Monty Python returns
Teaching can be rewarding, stressful, frustrating, or even downright funny
What follows are a few (slightly adapted) classroom conversations. Although they might be familiar to you, I hope you’ll find them entertaining.
A teacher's lot
A week in the life of an English teacher
As Friday is my day off, I consider Saturday to be the start of my working week. Yes, that’s right, I work six days a week, not unusual if you work for a language school. Unlike Thai schools, the weekend is the busiest time for language schools.
The teacher's diary
One teacher's descent into madness
The diary is the sad and heartbreaking four-week journal of Mr Jim Elmdon - a teacher who came, saw, and failed miserably. Keep a box of tissues handy.
Rules and goals for the EFL classroom
Be Informed — when a student walks into my class he/she needs to be ready
Student behavior is nothing more than the rules teachers establish to govern students. For many teachers, these rules have one thing in common - they all begin with the word "NO.” The problem with this rationality is when a teachers states what cannot be done, no positive statement is made as to what will be done in a class - all negative rules do is highlight the bad.
Heaven and Hell
Tips for teaching kids
Don’t think teaching kids is easy, it’s not. Tie everything down that’s yours. Keep it in your pocket, your bag, briefcase, socks, travel pouch, wherever. Learn to enjoy singing.
Graduation day 2
It's time to buy flowers again
Comparing a regular college graduation to the posh uni graduation I wrote about last year. As with all sequels it's the same but different.
Still going nowhere
Still kicking the topic of teacher expectations around
A continuation of the previous weeks stuff. This time focusing on what and who the teacher can expect to be teaching and also the question of flithy lucre. What's in it for me?
Teacher training
A more peculiar approach to discipline
Bizarre, but non painful, punishments were in the news and one particular teacher was in trouble. But at least she was thinking 'out of the box' ( and possibly out of her mind as well) A theory as to why no real changes in the field of teacher training take place.
A worrying thought
Bizarre Thai student behavior
A slightly deep, for me at least, look into the psyche of learning. I begin by disecting the misonomer (or is it) " No one can teach anyone anything" and end up with a kid sticking his finger in a plug socket.
Caught by the privates
The perils of freelance teaching
From the thrill of the chase and actually getting your first private student to the cancellations there's never a dull moment when your trapped in a living room with an 8 year old and her Chinese granny.
