Getting the kids hooked young!
My goal is to not frighten the lives out of my students
I'm stepping back from the serious, academic approach and working on making my classes something that kids look forward to - even if they aren't learning as much.
The first days of the new school year
A new term usually means meeting new students
As you move into a new year with new classes, you may be considering what sort of impression you want to make on the students when you have your first lesson. What exactly should a teacher do in the first few lessons considering that these first impressions are so important?
Talk your problems through
Postbox letter from Simon
I worked with an overweight guy before. The kids would often mention his weight. It got him down and I felt bad for him. He wasn't the most confident or assertive fellow in the world, so I told him that he ever needs to chat, come and chat.
Be the worst teacher you can be
A guide to making life difficult for you and everyone else
There's simply not enough information on how to be a crap teacher and just coast by. There's almost nothing on how easily you can do things that can get you fired or at least lose you the respect of everyone around you.
Experience is often the best teacher
How can I improve my teaching practice next year?
One great idea that I picked up from a colleague this year was to invest in a laminating machine. You can pick one up for around 2,000 baht at sites like Lazada. Lamination effectively safeguards the durability and presentation of my teaching materials.
Are Thai teachers actually helpful?
Or is the foreign teacher better off without them in the classroom?
Before beginning my experience as a TESOL teacher in Thailand, way back when I was a newbie farang taking my TESOL course on Phuket, I was repeatedly assured by indifferent agencies and instructors not to worry because you will always share classrooms with Thai teachers that are there to help you.
My wishes
Reflecting on what I could have done better for my students
What had I achieved as a teacher, as a class?" "What had I given them? What had my students taught me during the past year?" So many moments of ups and downs, sheer joy and triumphs, but there were things I wish I could have done better.
Bad teacher!
Our experiences as students guide us as teachers.
It's painful to watch teachers model themselves on the teachers they specifically didn't like - a case of "Okay you lot, if you aren't going to listen, I'll do what Mr. D used to do to us in form 1. I hated that I was becoming Mr. D with my own students.
How to motivate your students
From using humor and surprise to employing reward structures
Boredom grows from predictability. An occasional taste of the unexpected will make everyone's learning experience more enjoyable.
Food and the classroom
Language teachers need nutrition expertise too!
Our students eat. That's a good thing, except that after sweet snacks things can get complicated. This is most noticeable (for me, anyway) with kindergarten children who can't inhibit their impulses. The cause?
