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An English Teacher or a Students’ Prey?

By Daniela Pesconi

Many English teachers nowadays choose to work in language schools. Better money, students who are there only for your lessons, no other distractions during those 100 minutes (time may vary from school to school)… Moreover, these schools have wonderful resources: multimedia centres, online exercises, interactive boards… basically EVERYTHING that every learner would die for, although most of the times they won’t even have time to use! Well, it’s all there anyway, just in case he HAS the time.

The only problem with this kind of language institute is that some of them hire you for more than one position… Soon, usually during school holidays, you will become a “student’s hunter” on the phone, a helper at the multimedia center (and don’t fool yourself that you will have the great opportunity of getting to know ALL the materials there! You are most likely to be sticking labels on CDs, books, calling students who haven’t returned materials, changing the place of cassette tapes… – this can be really bad, if you are allergic to dust!)


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Then comes my question: What is the point??? What is the point of spending four years in university, learning all the strategies of teaching, not learning how to deal with students’ misbehaviour problems (which, honestly, I believe should be dealt with at home, by their parents!)… if eventually you will be exhaustively phoning drop out students, to “gently invite” them to return to school, and if they say they don’t want to, ask them why not!!! So, when did I become a salesperson??? On the phone? When did I get a new career??? haha I haven’t actually, but “it’s part of educating, of knowing the students, of dealing with them in the classroom”…. ahn???? Just tell me what have I missed during the last 11 years I’ve been…… TEACHING!!!!!

About the Author

Daniela Pesconi writes on EFL and related issues. You can learn more by visiting my blog “Who wants to be a teacher?” http://www.whowantstobeateacher.blogspot.com

Looking for a job as an English teacher? Visit Serious Teachers

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September 4th, 2008 | Tags: | Category: Daniela Pesconi, Discussion, What's the point? | One comment

1 comment to An English Teacher or a Students’ Prey?

  • sondaj
    September 15th, 2008 at 11:27 pm

    Thank you for your post it is valuable information for me

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