Teach Abroad Survival: 23 Hot Tips for Your ESL Teaching Success by Richard Bienvenu - HTML preview

by Richard Bienvenu MFA english-teaching-info.com

Copyright © 2005, Richard Bienvenu

Reproduction, translation or electronically
transmitting of any part of this work beyond
that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the

1976 United States Copyright Act without
the permission of the copyright owner is
against the law.

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. Henry Adams

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Travel Light
2. Keep a Journal
3. Get Clear on What's Expected of You As the Teacher
4. Put Together a Winning Lesson Plan
5. Be Flexible
6. Stay Healthy
7. If You Teach Kids Learn How to Maintain Discipline
8. Look For New Ways to Engage the Class
9. Get Advice From Other Teachers
10. Locate the Nearest Bookstore With an English Section
11. Encourage Students to Write
12. Be Open-Minded
13. Be Decisive
14. Be Professional
15. Dress Professionally
16. Always Look For Ways You Can Add Value To The School
17. Stay Our Of School Politics
18. Never Criticize Your School Or Another Teacher In The Presence Of Students
19. Stay Up On Current Events Of The World And Your Host Country
20. Approach Your Job With Confidence
21. Instill Confidence In the Students
22. Always Let the Students Know You Are in Charge
23. Know What Your Mission and Goals Are as an ESL Teacher and Live In Integrity to That
Bonus Tips
Conclusion
Valuable Resources

I
ntroduction

If you've gotten this book because you've gotten a job overseas teaching English as a Second Language and you are in need of some valuable tips then congratulations.

If you are reading this book because you are thinking about teaching ESL well congratulations to you too. Even though this ebook is geared toward those fortunate enough with that taste of adventure to actually do something about it, it also contains some great information that you can use in many areas of your life.

And if you haven't quite taken that leap yet that has you say "yes!" to teaching ESL and/or teaching ESL overseas maybe what's said here will stoke that fire underneath you to make that decision.

So what you are about to read are some tips and advice about how to help you get you situated and comfortable in your new ESL teaching position in your host country.

Of course, a lot more can be said on this topic but my ebook coach said I could only put 23 in this ebook. (I've actually snuck in a couple more tips at the end. I couldn't resist.) Some of the tips can be used by any ESL teacher whether overseas or not and some are specifically about teaching overseas.

Some of this stuff you might not have heard before, some of it is in the realm of common sense, some of it might get you to do some deep thinking. All of it has to do with my own experience and what has worked for me. I started teaching ESL in Seville Spain in 1979 and at this writing teach at a small language institute in New Orleans, Louisiana.

I never thought that this would be what I would do with my life. But destiny has a funny way of sneaking up on you. Several years ago a psychic told me I would be a teacher of teachers. I didn't put much stock in it. But, dag nabbit, here I am with an ebook and a website for ESL teachers that's growing in popularity. Guess he was right.

So enjoy. Send me your questions and comments. Let me know how this ebook has helped you.

 

So let us begin with our first tip...

1. Travel Light

If you are going overseas or traveling anywhere, one of the hardest lessons to learn is that it's more advantageous to travel light.

 

What does travel light mean? Three heavy bags and a rucksack?

 

Well, some people may think so. But really when it comes to travel less is definitely more.

How many times have you taken a trip and realized that in the middle or at the end that you didn't need to take all the shirts and pants and shoes and books and knick-knacks that you thought were a good idea when packing? It just weighed you down.

I remember one time when I went to Spain I thought I was traveling light by only bringing a knapsack. Well, I stuffed that thing full and when I got to my destination at a friend's home in Sevilla I realized I had brought too much stuff.

So what did I do? I went through it all and just took out the necessities and packed the rest of it in a box and sent it back home. I was in for a shock when I after I having lugged it all the way to the post office they were gonna charge me $60.

"Are you sure it's gonna cost that much?" I exclaimed in my best Spanish. The woman behind the counter assured me it would. What the heck I sent it anyway.

I could've saved myself the trouble by not packing all that stuff in the first place.

 

How to pack

 

They say that the best thing to do when packing is to lay out everything and cut it in half.

Take one bag with a shoulder strap and maybe a small carry-on for the plane (I use a little rucksack for this). Take some medium toned to dark clothing so it doesn't show dirt and stains and a pair of dress slacks or skirt (for the ladies) and a nice medium to dark-colored shirt or blouse.

A good pair of shoes is of utmost importance.

The best universal good looking shoes are the Rockport Pro Walkers. These are by far the best shoes I have ever owned. I have a pair that are over 10 years old and are still in decent condition despite the fact that I wore them almost everyday for about 8 of those years. I bought another pair last year.

