Tag: ESL Teaching Tips

Even the most experienced teachers once had that deer in the headlights moment the first time they were in front of a classroom. Looking back, we can all identify a list of mistakes we made and things we wish we had known before we ever set foot in a classroom. Here are 10 things I wish I’d known before starting ESL teaching.

As of late, I’ve seen tons of articles circulating the internet toting the best reasons to travel in your 20’s and other travel posts geared at the younger generation of college grads. It got me thinking about that age group, which I’ll only be able to call my own for a couple more years, and how traveling really does affect a young mind.

Technology is a funny thing, it has grown and grown at a phenomenal speed and we constantly live in a world of progression where technology makes everything easier. But is that the case for teaching?

Were you listening when you learned about the Past Progressive Tense? Yeah, me neither. That’s why I’ve got a whole heap of resources to help you teach the Past Progressive just as if you had been listening. C’mon, what are friends for? Understanding and Teaching the Past Progressive Grammar Monster does a great job of…
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Moving date is looming closer, and I bet nerves, excitement, and other strange emotions are beginning to run rampant throughout your pretty head. Don’t worry, future expat, you’re not the only one who has had doubts and worries right before leaving your comfort zone for a year. The current expats in Korea, myself included, would like to offer you some sound advice on everything and anything expat and South Korea related.

Wanting to make sure that I was fully prepared to immerse myself in a brand new culture, I scoured countless blogs, websites and forums looking for information pertaining to the big move. The number of articles I stumbled upon was overwhelming to say the least. Thousands of blogs and pages popped up, and all of them had at least one article carrying the self-proclaimed title “Everything You Need To Know About Moving To South Korea!”

Making mistakes in teaching is all part of the learning curve. Teachers aren’t just pumped out of a TEFL course with all of the skills and knowledge base of a teacher that has been doing ESL for 20 years has. This is a skills based industry and we all know that skills aren’t just learnt from a textbook, they need to be planted in a classroom and watered with time. With enough nurturing you watch your teaching skills blossom and flourish. And even then, mistakes can still be made.

We all know what it can be like as teachers, you are as excited as a firework when you go away to another country and begin your journey as an overseas ESL teacher. In the beginning you are busy getting to know your students, getting to grips with the curriculum and school system and getting to know your work colleagues, so everything is new and amazing. Fast forward a year and you find that the ‘honeymoon period’ has set sail, the excitement of your new position has lost its charms and work has become a daily grind instead of a fun cool job.