Thoughts about teaching English

Well, teaching English is just awesome!

For almost a month now I am helping my sister improve her English so that she can take and pass an English proficiency test and receive a certificate, which is very useful for her job-wise. Since I am studying English Language and Literature and since I have attended courses concerning effective teaching and since at the next semester I will be sent to observe an English class and then do the teaching myself, I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and gain a bit of teaching experience.


Although I've always found the idea of me helping someone learn something and enabling him or her to broaden his or her horizons, fascinating, I get terrified when I imagine myself at the centre of a class unable to convince the students to stop making noise. This is what happened many times -and probably still happens- to my high school English teacher, as only few of us (we may or may not be known as the nerds) chose not to talk to the person next to us. And this is what I am afraid that is going to happen to me as well. Of course, now I have a few ideas of how to deal with these situations but you can never predict the reaction of the learners. However, since we are now talking about just one person, my sister, and an adult, which is astonishingly easier to discipline if needed, I left my fear behind and I concentrated on the teaching-learning process. 

As you probably know, nothing comes easy in this life, so two problems have come up. First, we live in two different cities. But technology provides the solution and we use Skype for conducting our lessons. The second problem is the listening practice. My student (😊) can't even hear the mp3 file. Until I buy a loudspeaker, I call her on the phone and I place it near the computer's speaker. 

Apart from these difficulties, I see that I enjoy our lessons more than I expected. I find it really fascinating when I see that she understands and she is able to use the rules or functions that I am explaining to her. The most satisfying feeling is when she is willing to express her thoughts or questions in English. I love it that she feels comfortable to experiment with the language without being scared or hesitant at the thought of making mistakes.

So, I am really excited with this new life experience because not only do I get to help my sister out but also I realize that I would love to work as an English teacher, which is something that I wasn't sure of before. 

Do you like the English language?