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ESL forum >
Message board > Is it really so easy to teach English???
Is it really so easy to teach English???
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Jackie1952
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Is it really so easy to teach English???
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I feel the need to vent.
I do revision classes at home for the children from my village, and on average, as I have a very wide age range of pupils, (4-10) I would say I spend at LEAST twice as much time in preparing my classes, as in the actual teaching.
I research the syllabus for each child, buy the appropriate text books, and make sure that what I am teaching at least follows what my kids are being taught in school.
Where I can, I extend and amplify for the more able students.
I have a (close) friend who also after her full time job gives revision classes in Maths and the local languages, Castellano and Valenciano.
Last week she asked me for a favour. She has a new pupil (age 12)who is failing in 5 subjects, including English, and asked if I would do her a few worksheets.
She is neither a qualified teacher, nor has a good level of English.
As she is my friend I agreed. She assured me the work was very easy, and only needed a few words.
I got a copy of the text book, the syllabus for teachers, and whilst in each unit there may only be 4 or 5 pages, the Introductory Unit and Unit 1 contain no less than 7 new grammatical structures.
She wants worksheets for all 6 Units in the book. ( A full year`s worth of teaching)
I don`t have any problem myself, being a native speaker and teacher, but isn �t it funny how anyone can just call themselves a teacher`, and think what they are giving to their pupils is "easy".
Nor do I object to helping my friend.
I object to the fact that people think teaching is EASY, and only involves the time spent in class.
If teaching English were that easy, my friend wouldn �t send her child to me for classes, would she?
I have suggested she send the child to me.................we`ll see. 
Teachers are never given the praise nor acknowledgement for the tremendous work they do.
I applaud you all.
Rant over 
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9 Apr 2012
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Minka
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Aaaah... a never ending story.... You must be a kind-hearted woman  I might do the same (not willing to argue), but would feel stupid afterwards. Knowing it isn �t stupid to help, it �s nice, but still... |
9 Apr 2012
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Mr Jazz
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Dear Jackie, you seem like a sensible woman. All I can tell you is don �t bother...
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9 Apr 2012
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Isabel L
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Dear Jackie,I stopped arguing loooong ago. I �ve heard that teaching English is easy from many people, including, of course, people who can �t speak any English (it seems that teaching English is easier than learning it  ). But what worries me most is that some education authorities must agree, as they think that a teacher of any subject can learn English in a couple of months so that they can teach their subjects in English.
After 20 years, I just try to do my work as well as I can and hope my students learn as much as possible.
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9 Apr 2012
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Yolandaprieto
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We, teachers are very often asked to do some work "for free" which, as you said, is never praised or acknowledged. It sometimes makes me see red because I would never ask my electrician or plumber neighbours to do anything for free in my house but they send me their children without even asking if I am free to help them with their homework or tests for the following day. I never dare say "no" but I would like them to understand that it takes time and effort to do it. It is really frustrating because our work is undervalued by too many people. My best wishes Yolanda |
9 Apr 2012
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Kamui
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Once someone asked me "what do you do?" then I said "I �m a teacher" and the person replied " Ok, but you don �t work?"
Lol.. Imagine how I felt..
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9 Apr 2012
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mjpa
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I really understand you Jackie. I do the same in my lessons. I try to personalise them as much as i can. If they are learning, let�s say, the present continuous tense, i do not just teach them it and give them exercises to review the present continuous. I try to "invent" my own exercises for the present continuous tense but including the vocabulary they are learning as well in the same unit.
And i feel really close to you when you say it�s takes you more time to prepare the lessons than to really teach them. It�s the same to me. For a lesson of an hour i can spend sevaral preparing it.
Many times i have tried to think and observe how other people do it with teaching. But i have come to the conclusion, time ago, that this is the only way it really works for me.
In my town there are many "academias" where lots and lots of children gather together in the same room (different ages, of course) and where they are taught different subjects at the same time. It seems it works for them. Not for me.
The ending conclusion is that my students pass their exams in a 99% of them. And they not only pass english. They get good marks. (obviously, there are exceptions).
I know there are more practical ways to do it, and more interesting from a financial point of view as well. But this is my way.
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9 Apr 2012
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Matthew@ELSP
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I understand and I echo that sentiment.
Many people can "teach" easily (in their own opinion that is).
The trouble is, whilst a kind favour is indeed a kind favour, there are, as with any job, things behind the scenes which a more experienced teacher will appreciate.
Using "appreciate" in a different sense, I hope your friend comes to appreciate (in both senses of the word) what you are doing for her/him.
I wish you the best of luck, and may all of our respective employers come to appreciate the effort we (gladly) put into preparation.
:)
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9 Apr 2012
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Gaby141
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I wish their was a �thumbs up � button for this one. I completely agree with you. I have done exactly the same, because many people think that you only need to be a �native speaker � to teach. A friend asked me why I helped others / gave my worksheets to help others. My opinion was that she would / could only do it a couple of times. She wouldn �t be able to answer student �s questions, nor explain complex grammatical rules. Teaching English and explaining grammar are skills we acquire through planning, hard work, and practise. Luckily this friend eventually said she couldn �t help this student anymore, because it was too difficult to explain, and she gave him my number. I hope your friend soon realises that it also takes more than a few worksheets preapred by others to call yourself a teacher. If not, then do not help any further and tell her she is now a teacher and encourage her to make her own worksheets or find her answers on the internet. Or, better still , take a course! Thank goodness for this website. At least here we are able to see that we are not alone in how much we prepare, and we can say thank you to eachother! Good luck Jackie! |
9 Apr 2012
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