Tips for teachers

                                                                       DURING THE LESSON

• Greet your students in English, even if they

are beginners. This will immediately create

a special atmosphere, and establish certain

rules. Introduce yourself, pointing at the

board where your name is written, and then

either call out students’ names in turn, or walk

around, pointing at them and asking, “And you

are?”

• Depending how successful the beginning is,

you may spend a few seconds on telling them

that this is your first lesson of English, too. Alternately,

when your students grumble that this

is their sixth lesson and they are so tired,

act out a little scene. For example, say, “Oh my

God, this is my sixth lesson too, and it’s also

my sixth lesson of English!” Such a remark is

always completely unexpected. Children laugh

at it, and any tension dissolves at once.

• When dealing with children, ALWAYS be

ready for the unexpected.

• Discipline. Never, ever try to over-shout any

noise. Children are noisy by nature. If they are

very quiet, something is wrong. If they cannot

seem to quiet down, start your lesson with the

old trusted staples, like an audio recording, a

funny video clip, or distribute some cards with

simple tasks.

AFTER THE LESSON

• Analyze, but do not overdo it. You survived!

• Decide if you had any problems, think what

you would like to do differently, check how

much you managed to do, what remains to be

done.

• Talk to your own favourite teacher, visit their

lesson if possible, and just watch how they

cope.

• If all went well, it does not mean that the next

lesson will be a success too.

• If everything went wrong and you feel like running

away screaming, or burst into tears, or

bash your head against the wall, remember:

this is normal. You are not alone. Ask your

parents.