Teaching TEFL courses is a love-hate thing
Posted by Joe Hallwood - 14:57 on 06 May 2009
Having delivered weekend TEFL training for the last 13 years, you would have thought I would be a little tired of it by now. Not in the slightest. I love doing the courses, but I also have to admit to hating it too.
I have just arrived back from a course in Manchester (it was actually quite sunny). The group was excellent, really friendly. Right at the start everyone was quite nervous and shy, which is normal. But, by the end of the course everyone was swapping email and facebook addresses and saying fond farewells like old buddies.
The first teaching practice on the Saturday, there are always a lot of nerves, which is understandable since standing up in front of people is kind of a nerve-wracking thing to do. To be honest, I still get a little nervous sometimes and I've been doing it since BC 09. Any road, the course last weekend was no different. It's amazing though all the practice lessons were well-planned and the nerves didn't really show that much even though everyone said they were quaking in their boots.
Come the second day, everyone was delivering lessons like seasoned professionals. The nerves were sufficiently reduced so the trainee teachers were having fun. I think it is amazing that you can get from rabbit-eyed trainee to teacher in one weekend and it goes to show that any one can and should do this. This is what I love about it. That people like me are still giving it a shot and finding actually, yes they can do this if they put their mind to it and what's more have fun in the process.
At the end of the weekend on Sunday evening we are talking about where everyone wants to go, where everyone wants to live, how they are going to get there and experience exciting new cultures and countries...STOP! ENOUGH ALREADY! That's what I hate. Oh yes, you go off to Vietnam and enjoy yourself, don't worry about me! I'll be fine driving up the rain drenched M6. No, no, you go ahead.
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