6 things I wish I’d known before I became a teacher
2020 is going to be my 10th year of teaching English full-time and other languages on and off. That’s quite a journey: exhausting at times, rewarding at others. Emotional roller-coaster, unsurmountable CPD ladder, crazy flexibility — but still worth it. There are some things, however, I wish someone had told me before I set off. So, here is a little letter to a ten years younger me who is just starting her way.
#1 Sometimes you won’t be enough. Students leave us, and that’s an inevitable part of any teacher’s job. But once in a while they leave you. And...that’s ok? You can’t have a match with every single student you meet, even being the most professional teacher with tons of experience. "We’d like to try a different teacher" is not the end of the world. Well, of course, if you don’t hear it once a day.
#2 You will feel hopeless. There are students who seem just unable to get it right. Have ever thought "OMG, that’s all my fault, I’m a bad teacher, I haven’t been putting enough effort"? Be critical, but don’t blame yourself blindly. You can’t fill a glass with more than it’s intended to take. Do your best, though.
#3 Burnout is no joke. Teaching 40+ hours a week, investing into CPD, devoting weekends to workshops, festive lessons, school parties and extra classes is not a walk in the park. Stay reasonable and learn to say "no", even if you feel guilty. Especially when you feel guilty.
#4 Be ready to break the rules. You’ll work for different schools and centres, you’ll meet people from all walks of life. The more flexible you are in terms of rules and approaches, the more beneficial it will be for everyone. Wasting a solid half an hour on miming the words and watching puzzled faces because L1 is forbidden at your school? Following the pacing even if you see that the students are struggling? Well, think twice.
#5 Teach the student. You’ll work with mixed ability groups and people with very different aims. Try to find something to cater for each and every of them. Skip the coursebook, if necessary. Run needs analysis. Ask for feedback. You can’t teach everyone equally effectively using the same set of materials. The fact that you’ve covered the coursebook in a year doesn’t make you a better teacher if a student doesn’t make or at least feel any progress.
#6 Mistakes happen. Don’t be afraid to admit them or the fact that you don’t know something. If out of the blue you are asked about a word you don’t know, the best answer is "I don’t know this one. Let’s look it up together". If, getting home, you realize that you’ve made a mistake while teaching grammar, come back next time and tell your student about it. People are fallible. Even teachers. Admitting your mistakes will get you more respect than pretending to be a know-it-all.
And last but not least — don’t forget how cool what you are doing is. With you and, to some extent, because of you students pass exams, get jobs, broaden their horizon, explore new cultures, get visas, win contests, travel anywhere they want, study abroad and — some of them — make their dreams of becoming a teacher come ture.