If you are going to be teaching ESL for a few months or more in a foreign country you can always buy what you need there. (Unless of course you are tall or extra big, which might pose a problem.)

You probably will go back home with more than you brought so you want to leave room in your suitcase anyway. Heck, you might even have to buy a new suitcase to carry back all that stuff you bought!

eBags.com is the largest online store for traveling bags and luggage. Find everything you need for taking your stuff overseas.

2. Keep a Journal

I've heard it said, "If your life is worth living it's worth recording." I've kept a journal for many years and I go through spurts when I write in it almost everyday to times when I may write only once or twice a month.

This practice has helped me tremendously with being able to sit down and work on my website ( http://www.english-teaching-info.com ) or write articles to be published or a proposal for a school.

It's a good way of keeping track of ideas and also just being able to spew when I am concerned or upset about something.

 

It's like having my own psychologist. It helps to keep me balanced and sane.

So living and working in a foreign country has it's own challenges and opportunities. I think it's real important to have a mental and psychological outlet.

For me I make it a ritual. I get up in the morning and after doing my morning meditation and reading I go to the kitchen and fix myself a nice cup of coffee and sit at the table and then just write.

Off the top of your head...

The trick is to write spontaneously without stopping and thinking about it. (I recommend The Artists's Way by Julie Cameron to get great instruction on this.)

But recently I started doing something that I am going to recommend to you.

You see I keep more than one journal. I keep my personal journal in which I record my thoughts feelings ideas brainstorms and dreams and goals. I also keep a separate journal in the classroom.

After each class (and sometimes during) I write in ideas, comments, questions, ways to improve as a teacher, what we worked on in that lesson, things I can do to help the students, etc.

This has proven to be invaluable for me and has added a unique dimension to my teaching.

3. Get Clear on What's Expected of You As the Teacher

It's important when you are in a new environment to find as much safety as possible so you can feel secure and not have so much stress.

You know, moving to another country or even traveling to another country involves a certain amount of stress. So you want to mitigate that by making sure you know just what it is that's expected of you as the teacher.

You might want to ask some questions so you can be prepared as much as possible before you take your first step into your new school environment:

• How many classes will you be teaching?
• How many students in each class?
• What are the age groups?
• If you are teaching adults you might want to know what kinds of materials

you are expected to use.
• Will you be teaching grammar, conversation?
• What does the school like to focus on? (For example at my school although

we do grammar and such we mainly focus on conversation.)
• Will you have to do student evaluations?
• Does the school run on the semester, quarter or no system at all? (I work in

the latter system which means I have to create all of my lesson plans and choose all of my own books.)

• If you are teaching kids you might want to know what socio-economic background they are from.
• What about class discipline? Is this a problem in the country you will be going into? (I understand that kids in Japan are very polite and shy and give very little trouble in class.)

You might want to find out something about the culture you are going into:
• How do they think.
• What are their values?
• What’s their system of government?

What I'm saying is don't go in cold. Know the environment you are going into as much as possible. Of course, don't go overboard on this and get obsessed. You want a certain element of adventure and surprise too.

4. Put Together a Winning Lesson Plan

Some schools make it easy for you. They already have everything figured out about how and what to teach the students. The system is already set up and you just plug right into it and go.

That's why, as we previously discussed, it's important before you go into any teaching situation to find out what's expected of you.

But even if the school has the whole thing laid out for you it's good to not go into class empty-handed. In other words, come in with your own ideas about what and how to get through to your students.

I've been fortunate in that all of my teaching situations I have had to rely on my own skills and creativity to come up my own lesson plans.

 

What I do...

I usually start each of my classes with a few minutes of conversation just to get them warmed up and settled down after the break. Our classes are small so I try to get everyone to say something.

The important thing is you gotta keep the class interesting, you gotta keep it moving.

 

I've found that the best thing is to go into class with many different things to do. I may not get to all of them, usually don't.

And sometimes an interesting topic for conversation might come up at the beginning of class that might segue in something deeper or into other topics. And I wind up not even getting to any of the material I'd planned! (This is where it's important to be flexible which we'll discuss later.)

Now the above was for intermediate to advanced. Obviously, in beginner level you're mainly working on grammar and pronunciation and basic vocabulary so you may be limited in your opportunity to have any kind of deep conversation.

I teach three levels: beginner to advanced. I have what I call my bag of ESL tricks that I reach into to plan my lessons.

They include:
• conversation,
• grammar,
• idiomatic expressions,
• reading and discussing short articles or stories,
• vocabulary building,
• dictation,
• practice TOEFL tests and discussion,
• essay writing,
• playing games (even for adults),
• watching movies,
• studying poetry.

