TEACHING

We all have an idea what TEACHING is or what it should be. But do we really know what TEACHING is all about?

I address the issue because when it comes to English, people tend to choose any person speaking the language, or very often a native speaker, as their teacher without considering the fact that TEACHING is a profession that requires special skills. Will you be able to teach your native language to foreign students? As a result, students end up changing teachers while blaming themselves for not being gifted with the ability to learn a foreign language.

No doubt that a native speaker can be an excellent teacher provided TEACHING is a profession to them. TEACHING a language as a second language requires a special approach. TEACHING a language is not only about speaking the language, it is about TEACHING it.

Let me tell you what TEACHING means to me.

• TEACHING is the process of attending to people’s needs, experiences and feelings.
• My strength is that I work hard to understand each individual student’s learning style and try to determine the way of teaching that would correspond to it in the best way.
• I believe in a strong partnership worthy of the investment. Reliability, consistency and respect are the key aspects of a successful co-operation.

1. KNOWLEDGE / RESOURCE
No teacher can know everything. Neither do I pretend to know everything. However, the teacher is the one who must know how to find out what the student needs to learn and what he or she is looking for in the frame of the defined objective. The teacher is the one who teaches the student how to use the acquired information.

2. COMMUNICATION
Communication is the process by which information is transmitted so that an understanding brings about results. Effective communication is to understand and to be understood.

3. SUPPORT
A teacher must act as a support person to his or her student. Support can come in many forms such as a mentor, leader and even a counselor. Support is about understanding the needs and abilities of each student. It is the student who is responsible for the results, but it is the teacher who shows the student the way to achieve the results.

4. LEARNING
Anyone who has been involved in the profession long enough knows that there is always something new to learn. A good teacher is always growing in life and will never claim that he or she knows it all. A professional teacher will be challenged every day with a new task that will help him or her grow into a better person.

LEARNING
And what does the LEARNING procedure involve?
The right MINDSET!

• Determination
• Conscious approach
• Consistency
• Patience
• Trust in the teacher