Teachers face challenges every day. Each course is different, each lesson is different, each student is different. Non-native teachers of English might have to face even more challenges, as they constantly have to work on their own language skills to make sure they pass on correct knowledge to their students.
These are my tips to help you deal with this potentially stressful situation:
1. Don’t worry about your possible lack of knowledge. You’re not a walking dictionary, nor are you a grammar reference book. If you’re asked a question you don’t know the answer to, just make sure you get back to your students with the correct answer as soon as possible. Think of it as a chance to learn something new , to improve as a teacher. This leads me to my next point:
2. English is not your mother tongue, so keep learning it. Do everything you’d advise an advanced student to do. Read books, watch films in English and revise more advanced vocabulary regularly. You can do this latter with the help of flashcards on Quizlet.
3. Plan your lessons carefully, trying to anticipate difficulties your students might have. This way you’ll be prepared to answer their questions which in turn will give you more confidence. Appear unflappable and your students won’t flap you.
4. Participate in discussions on professional forums. This will help you improve tremendously. My personal favourites are Grammar Geeks and English Language Teaching Professionals Around the World on Linkedin.
5. If you’re not sure about how to deal with a problem, ask more experienced colleagues for help. Go and observe their lessons and ask them to observe you. They might give you some invaluable feedback. If you’re worried about losing face, ask for help in your favourite Linkedin group.
I hope you’ve found the above tips useful. Feel free to comment if there’s something you’d like to discuss further.
