Teach English in HuiquZhen - Weifang Shi

I couldn’t imagine myself doing the same things every day and expecting a different result for each day. It must be impossible. As what Stephen Covey said, “To achieve goals, you’ve never achieved before, you need to start doing things you’ve never done before. It is undeniable that variation and diversity make a situation more meaningful and fruitful. That’s why, as a teacher, I should keep on improving my knowledge and skills in order to teach my kids better and more effective than before. I can never think that I have a lot of experiences and they should be enough to teach my kids year after year. A good teacher responds to teaching challenges by bringing freshness and additional methods to what has been being in the done classroom. For that reason, self-analysis is an essential part of my professional development. I have been teaching kids in China for almost 5 years. From those experiences, I did my best to search of thematic games and fun games to make my students motivated and receptive to the lessons. I think that I did well from choosing games to deciding songs to use in my classes. However, there’s some point too that I have become repetitive of my teaching strategies and learning activities. They must stem from the fact that I feel my kids like those strategies and they tend to be open to learning. I can also sustain their attention and interest from those activities. So, I asked myself why would I change those strategies that I deem effective. However, after some time, I realized the need for self-reflection. I started questioning myself these questions: Will I do these strategies over and over again to my students? How can I make my teaching even more meaningful and more fun than before? My strategies are effective and I’m glad that I was able to plan and deliver those strategies in teaching my kids. However, a breath of newness in order to attain greater results should be done. There’s always a room for improvement and it will not hurt me if I will go an extra mile to upgrade my skills and knowledge so I can be a better teacher. In addition, what are the factors I should consider in evaluating my performance as a teacher? Based on the Teacher’s self-evaluation that can be found on this website www.donpugh.com/Education/questionnaires/TEACHER'S SELF-EVALUATION.pdf. These are the factors a teacher should consider for self-reflection: 1. I created and maintain in an atmosphere for learning. 2. I provide a motivational environment for my students. 3. I maintain a judicious balance between teacher-centered and pupil-centered activities. 4. I use effective questioning techniques. 5. I use varied and effective methods of presentation appropriate to the lesson content. These are just few of the points to consider. There are much more to discover when you open the website given above. There are many other resources too that give this kind of ideas. Therefore, as this school year ends, I should evaluate my performance. So, I should study and research for more information and teaching demonstrations so I can keep on improving as a teacher. I’m teaching kindergarten students, a very delicate group of learners. They are motivated by fun games and by establishing rapport. That’s why, as a teacher, I should never stop learning. Teaching presents a series of challenges and I should never assume that I have figured out all the answers after some years of teaching. There are always things I can learn from other teachers and other resources. I can also learn something new from my students. Consequently, teaching world is very wide and I’m discouraging myself to be complacent and to do things as I have done them on a regular basis. I should strive to be more creative and excellent. I think that continuously learning will enable me to be more competent in the field as well. Thus, making myself more valuable to the team. It will give me a sense of great accomplishment too because learning is never easy and it takes discipline and a willing heart to undergo further studies and training. Moreover, it will help me to stay humble because I will be open to new suggestions and ideas from other people. As a result, later on in my teaching life, I can be a coach too and I can help my colleagues and my students to become a better version of themselves professionally and personally. As the quote said from Simon T. Bailey said, “Change is your friend not your foe; change is a brilliant opportunity to grow.”