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It's daunting. You walk into a group of students and they are all looking at you expectantly. It's the first day -- and you have signed up for this. You are a beginning teacher, but somehow you have to convince them that you know what you are doing. While I haven't yet taught my first ESL class, I have had the privilege of teaching --for the first time -- a group of 6th and 7th graders -- many of whom are children of Spanish speaking parents -- prepare for the rigors of Standardized Testing. In the United States, students in NYC must take a difficult test to gain admission to one of the better high schools in the City. With only a few days training, I have been dispatched to teach in a Middle School in Brooklyn, NY. In the back of my mind, amid memories of "To Sir With Love," the Sidney Poitier film that won many awards and inspired me to become a teacher -- even late in life -- after having had a career as a journalist -- is in my mind. I must find and convince my own "Miss Pamela's" and other students like in the film, that they can succeed. This class, that I have taken from you -- while about a different subject has given me alot of strategies -- as well as a sense that I too can succeed. Because while teaching ESL has its own specific challenges, the Biggest one, I believe, is common to all subjects a teacher must tackle -- believing in your own authority as a teacher. To walk in and pull this off, I learned, you must have a plan. That's where this class has helped me. One of the things that I have gotten from this course are the myriad of strategies for approaching the work of teaching. . One of the biggest aids to me has been the idea of constructing a lesson based on the Engage/Study/Activate Model. Learning to create this structure has been very helpful. Even today, after having read the last chapter, I thought about my first words to the class -- which would be a "Warmer" -- on the subject of Poetry. I got them engaged with a great quote and another poem, before we started studying the basics of what they would need to know for the test. They then were able to work quietly on their own (Study) -- and then Activate -- bringing it out and having them Live what they are Learning. This all relates to the subject at hand -- "gaining confidence" -- because every time I walk through the door and begin my class, I am terrified. But having a plan really helps. I have also been using "Pairs" work, as suggested in the class, as well as role playing, creating dialogues and story writing. The other key to gaining confidence is the trial and error aspect of teaching. It's important to see whether what you are trying to communicate is "landing" with the students. If it doesn't, it's crucial to be able to pivot and change strategies, so I think having alot of tools at your disposal is a big part of gaining confidence-- knowing that you are prepared for anything can help you walk through that door, and embody the role you are going to play.
