Teach English in XianguAn Zhen - Suqian Shi

An excerpt from the self-help book by Matthew Kelley says “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a Tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Indeed, every child is a genius in the making. Sadly, not every child has the opportunity to know the greatness in him. I believe such unfortunate circumstance can be tackled at school given that the school is a platform of transforming the lives of each and every child. The capacity to discover oneself can be achieved only by the help of a child’s immediate environment which is the – home and school. If home is wrecked, at least, the school can save a child’s bright future. I would look at each child as if he is a seed of hope that by my nurturing, the seed will grow and bear fruits some day by which the whole community will benefit. Such is the task of a skillful mentor. As a teacher, I believe it is my responsibility to nurture each child with patience, and conviction. Because every child is unique with different needs, a teacher should employ different techniques and strategies to penetrate the minds of these children so that ultimate successful learning can be achieved. I would define successful learning as self-discovery towards greatness. To be able to say “I am good”, “I am great”, “I know this”, “I can do this” would be the gifts I would like to impart on every child that enters my class. Every class session should be an opportunity to boost confidence, to fuel passion for learning. Step by step, one can build a confident child who wants to know more about the world. A child can embark on his journey of self-actualization with the careful nurturing and powerful mentoring of a teacher. Effective use of communication and effective use of reinforcement and reward are classroom strategies that I will employ in my classes. Engaging learners with innovative instructional strategies as well as stimulating their minds is also top of my priorities. A teacher can never go wrong with regular use of questions during discussions and interactions. That will engage and stimulate the class. Furthermore, the use of behavior contracts is a method that I will employ whereby I will involve the use of class rules and regulation to which any student who violates such rules and regulations is punished and such will act as a deterrent to others. Punishments will not be physical punishments but rather more closely related to the use of reinforcement and reward and its opposite principle. I personally believe that a teacher should be a model as ‘values are caught not taught’. Modeling is based on the principle that students follow the walk of mentors, so as a teacher, I should provide examples. Being prompt to class, courteous, patient, organized, and enthusiastic will bring positive results as to how my learners see me and they will see which behavior to exemplify. Also, teachers monitoring of instructions is an ideal strategy as it will ensure meaningful learning is taking place, and eliminate misunderstanding of concepts. Hence, a teacher should be moving around the classroom during classroom activities to check the learners’ progress. It is never an easy feat to be a teacher. For me, teaching is a noble profession that shapes diversity, culture, and the nation. This profession is a calling to celebrate uniqueness among the children and youth where there is acceptance, and safety measures inside the classroom environment, as in safe without fear of rejection and retribution in times of classroom mistakes and misunderstandings. Learning should always be fun inside the classroom. The lack of confidence, lack of motivation, and lack of focus are hindrances to learning that I as a teacher will utmost eliminate during my classes. Lastly, quality education can only be fostered by sincere teachers who believe in the power of education to transform lives. I would gladly dedicate my time, and my devotion to develop myself to be a good teacher who comes to class punctual, and always prepared. Therefore, I must also continue to build my professional knowledge, take additional course, attend workshops and conferences to be equipped. Taking this TEFL course is one of my first steps into becoming the teacher that I want to become.