Have you ever wished you could get into the mind of your TEFL teacher and know what they’re thinking? Take a look at our list of top things your TEFL teacher wishes you knew.
1. We know when you’re lying.
Teachers are a bit like parents – we want the best for you, we do our best to encourage you, and we know when you’re letting yourself down. This means if you come to class with the excuse that your dog ate your homework or you say you finished the reading assignment when you didn’t, we know. Even if there is no proof (i.e. lack of the homework paper) the fact that you haven’t done the work will be obvious to us – teachers can tell who is prepared and who isn’t. If you haven’t done the work, don’t lie about it – just be honest with us. We’d rather you told us the truth than tried to pull the wool over our eyes.
2. We want you to trust us.
If we propose a game or activity that doesn’t sound like it’s going to help you learn – trust us. We took the time to plan this lesson and chose the activity for a reason. It mightn’t be clear to you straight away, but everything we do in the class is for a purpose. Likewise, if you want to work with certain classmates for group work and we say no, there’s usually a good reason. Trust us.
3. We’re human too.
Students come from all different backgrounds and have different experiences. Sometimes a student is having a good day, and sometimes a bad one. Teachers are the same – we have lives outside of the classroom, we have bad days, we get bad news, and sometimes we lose confidence in ourselves just like students do. Be kind to your teacher. Like all important jobs, teaching can also be a difficult job. We don’t want to be the butt of your jokes, we just want to encourage you, nurture you, and help you to enrich your lives.
4. We believe in you.
As TEFL teachers, we’ve dedicated our lives to helping you succeed in learning the language. Don’t ever think that your teacher doesn’t like you, or doesn’t believe in you – we do. We want you to reach your goals, and we believe you can do it too.
Want more learning tips? Visit our Language Learning Tips blog. Or find a Shane English School near you.
About the Author
Celia Jenkins is a TEFL teacher and freelance writer living in the UK. She spent five years teaching English in China and Japan and now teaches Skype lessons to students around the world. She writes pedagogical articles, travel guides, and stories for children.
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