TEFL Kaifeng

It seems to me, looking back on my childhood, that I always wanted to be a teacher. Growing up in the American Southwest and being surrounded by teachers. Almost all of my family were teachers. My father, and most of my aunts and uncles were as well were in some form of education. So it almost seemed natural for me to follow in those footsteps. Yet, as a youngster, and even into adulthood I was painfully shy. I hated getting up in front of the class to give a speech or make a presentation. But I learned to overcome those fears. As I started to go through this course I could feel some of those old anxieties return. So as I complete this course I thought that this would be a good start. Building self-confidence in the classroom. As I got older and after moving to france, a place where I barely knew the language, my self-confidence began to grow. I made many, many mistakes and I learned that those mistakes were building blocks in helping me to learn a new language. Applying this to teaching english as a foreign language only seemed natural for me because many of these students had some of the same issues that I had only in reverse. As a teacher one needs to be able to communicate with their students. Often times a student may not be able to understand what a teacher is saying or vice versa. When boosting one’s self-confidence a teacher must take into consideration that they are the example by which your learners are learning their new language. And often that is a huge responsibility. I, as the teacher, have a mastery of the english language and thus I am able to further my student’s education and thus they are able to better themselves. However, the anxiety of speaking in front of a group of people is still there. It always will be. “Great orators always had and always will have butterflies.” as my high school speech teacher would ALWAYS say. I have learned, from this course, that in order to teach effectively and have a good rapport with my students I, as the teacher need to overcome my shyness and or apprehension. To effectively teach and make each lesson fully engaging so that the students are motivated to learn and feel that they are getting the maximum benefit from each class. I also believe that being fully prepared each time that I walk into the classroom has a great deal to do with building confidence. If you are not prepared you tend to fumble and if you are unsure of yourself your students will undoubtedly see and feel this. Being prepared allows you to be extra sure of what you are about to teach and fully knowing your subject gives you credibility in your student’s eyes. When students see that a teacher is unprepared and uncertain of what they are doing it poses many problems. Students will become uninterested very quickly. They will have a difficult time being motivated to do a certain activity. And behavioral problems may arise; or all of the above. In conclusion, confidence is an essential tool for a teacher to have. It not only helps to better your teaching. It helps you to actually have a greater control over your class. It also allows you, as the teacher, to set a more relaxed environment thus creating an atmosphere where your students are excited and want to learn.