Having a variety of and ready resources to choose from will never leave you feeling stranded and wondering “what the heck do I do now.”

Keep your eyes and ears open. The great things about teaching English is that there are infinite resources everywhere and more is added to the vast ESL “databank” each day.

Lesson plans don’t really have to be a big deal. For a more detailed discussion go to http://www.english-teaching-info.com/english-teaching-lesson-plans.html

5. Be Flexible

Sometimes, depending on the mood of the class for that day, I'll completely throw out my lesson plan and do something different. Sometimes I can tell the class is just not in the mood to do what I've planned.

So in my commitment to keep the class interesting and not bore the students I shift gears and just do something else. It's a kind of flying-by-the-seat-of-your pants thing just to see where you land.

Sometimes the students want to know more about me so I let them ask me questions. When that peters out I start on something else.
I believe it's important to be flexible in all areas of life. Things are less stressful that way. As you already know, things don't always go the way you planned or expected.

So I think it's a good practice to accept things as they come along. Change the things that can be changed, accept and work with the things that can't. Wisdom is in knowing the difference. (That's from one of those proverbs. I worded it a little differently.)

Living in a foreign country requires you to take on a certain amount of flexibility and is key to survival and enjoying a different culture.

Now this might sound a little crazy but one of the best ways to be flexible in mind is to be flexible in body. If your body is rigid and stiff chances are so will be your thinking.

Take some Yoga classes or get a book on Yoga. Have some kind of regular regimen so you can maintain a healthy flexible body. This will help you maintain calmness and serenity through some of the slings and arrows life throws at you.

And I believe will help you be a more balanced and vigorous teacher.

6. Stay Healthy

I believe it is so important that you as the teacher maintain your health in as good condition as possible. Teaching requires a good amount of energy and vitality to be sharp and on your toes. If you are feeling under par all the time it's difficult to keep you energy level up and deliver a winning entertaining class.

As a teacher you are a servant to the students. You can give your best service only if your physical and mental health is not a liability but an asset.

So staying in shape or getting in shape, if you are not already there, eating mostly nourishing healthy foods (OK there will be times when you'll want to indulge in some questionable foods), getting the right amount of exercise and enough sleep is very important.

This is true especially if you are going to a foreign country. It pays to stay as healthy as possible. Why bother with all the rigamarole of doctors and hospitals when just a little preventive medicine will keep you well.
So here are my Seven Secrets to Optimal Health. (I may soon be writing an ebook with this title.) The following is just an outline and the complete discussion would be too extensive to go into an ebook such as this.

1. Elimination
Make sure you are eliminating at least once a day. Improper bowel function has been linked to scores of diseases including cancer and heart disease. This is ancient wisdom your great grandma knew but has been lost in our modern "scientific" medicine. Vegetables, some fruit and whole grains and fermented foods like yogurt, cheese and sauerkraut are necessary daily to help maintain good regularity.

2. Hydration
This means water and teas, maybe a little fresh fruit and vegetable juice. Not Coke and sugary soft drinks or lots of canned fruit juice. Read Your Body’s Many Cried For Water by Dr. Batmanghelidj, M.D. to find out about the new research being done on how dehydration can cause all kinds of disease.

3. Oxygenation
See that you are breathing deeply enough on a regular basis from the gut rather than short breaths from the chest. Daily walks and exercise and breathing exercises are all beneficial to help maintain health and a positive outlook. Get some info about special breathing exercises that has origins in India called Pranayama. A quick search on the Internet will show you the many sites about this ancient practice.

4. Nutrition / Supplementation
Eat right, eat whole foods. Chicken, fish, meat and eggs some cheese, yogurt and natural fats and oils (not hydrogenated oils), all good for you. Multivitamin and minerals should be a standard everyday thing to make sure you get everything you need.

5. Recreation/Relaxation
Daily exercise, at least 15-30 minutes of walking or floor exercises, Yoga, all that. Mix it up. Don't stick to the same boring routine. Get enough sleep. Set aside time for the day to relax and be lazy. Other times just get away from it all and retire to some quiet place to recharge your batteries.

One of the best, most practical exercise gurus I’ve found is Matt Furey. His excellent bodyweight exercises will have you in shape in no time. No equipment necessary, you can exercise anywhere anytime, well, almost. You can check it out at http://www.mattfurey.com

6. Meditation / Prayer
It doesn't matter what religion you are or even if you are an atheist. It's been scientifically proven that those who have some kind of meditation and/or prayer routine are healthier, happier, more relaxed and open-minded. Start with 20 minutes a day, then do that twice a day, then extend it to maybe even 45 minutes to an hour. It's especially beneficial in the evening before bed.

