Teach English in Huangsangkou Zhen - Huangshi Shi

Being a teacher is a blessing and a curse as you have to deal with situations that not only are frustrating but they demand of an immediate solution. Students may become totally dependent on the teacher. Especially absolute beginners and young learners tend to cling to their teachers as they feel more secure and confident. The teacher in this case, should give them a lot of praise, encouragement and make them feel more confident in participating into the learning procedure. The problem becomes even bigger if the students tend to use their mother tongue (native language) in a monolingual curriculum. This happens when a student feels insecure or incompetent to express their thoughts or asking for help from another student. The teacher here as a monitor or manager will encourage them to use the English language despite the difficulties they may face. By practicing and improving both productive and receptive skills a student gains confidence. An additional problematic situation a teacher will face in class is reluctant students or students who constantly try to disturb the teaching procedure. At some point and for no reason at all, some students seem to be indifferent as they tend to participate less and aren’t willing to do their homework or cooperate in class. Even if an experienced teacher uses a lot of pair work or role play activities they don’t manage to keep their interest alive. This becomes even worse when cultural, psychological or family matters blend. A TEFL teacher should be firm and institute discipline if needed. If it continues to happen, a teacher must address the school’s director and the students’ parents. What is more, a troubleshooting situation is when excellent students try to dominate. It is not rare the phenomenon that students with an excellent in class performance try to “steal the show” by imposing their pace or making an impression. These students interrupt the teacher or other students while speaking, creating a feeling of stress and chaos. Being myself a teacher, it is crucial that you encourage weaker or more introvert students to participate by giving them time and space to express themselves and use the language feeling no guilty of making mistakes. It is crucial that a teacher should make clear the rules that exist in a class environment and make sure that all students follow them otherwise there are penalties for not obey them. Furthermore, there is also the problem of the late arrival in class. Some students tend to enter the classroom late interrupting the teaching procedure. When the lesson has started it is frustrating for other learners to follow up. There is a general disorientation and the teacher needs more time to bring them back into class. A teacher should have a private talk with these students explaining them that they must be punctual otherwise there are consequences for not obeying the rules. The rules are for everyone to obey both teachers and students. That is why a well prepared teacher must always be a bright example to imitate! Last but not least, another important issue to take into consideration is the fact that sometimes a lesson didn’t go as planned. A lot of in class practice or plenty of class discussion upon interesting topics might lead to deviation from the original lesson plan. At this point the teacher has to remain calm and try to teach part of the lesson if there is time left. As a conclusion, being a TEFL teacher is a whole new world full of challenges and emotional rewards. Regardless the difficulties that may rise, a well prepared teacher who loves the job will overcome any obstacle with respect to themselves and to the students. As Phil Collins once sail “In learning you will teach. And in teaching you will learn”.