What it means to be an experienced teacher

This piece looks at the advantages of being an experienced teacher in the Netherlands. ??????????????? ???????????????

Age before beauty ???????????????

Clocking up teaching experience is beneficial for all involved. When the educator has been around the block a few times, he/ she will have valuable life experience not to mention the pearls of wisdom gained through trial and error and having dealt with all manner of situations, which helps to deal with unexpected moments in the classroom and beyond. Further, the learners will benefit from the expertise and tried and tested methods, while the institution will as well, as they can count on this teacher to deliver high quality education knowing that these veterans have the benefit of hindsight to guide them along the way. ?????

Lessons learned ???????????????

A few examples would do nicely right about now. It was Scott Thornbury, the great linguist and teacher-trainer who once said that the best activities are those that the students come up with themselves. This makes perfect sense as only they know their own industry and position and have unique insights which an outsider wouldn’t have. Thornbury mentioned a general knowledge quiz in our interview: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/q-scott-thornbury-daniel-israel but this rings true for roleplays too. Using this advice, FAQ roleplays have since been used during lessons with employees from various sectors, i.e. governmental (the Gambling Authority), public transportation (Dutch Railways) and insurance (Nationale Nederlanden). In each case, the students were able to talk about typical questions they may come up against at work and have their teacher monitor and give them feedback about the language they use. ??????????????

Politically motivated???????????????

Notwithstanding, the politics that goes on behind-the-scenes cannot be ignored. First, it is wise to build a solid client base and stay in the good books of your clients. This could mean being reliable,?getting on with all those you come into contact with, and not complaining or frankly being a pain in the a**.?In the Netherlands, in some cases, using the polder model, where group-decision making reigns supreme, on occasion, your colleagues may have a part to play in how well you are paid. This may sound strange to some, but it is entirely true. For example, at one language centre, before a pay increase could be awarded, the teacher’s collegiality had to be scrutinised somewhat by people such as project coordinators and account managers. Further, it is not unheard of for teachers in this country to need to ask for more salary rather than being automatically awarded it for years of service and dependability. Qualities such as assertiveness, perseverance, persistence, determination and drive are all essential in such instances as to being rewarded for one’s work. ??????????????

There is no such thing as perfection???????????????

Some students wrongfully assume that the teacher should be perfect at everything they do, that they should answer every?question immediately at the beck and call of the learner, they never make mistakes, and they know everything which could mean jargon related to the students’ own work and more. The truth of the matter is that we are human beings who have our own flaws. Perhaps we are having a bad day, we are not feeling well, we have other issues to deal with in our lives. We are?allowed to make mistakes and should admit as such. As Pieter, a student, once said, ‘I like it when you admit your mistakes.?I really appreciate it’. Business English teachers are not experts at jargon across every industry; this is an unrealistic expectation and can lead to?misunderstandings. To please learners who need help with the language they use in their jobs, we can correct work-related?documents and give feedback on presentations as well as those student-led roleplays already mentioned. Other possibilities include using blended learning as a supplement which directly utilises job-specific language and working off word lists, students?can write sentences using new words or terms, which can also be corrected.??????????????

Calm and collected??????????????

There is a lot to be said for staying calm when confronted with outbursts, unanticipated happenings and the like. For example, due to cultural differences, the Dutch are known for being very direct and tact & diplomacy becomes a challenge for all concerned.?Such comments arose such as: ‘this is a tiny issue for me’ regarding looking at all the uses of commas when covering email tips or persisting to demand a list of words that doesn’t exist after one example of a difference in perception between cultures had been given. Thereafter, when one of your pupils impatiently expects direct action when it could not be given, keeping level-headed requires nerves of steel. Sometimes, we should take a deep breath. These kinds of occurrences teach us something. We cannot expect everything that will happen in a lesson. We may be full of adrenaline and?on a roll, in the middle of demonstrating something we consider crucial. However, if one learner has his/ her own idea and chooses to interrupt which may or may not make you lose your train of thought, then you should have a back up plan. This is it: step back and listen. Use a concept checking question if there is any doubt as to the intention of the question or comment and try to help even if you can’t right?away, say you will follow up. This may be hard and may require a zen moment but give it a try and see if it works.