Assalamualaikum people.
as a Tesl student and a future English teacher, i think it is very important for us to have the right kind of attitude when it comes to learning English. as we are still in the process of training ourselves to be good English teachers, there's no reason for us to be so egoistic or haughty with the little knowledge that we have right now, what more with all the lecturers that never fail to point out our mistakes every single time, there's really no plausible reason for us to be too proud with what we have.
therefore, it is wise to remember that
confidence without knowledge won't bring us anywhere. say, do you think people would like to learn from you if you keep on speaking with a very thick accent until they can't understand what you're trying to say? one of my lecturer, Puan H used to advice us that the important thing in being a teacher is not a perfect accent but rather, the way you deliver the knowledge. she keep pointing out that i use too much accent when i speak but i don't think i really have any accent at all. i just speak the way i speak all these time. but then, she's the lecturer so i make it a point to follow her advice in which i try to speak loudly
(because my voice is too low) and clearly
(because i mumble) and slowly
(because i speak fast) and use simple English
(because my vocabs isn't suitable for primary school student). so you see, i have so many problems too when it concerns my teaching capabilities. somehow i must corrected myself before i started my practicum. *sigh*
furthermore, the one thing that an English teacher must pay attention to is the
attitude. you can be as smart as Einstein but if you're so egoistic and haughty,
who will like you? as a teacher, you have to be good in socializing with your student and other teachers. by socializing here it means you have to know how to treat other people with respect and appreciation. you must always smile and be morally encouraging to your students so that they will have the confident and interest to learn English language. treat your colleague and superior with respect. never use any derogatory remarks when you reprimand your student. do you like it if people scold you with harsh words? absolutely not.
next,
don't be so vain when it comes to critics. when you make mistake,
especially grammatical mistake, and others corrected you,
say thank you instead of calling them busybody or kepohci or showing off. i mean, you're the English teacher yet you make the simple basic mistake. it doesn't sound right at all, isn't it? as English is not our first language, it is acceptable for us to admit that we do make some mistakes in terms of speaking or writing. so we should learn from our mistake and avoid repeating them in the future. in that sense, we're learning and improving ourselves at the same time.
still, i don't think English teachers should make basic grammatical mistake.
somehow it appears to be too....moronic.
i mean, you sign up for English so why don't you learn the language properly? if you say you dislike English and it is not your first choice, then why bother coming and learning it in the first place? you can easily walk out of the course anytime you want.
once you decided to do any English-related course, you must
force yourself to be diligent. as all of us know, English is a crazy language because it focus on the pronunciation/the way it is spoken rather than the spelling.
example :
Particular is transcribed as
/pə(r)ˈtikyələr/
most of us will pronounce it as
'partikyular' instead of
'pertikyeler' and the mistake is passed down from one generation to another generation until all of us pronounce it in the wrong way and yet we still feel like it is the correct way to say the word.
therefore the responsibility to correct the mistake falls on English teachers as they are the one learning the alien language in depth and are supposed to be the expert in English-related problems.
so, if an English teacher doesn't want to learn the knowledge properly, then how can they teach the right way? don't you have any conscience at all if you teach the wrong content to the students? what will happen to your student who come to you with a pure intention of learning the language and they regarded you as the master of English language. your student will accept every single thing that you say as the truth and they will hold on to that knowledge for as long as they live.
seriously, do you have the heart to ruin the future generations just because you refuse to be corrected in the first place?
i'd say, why bother becoming a teacher if you insists on acting haughty and arrogant?
generally, English teachers are regarded as the natural diva and very good at socializing.
in the wrong way. for once, why not change that perspective? at least for your sake if not for your student's sake. what is there to be proud of being called a diva? being labelled as English wannabes eating mac and cheese for breakfast? i am a very vain person but i know which part of me that i am supposed to be vain of. i am very vain in making sure people speak the right English because from the first day i step my foot in IPTHO, the responsibility to teach English is placed on my shoulder. so no matter how much i despise grammar, i must force myself to learn them all.
we are going to be teachers. so start acting like a teacher.
salam.
