many negative factors, like bad classroom behavior from their students, or some parents who seem to be against those teachers. On another post we could say something about that latter point – now I will simply say that quite many other parents are totally in favor of the teachers.  You know, being a teacher is kind of a hard profession and anyone of us can see how they strive to do their best.  If we have happy and committed teachers, likely less...

  Some days ago I read something like: The key to success at education and teaching is a motivated teacher. And I agree so much. Also I have seen it. Motivated teachers make education something successful. I’ve seen it. If the teacher is motivated, there will be success at teaching. We teachers have to fulfill our duty as such teachers, because we’re paid for that… but up to some extent we must also be “volunteers”: we teach because we wish so and not only because we’re paid. I’ve seen it, as I said. In that way teaching becomes something of an art. I ought not to be kind of obsessed whether I’m paid okay or not. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean we should not be paid accordingly to justice but we must love our job as teachers. I’ve written quite much about this on this blog and I believe in that: a motivated teacher likely has success at his teaching and his educating persons. Have a nice day! / Photo from: Madrid Time Out. An enamored eye can see beauty wh...

  Self-discipline. That is just necessary. It is not enough we think we can manage the classroom. It is necessary for the students to have and develop self-discipline. Yes, because only in that way they’ll set to work and learn. And self-discipline can be taught to those students. How? Well, explaining to them the advantages and necessity of working and trying to learn, this is, making them think! And we’ll implement this with the advertising psychology: repeating the same message both with similar words and in different modes also, and often with a challenging smile. Self-discipline is paramount: it’s the students the ones who have to wish to learn. When we achieve our students would wish to learn, the road is open to us. Alike we’ll reinforce our students’ discipline by telling them what they’re doing fine and making them recognize and rationalize what’s wrong about their behavior and attitude. Self-discipline: it is necessary to make our students grow and increas...

  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 ...

  We teachers should love our students and their families, and our colleagues, with love of benevolence, is this right? Okay thus we have to wish what’s good for our students for instance. And we can desire and wish the best for our students if we teach them to also love with love of benevolence. We teachers cannot confine to look for and seek class resources, say, technical resources and that’s it. We teachers have to give our students chances of being happy. How? Teaching them to transcend themselves through love of benevolence toward others, say, their classmates, well and in the first place God himself. They should not seek themselves but wish the best for their classmates. Inasmuch as they forget about their immanency, about themselves they can become happy. We teachers have the experience: when we do not confine to fulfill a schedule and that’s it but we seek teaching our students for life, we are hitting the target right on the center. / Photo from: rainy_d...

  Acts of piety and devotion, on regular days, help us be contemplative of our Father God... In the middle of the street. For us ordinary people. They are the main things to do every day: attending the Holy Mass, saying the rosary, reading the New Testament for a few minutes, visits to the Eucharist tabernacle, where Jesus Christ is hidden, present though. We don’t lose time by carrying them out! And they really don’t subtract us time for the work, the family… all the way around: they help us carry out all those things. Be sure. / Photo from: www injuriesandaccidentsnyc com

  I’ve seen in your eyes you’re in love. Today I wanted to tell you that joy and happiness and the great things of life, the grandeur of daily life attracts our students, who get more prone to work and learn and acquire English. If you arrive at the classroom with a big smile, one that can hide your sorrows, you’ll pass on your students a grand resolution to make good use of time, of the time allotted to learn and acquire English! / Photo from: Las Meninas, by Spanish painter Velázquez, 17 th century. Museo del Prado, Madrid. It is a famous painting in the history of fine arts.

We teachers should learn our dear students have multiple intelligences, and so they learn visually, in a space-like way, interpersonally, linguistically... Let’s teach bearing this premise in mind – we may have large classes but it’s helpful we know our students well!  We have a nice responsibility: we don’t just teach but as well educate persons. Education in getting good habits (virtues) too.  And mastering English is something just expected and assumed in us English language teachers. There’s some idea in Spain novice teachers ought to pass a professional examination, like the one future doctors take... We teachers should also recycle our knowledge, methodologies and practice!  In my blog, to the right hand there are two nice links both to British-Council-BBC and to TeacherLingo, with material made by real teachers! Are we enamored of our profession?

