Teach English in Chukou Zhen - Chenzhou Shi

Charlie Munger once said, “Being an effective teacher is a high calling.” This is one of the mottos I live by as an educator for nine years. If every teacher of English realizes that teaching is a noble service to pupils learning the language, that it involves exercising essential personal characteristics, more and more positive things will happen in and out of the English classrooms. English teachers have to have a strong work ethic. Regardless of the company’s imperfections, they uphold the mission and vision of the company and perform their job to the best of their ability. They help their company succeed in producing English speakers. They respect their employment contract by fulfilling the required working hours, and they show integrity by using their working hours wisely in preparing lessons and carrying out well-planned English lessons observed or unobserved. They carefully think about the lesson objectives by making it sure that the children will practice the four macro skills -- listening, speaking, reading and writing. Moreover, they display sufficient focus to complete assigned tasks on time -- submitting lesson plans, writing reports or feedback, proposing English school activities, checking English workbooks or homework and other paper work. Dealing with children of different nationalities, English teachers should be empathetic and understanding. Unlike the children in their home countries, their kids are raised differently by their parents. Therefore, English teachers should be thoughtful about how their children behave in class and should be knowledgeable and careful in dealing with them tenderly. In my classes, I have Chinese assistant teachers. I cooperate with them regarding my students’ behavior. Though my assistant teachers translate for me, as the main teacher, I should be able to apply counseling procedures for the Chinese students who are handfuls in my classes. English teachers should also go extra mile for their learners. Most of the parents of the kids I teach in our bilingual school are businessmen; they are busy. Therefore, they do not have enough time to supervise their kids and look at their English homework. Aside from that, they are Chinese, and they do not have sufficient English background. English teachers should be ready for tutoring kids or having English remedial classes. Great English teachers exude remarkable flexibility and creativity. They adapt to the culture of the country they are in and are willing to learn more about their society. They consider the language background of their learners and plan relevant drills, activities and games. They quickly respond to the changing needs of their students. Even if I have taught primary English here at my school for eight years, I still have to revise the lesson plans I have previously made and adjust them according to what kind of classes I have. Some classes are active, but some classes are passive. Therefore, English teachers should regulate lesson procedures and incorporate appropriate activities and games depending on the type of classes they have. English teachers should also be equipped and initiate in providing brilliant ideas for the kids to be immersed in English. They can suggest English materials, or even propose English school activities provided that they are approved by the school or even the government educational system. In my school, we are not allowed to inculcate too much of the Western culture as the school is asked to maintain the Chinese traditions. For example, if it is the season for Thanksgiving, we just adapt the idea of it letting the kids express their gratitude to their parents, teachers and friends, but not necessarily doing exactly what the Westerners do on Thanksgiving Day. English teachers should also have the willingness to learn, if not a lot, just some of their native language, so they can better understand where their language pronunciation and structure mistakes come from. Having some background in Chinese helps me understand why they use the word “because” at the beginning of their sentences. I have the chance to differentiate writing the conjunction “because” in English structure from Chinese. Good English teachers have a depth of knowledge in English. They consistently study grammar points and functions and are aware of the pronunciations of difficult words. They attain and maintain mastery of their own subject matter, and they are always prepared to answer questions from non-English speakers. I’m not a native English speaker, so I have to keep learning and improving and be sure about what I teach my kids. Even my Chinese assistant teachers ask me about the structure, so I have to be expert and unquestionable with regard to the information I give. Furthermore, English teachers should always be updated with current events, Internet trends, and modern technology, for the up-to-date ideas can be used in classrooms and in some activities for higher level English students. For example, vlogging is famous nowadays, so an English teacher can use it as an activity for the higher-level English learners to practice promoting a product in English. English teachers should be able to get on the bandwagon which can be beneficial for effectively carrying out English classes. Great English teachers have a sense of humor. Despite the language barrier, they use English to carry out light jokes and fun times in the classroom, thus, making the exhausted kids lighten up and receive English readily. It is actually one of the ways to check if the learners understand English. English teachers should develop the ability to play naturally with English vocabularies, sentences, ideas or concepts to make learning fun in the classroom. Being animated and witty while teaching English will not only sustain the learners’ attention, but will also stimulate laughter or smiles on their lips, thus making English a pleasurable subject to learn. Once the students can already use English to tell jokes, it means they have a good grasp of what and how English is. While teaching the universal language, English, is challenging and demands English language teachers to demonstrate vital attributes for the non-English speakers to learn the language, it is a great opportunity to help them develop English skills which are their keys for opening the doors of global opportunities.