Job Discussion Forums

[struelle]

OK so I've just started a professional teaching program at a university in my country of origin, which is focused on high school students. The student teachers in our module (about 30 in all) are preparing to teach different subjects. This program is degree transferable, but not exclusively a degree program. This is my "next step" after TEFL so to speak, but remarkably, a lot of stuff from this program can be applied to teaching English.

While I was teaching overseas, we seldom touched on the "why" questions of being a teacher. The last 3 years were very much focused on the "how and what" (course content and methods), not to mention extensive lesson planning and classroom management skills which I learned on the CELTA course. I questioned myself many times about why I went into teaching and my own personal style. Overall the feedback was great but some of the difficult times really tested my committment to the profession. At times I asked myself, "Am I really a teacher?" and "Was this the right choice?"

So far, I've stuck with it and don't regret the TEFL experience at all.

Now, the beginning of this training course exclusively deals with such 'peripheral' questions above. The tutors are really making us question our own values, beliefs, and personal convictions about teaching on a very broad level. Above all, they stress, teaching is about caring for students, believing in them, inspiring them, being a role-model, and bringing meaning to their lives. We did an exercise in groups where we kept asking each other "why" questions to get at the basis of our personal paradigms.

Actually, many of us weren't so clear on that. One of us in the group started crying when a tutor dropped into the conversation and began probing her for answers.

Personally I've always believed that teachers should care for students, indentify with them, believe in them, and assume their frame of reference to help them solve problems. So I mostly agree with what's being said by the tutors, but two nagging issues keep coming up:

(1) Is all this talk about personal values genuine, or could there be some other agenda at work? That agenda may be, you guessed right, weeding people out of the course. I'm mainly thinking about this quote from a tutor:

"If you're in teaching and it doesn't suit you, that's the worst thing in the world."

I totally agree of course, but a side-effect of all this questioning is to wonder if teaching really does suit me or not. In other words, I have doubts now!

(2) What about actually knowing your stuff? A teacher can be the most caring person in the world, but if he doesn't know his material and can't execute a lesson plan, then it means jack.

Maybe it's all my Asian experience, but I figure that caring for students and gaining their respect comes through mastering the material and communicating that in an interesting and engaging way, in so doing enabling students to think for themselves.

At any rate, this should be a good course.

Steve

[spiral78]

I'd feel that the 'why' questions are too intrusive into my persona.
I mean, to a certain extent, it's nobody's business why I chose the profession - so long as I am well trained, and I care to do my professional best at my job. Although, I'd have multiple answers as to why I chose to teach language!!

After all, what kinds of answers would you get if you put the 'why' to professionals in other fields? Would it be different in health care versus computer science, for example? Maybe it should be...but is that any real business of educators??!!

We ask students why they are studying English - but it's because this gives us insights into what we need to help them focus on, as teachers. I don't think it would be the same for teachers on a training course for professionals.

I'll be interested to see what others think about this one. I suppose there could be some good reason I haven't thought of for trainers to push so hard for the 'whys.'

[Dr.J]

'Why?' is the most important question about your career.

Really, it's what sets us apart from animals.

Having doubts ...don't worry too much, they come and go.

[shmooj]

[struelle]

[dmb]

I normally agree with Shooj but I have never thought of teaching as 'messing with people's minds'

[Roger]

[shmooj]

[GreenDestiny]

Thanks struelle. It's refreshing to read an opening post not focussed on political whining...

GreenDestiny

[struelle]