Os escribiría uno a uno, pero sois muchos… gracias a Dios. Que paséis una Navidad con Jesús, Dios y hombre, muy acompañados por él, hecho un bebé, con su madre bendita Santa María y con San José. Y que 2016 sea un año vivido también con Jesús, María y José. About a bit more than 2,000 years ago God became incarnate and took flesh, as Jesus, true God and true man. May he be with you, together with his mom, Saint Mary, and his dad, Saint Joseph. May 2016 be grand for you and yours too.

Many people think happiness is for other people, for instance, wealthy people, successful ones, attractive ones, etc.  And they connect happiness with special things or circumstances: I shall be happy after these examinations, with another profession, with another wife, etc.  And they don’t know how to reach happiness in regular circumstances and days.  And happiness will be reached when they decide not to be happy, otherwise when they give themselves to their family, and friends, and students, and God, ultimately.  In this way they likely could reach some level of happiness.  Now I’m telling an extreme case. One day a reporter said to Theresa of Calcutta: I wouldn’t do what you do though I would be given a million dollars. Theresa’s answer was: neither would I. / Photo from: popeandteresa redelapaz bligoo cl

As important as work is relaxing and resting, for us teachers. Today is Sunday.  Many people dedicate this day, amid other things to the Lord Jesus Christ. You can find many a thing if reading for example the New Testament of the Bible, for instance in the four gospels.  It’s also a day to spend a lot of time to the family. Our children need not only Mom but as well Dad.  He can devote much time to his wife and children on this day.  One special time can be for us Christians to attend the Holy Mass with our family. A family that prays together will stay close together.  I would say Dad can help out at home, but I recognize that women have a special gift for the house care. Dad can grab the tool kit and fix something at home too. / Photo from: general-motors-suggests-washing-car-as-mothers-day-gift www autoevolution com

One day a young female teacher felt distressed because she had a lot of exams to correct and grade.  She said it to another teacher inadvertently, and this one, also an English teacher, offered himself to correct and grade some of the tests.  I think this latter teacher did good, albeit he wasn’t the teacher of those classes proper. That is very nice. I don’t know what happened later on. / Photo from: teacher-and-blackboard posdru137974 ccvaslui ro

  Thank you Ukrainians for your pageviews. I do know you’re suffering dire-straits. My prayers go there, for each Ukrainian. You’re one of the countries that visit my blog the most, thank you again. I'd love to visit your country. / Photo from: beautiful landscape. hdw eweb4 com

Only love can make everyday things be different, and not just a routine.  Love to God, love to my family, love to the students and their families… can make everyday things look different. It’s so because you’re focused on doing those things by looking after little things.  These ones make each class be different, and each student unique and subsequently different.  Love can make you look after details, which makes classes into something human and humane. / Photo from: daylife com. dublin irish police officers stand guard outside the Bank of Ireland

She was new and rookie at that secondary education center.  She had to suffer dire straits: her students were so cunning so as to find a crevice in her conducting to be disruptive. The poor girl was choked. Sometimes she cried, bitterly.  A male teacher of the same department noticed all this. She was careful nobody be aware about her suffering.  One day the male teacher could not stand any longer and addressed her tactfully, and made her give vents. She was crying.  However, since that day he started to monitor her conducting, and even he asked her about her stuff. The relationship was closer and closer, and one day she asked her to stroll about the nearby park, so as she to say all her trouble.  One day he took her right hand and told her to be clear, come on: he would assist and help her with her first classes.  They really fell in love with each other, and started to go out often, after the school classes.  In the...

I would tell you that happiness is a consequence of seeking not yourself (only) but the people around you and their happiness: your family, your friends, your colleagues…  Moreover, if you’re a Christian (or otherwise), remember that we’ve been called to become saints (!). Me a saint? Well the sanctifier is God, and we try to correspond to his help, his grace.  A full happiness we will have it in Heaven or Paradise, if we correspond, as I said, and thanks to His limitless mercy.  In a school I worked in, the students might go to the sacrament of penance at certain times in the week or every two weeks. So as to finish: we can be happy when we assert to live as children of God and of his mother (and ours), the Most Holy Virgin Mary. / Photo from: TEACHER.jpg. www slate com