Hi! This is Patrick from SSE Koenji. So, you want to be an English teacher? Well, for all practical purposes, let’s just say, so you want to be a language teacher. Yes, someone who wants to coach and teach others in learning another language. Sounds like a worthy goal, don’t you think? All of us coaches/teachers at SSE will answer with a resounding “Yes!” But what does it take to teach, you ask?
At SSE Koenji, we like to simplify explanations as much as possible for our students, so let’s go with the T.E.A.C.H. acronym.
T is for Tune. Tune into the student and their needs. Remember that every individual is different, therefore, every student is different and has different needs and goals. As a teacher/coach, my job is to set my fine tuning skills to work to find out their why, what and how; Why is he/she learning English? What does he/she want to accomplish? How do we get there together?
As a teacher/coach, my job is to set my fine tuning skills to work to find out their why, what and how.
E is for Experience. At SSE Koenji, I use my various experiences to enhance their learning experience. I had a student who brought in a glossary of English terms that she had to learn to pass a seamstress course. As it turns out, I’ve been a fashion designer before and spent a lot of time in the factory making sure my designs were being cut and sewn correctly. To do that, I had to speak their language. My student couldn’t believe that I actually knew the terms. Don’t count any of your experiences out. As a teacher you just never know when they’ll come in handy.
A is for Act. SSE Koenji believes in acting on every opportunity that comes up to make it a memorable teaching moment. I assumed that everyone knew what the game of Tic-Tac-Toe was, but one of my students didn’t. I seized upon the moment to give him a hands-on experience and together we enjoyed a memorable Tic-Tac-Toe moment.
C is for Curiosity. They say curiosity killed the cat, but as teachers we should always encourage curiosity from our students. However, sometimes we forget to be curious ourselves. At SSE Koenji, I try to be curious and ask questions as much as possible. Why? Simply enough, as teachers we know that the more questions we ask, the more our students will talk. Our goal at SSE Koenji is to always get our students to talk. The more they talk, the more confident they become, and the more they’ll learn.
H is for Honor. Yes, I said honor, as in finding every opportunity to honor and praise them. We human beings are kind of funny that way. We want to be praised, verified and noticed. Our SSE Koenji students are no different. As teachers we should always be looking for ways to praise them, to celebrate them, to notice them and to point out their achievements. A little honor can go a long way to boost their courage in learning the English language. One of my students is a chef/restauranteur, and his main goal for learning English is to be able to communicate with his ever-growing list of English customers. To celebrate his accomplishments, I honored his restaurant with a visit and made sure he practiced what he learned on me.
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