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August 2009 ESL Newsletter

Hello ESL Teachers!

Hello to everyone in Asia and perspective ESL teachers around the world and welcome to another great month abroad. August is a very exciting time for us at Reach To Teach as we welcome many new teachers from all over the world. We hope that you are adjusting well to your new home in Asia and that you find ESL teaching an exciting experience!

This month we have a new teacher profile, some useful teaching tips and a great new restaurant to try in Taipei. Enjoy!

The Reach To Teach Team

Teacher Profile - Sarah Bingham

ESL Teacher Sarah Profile Picture

I had never wanted to come to Asia. But apparently Asia wanted me to come. If someone had told me just a few months before I packed up my life and moved to Taiwan that I would be going to Asia, I'd have laughed and told them, "No way". In the end, I wouldn't change a thing.

Taiwan has shown me so many new and different sides of life. I finished school at James Madison University with a degree in Digital Video. As much as I love this work, my passions for traveling and working with kids won out, and I became TEFL certified to teach English immediately after graduating. For 3 long months I researched and debated about where in the world (literally) to go, and finally chose Taiwan.

Most of what I knew about Taiwan before I came consisted of tropical weather, lots of people, small spaces, pollution, and the tallest building in the world (Taipei 101- which has since been overtaken). Now I have gained a new perspective on the importance of culture, family, food, kindness, generosity, and umbrellas (I never leave home without one). I came to Taiwan not only to teach, but also to be taught, and I think I will return home having learned more from this experience than my students learned from me.

I have had some of the most frustrating, and some of the most fulfilling times in front of a classroom of students here in Taiwan. There is never a dull moment in the classroom, and always a story to take away from the day. From students losing teeth in class and throwing them out the window (a cultural tradition, apparently), to the constant hugs at all the most inconvenient but precious times, to helping students write, film, and act in their own short stories, I find my happiest moments to be in front of groups of kids, constantly trying out new ways to help them enjoy learning.

I have gained many new perspectives on culture and people in my travels up to this point in my life, having spent significant time in Europe, the Middle East, and Central America. I think these experiences have been used as steps to the place I am now, residing just outside of Taipei in Taiwan. It is not always easy, when you can't read signs, menus, or maps, and can't understand what someone is trying to tell you. However, I think this provides just the right amount of excitement to everyday living.

All in all, the combination of teaching for the first time, and experiencing the cities, mountains, beaches, crowds, humidity, tea, and crazy weather of Taiwan, has been one of the best decisions of my life. I feel strongly that it is an experience like no other, and one I will look back on with joy.

Sarah Bingham

Teaching Tips - Handling Misbehavior

ESL Teaching Tips - Behavior

Warnings. Prior to any form of discipline makes sure you have given a clear warning to a student that you are not satisfied with his or her behavior. One method is to get the student's attention and then write his or her name on the board. Another is to change the seating arrangement. Often this alone will alert the child to their behavior. Be clear in your initial warning but don't make too big an issue of it.

Understanding. Try to understand why there is a problem. Children often act up because a cold or the flu is coming on. Or because they didn't get a good night's sleep. Second language teaching presents special challenges to the teacher as we cannot often ask our students directly what is wrong. If we understand where a problem is coming from we will be in much better position to prescribe a cure.

Assistants. Make the problem child your assistant. This is a popular and often successful method of dealing with a misbehaving child. It gives the more talented a new challenge, while the struggling ones gets a boost of confidence. For both kinds of children it may allow them to participate in class in a non-disruptive way.

Exclusion. Exclude the misbehaving child from activities. This is a later (though not last) step to take. Do not let the disruptive child play games with the class until he or she seems willing to co-operate. Some teachers have a "time-out" spot in their classroom where children go to sit when they are being disruptive. Ideally the child should not sulk in this corner but think about their behavior and allow themselves time to calm down.

Be consistent. New teachers often fail to be consistent in their expectations of the class. Too often they find themselves playing catch up, trying to stop behavior that they let go for the first few weeks. Decide before you enter a new class what are your values and limitations. Will you accept an answer if a student has not raised his hand? Will you allow students to talk to each other while you are teaching? How must students address you? What will you do if one student punches another? Or calls another a name? If you don't have a game plan, how do you expect to win, or even do well?

Alert parents. If a child is consistently misbehaved, talk to, or ask the school to talk to the parents. Mothers and fathers can often straighten out their young children much faster than you can.

Tastes of Taipei - Sababa Pita Bar

Tastes of Taipei

Sababa is a locally owned and operated restaurant that now has five locations throughout Taipei. They proudly serve authentic Middle Eastern dishes including a variety of pitas, salads and platas. If you are looking for something new and not overly priced, Sababa will may well soon be a regular favorite.

On the menu is a selection of 8 different pitas, including your standard falafel and my personal favorite, lamb shawarma. Each comes with a healthy dose of hummus and wrapped in a freshly baked pita. Also on the menu are a number of healthy Mediterranean salads and platas. I often order the Morocaan Humus, a beef plata, but all the items on the menu are delicious. You can also order each item as part of a combo to receive a drink and a small order of potato wedges or salad. A full meal can range from $NT125 to $NT200.

Like I said there are currently five Sababa's dotted throughout Taipei so chances are there is one near you. Here are the addresses and phone numbers of each:

Address (Heping): Heping E. Rd., Sec. 2, Ln. 118, Al. 54, No. 8 (台北市和平東路二段118巷54弄8號)
Telephone: (02) 2738 7769
Address (Gong Guan): Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 3, Ln. 283, No. 17 (台北市羅斯福路三段283巷17號)
Telephone: (02) 2363 8009
Address (Yong Kang): Yong Kang St., Ln. 12, No. 3 (台北市大安區永康街12巷3號)
Telephone: (02) 2327 9159
Address (Breeze Center): BeiPing W. Rd., No. 3, 2F (台北車站二樓食尚中心(咖哩皇宮區)
Telephone: (02) 6632 8999 ext. 2557
Address (Tienmu): Zhongshan N. Rd, Sec.6, Ln. 450, Alley 3, No.1 (台北市中山北路六段450巷3弄1號)
Telephone: (02) 2873 7612

Open: 11am to 10pm
Average Meal: $NT125 - $NT200
Website (Chinese): www.sababapita.com

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