7. Education
Educate yourself about health. For me it's been a lifelong process of reading and studying and trying things and discovering what works best for me. New information is always coming out, new things being discovered.

Nourishing Traditions by Susan Fallon is one of the best books I've read on overall nutrition. It's also a cookbook with great recipes. I would also get Patient Heal Thyself and The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin.

Stock up on these before you go overseas:

1. Cold-Eze Sugarfree
This stuff is incredible. It's little zinc tablets that you melt in your mouth every hour when you feel a cold coming on. If you follow this religiously your cold will be gone in under three days. My mom who is 91 at this writing has had two colds in the last two months that virtually disappeared after three days of taking this supplement.

2. AirBorne
This was developed by a teacher because she was tired of catching colds from her students. It's an herbal concoction with vitamins and minerals in a fizzy tablet. It tastes good and works to nip colds in the bud.

Both of these you can get at most drug stores in the U.S. You can also order it over the Internet. Don't leave home without these!

3. Ginger
This is good for upset stomach, motion sickness, and other kids of stomach distress. You can get it in capsule form. You might just want to big a big thing of ginger powder with you. It makes great tea with a little sweetener and is a good overall tonic. I've also heard the creme de'menthe works wonders for diarrhea.

4. Vitamin C Emer-gen 'C

This is an effervescent form of vitamin C ascorbates which are better and more absorbable than ascorbic acid. Taking too much ascorbic acid can make your body too acidic which can make you sick. This product can be found in any health food store and some pharmacies now carry it too.

You can also get a bottle buffered vitamin C which is not quite as good but it takes up less space and costs a lot less.

7. If You Teach Kids Learn How to Maintain Discipline

When I taught kids ESL in Spain it took me a semester and a half of misery to finally ask for advice from an experienced teacher on how to handle kids. Her advice worked instantly and I was able to magically maintain complete control over the class.

I wrote an article about it but it's too long to include here so you can go to my website and read about it.
http://www.english-teaching-info.com/teaching-esl-for-children.html

Also, I have a friend of mine who uses NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) techniques in his children's classes with fabulous results.

 

There are a lot of resources on the Internet you can go and get more information. Just search under NLP + discipline in the classroom.

You can download this article that gives and introduction and some techniques to this fascinating topic.
http://www.english-teaching-info.com/nlp-classroom.html

You can also check out NLP in the Classroom which has some great info and resources that can further expand your knowledge of using this elegant NLP technology in your classes.

I think the key thing to remember is this: if you respect the students they will in turn respect you.

8. Look For New Ways to Engage the Class

For your own sanity as well as for the class' it's worthwhile to be always on the lookout for new ways to keep the class interesting.

When we feel like we are stagnating and interest in class on both sides seems to be waning, it's time to inject something new into the lessons. It doesn't have to be completely new, maybe just variations on what you are already doing.

Are you doing the same thing everyday? The same routine? Try reversing your lesson plan or lay out a schedule where you'll do different things everyday.

Look into devising your own games using cards and pictures and maps, music and movies. Don't be afraid to experiment and don't be afraid to tell your students, "Hey, this is an experiment. Let's have fun trying something new!"

What about writing poetry?

I have a book you can download from a project I did a few years ago that's about having kids write poetry about nature. (This project actually was recognized by the United Nations Global Youth Forum.) This might give you some ideas of what can be done.

The project was called Child of Wonder and the book contains 400 pieces of poetry from grades K-6 plus some of their original artwork.

 

To get the ebook click on the link below.

 

http://www.english-teaching-info.com/childof wonder.html

 

What about a spelling bee?

 

Also, you can teach your students nursery rhymes and songs.

 

Take your students outside on a mini-field trip and see how many things they can identify correctly in English. You can do any of this for adults and children.

 

Go on the Internet and look at some ESL teacher websites for ideas. Dave's ESL café is a great resource for this.

 

Which leads us into the next topic...

9. Get Advice From Other Teachers

Sometimes I am at a loss as to what to do with a particular student or a particular class. I might feel tapped out for new ideas. Other teachers are the best resource for new ideas.

You can find these teachers right in your own school or you can go on the Internet and cruise the different ESL teacher sites and read articles.

Also, pick a few select web forums at these sites and peruse the questions, comments and suggestions left by other teachers. Add your own input. There is always something that you know that others don't.

There are dozens of books out there about how to be a better teacher and books about activities in the classroom.

Also, as I