April 10th, 2012
Writing this kind of reflection is never easy for me, but I will try and
do my best.
As for the first item, I must say
my personal goals are related more specifically to learning about ESP. I have
always heard about it, but never been a student in an ESP class, let alone a
teacher. I get the impression that ESP teaching is an interesting job, with
career prospects and job opportunities, and that, once I have had the proper
training and gained enough experience, it would suit me very well. What is
more, it seems likely that people who take up ESP lessons are old and
personally motivated enough to make an effort to learn English, or at least more
so than kids and teenagers for whom studying the language is not a personal choice.
On the other hand, material
design is not something I am very fond of and not something I find easy to do,
in all honesty. So another personal challenge (and goal) I take up is to learn
how to go about it in the hope that it will become easier for me and, in being
easier, it will also be something I enjoy more than I do at present.
Regarding TEYL, I am interested
in acquiring and learning some strategies to teach children in a way that is
appealing to them. Even though I have taught English to many kids, I still do
not quite get the grasp of how to make them enjoy the process of learning, and
that is something I need to become familiar and comfortable with.
Moving on to my perceived
strengths as a teacher, there are a few. First, I am patient with students, and
even when I am frustrated, angry, or disappointed at them, I never let up or
give up on them, and keep trying to help them develop English skills and to
grow as person. Second, I constantly try to improve as a teacher and as a
person myself, and I try, too, not to be to complacent with my abilities as a
teacher. I am always trying to learn from other teachers and my students, and I
try to be humble enough to acknowledge my flaws and mistakes. Finally, I also
make an effort to become involved (in a healthy way) with my students' lives,
so that I can not only teach them, but also create bonds with them in a way
that will help them grow from every aspect.
Weaknesses, I have many, as well.
To begin with, I found that I sometimes seem to harsh to my students because I
do not control the tone of my voice. I have been told a few times that,
unknowingly to me, my voice seems to be a bit authoritarian and tough, when it
is completely unnecessary. Not knowing how to include creative ideas in my
teaching is also a difficulty I have. Very often I come up with ideas that I
think would be nice to incorporate in the classroom, but then I never seem to
find the time to give them a proper shape and make them fit in my teaching, and
instead, I get stuck with doing the same thing every class. Finally - and I
think this is my major weakness as a teacher – it very usually happens to me
that if students are not being enthusiastic and are tired and unwilling to
work, their emotions become contagious and it is almost impossible for to try
to be active or enthusiastic myself!
To work on that problem, this
year I will attempt to remind myself of this difficulty at the beginning of
each class and learn how to deal with students' moods in a way that, without
creating an unwanted response (such as them getting angry at me for being
"phonyly" perky or chipper), I can manage to keep my good spirits and
hopefully "infect" them
with "good vibes." I think I could also make sure that I devote some
time to preparing special activities for those days in which students are not
at full speed, so that I am ready to deal with the situation in a way that is
productive for both me and the students.
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