I truly believe that there is a stark difference between growing up and growth. Of
course, everyone does grow up, that's biologically inevitable; but the way we see the world
and how we interact, react and our daily choices are a direct result of our personal growth.
As a graduate of Communication Studies and English, I can attest to the fact that English
learning does not stop once the bell rings. After school programs, coupled with the material
covered in class and self-studying English can truly accumulate into a much richer
experience, understanding and love of the language.
As a current native English teacher, I believe a successful teacher holds the three S's
of teaching English. The first being structure; a solid foundation is literally the building
blocks of anything in the world. A solid education will take an individual far. Similarly, a
solid understanding of English grammar and spelling will be tremendously helpful as one
progresses into more challenging areas of the language. The second S is selling. The
teacher must use various techniques, mediums and real-life examples to truly make English
applicable to their students. If not, the pupil will soon become bored and not see the many
real-life applicable skills the language holds. The final S is serendipity; make everything a
teachable moment for both the student and teacher. This can range from a conflict
amongst students to a poorly received test. A setback, in life or in the classroom, is merely
a learning curb.
As a previous English tutor, to both international students and native English speakers,
I have learned 50% of teaching is observing. I was able to pick up on things that the
regular professors may have missed or did not have time to address; problems such as
proper pronunciation or local cultural references that may go over some student's heads. I
was able to sit down and in detail explain what each sentence meant and have them repeat
it back. A common recurring problem for ESL students was they never used English in a
practical setting or never had a chance to speak. So, I would talk with them about
homework and their daily lives. It was to solidify the importance of English in their
everyday lives. Additionally, I would use Canadian pop-culture items, like magazine, to give
the students a more fully rounded understanding of the language.
Lastly, as a former marketing executive and social media rep, I understand the
importance of getting a very vital message across to a large number of people. One must
make the content interesting, visually appealing and give some of incentive as to why the
audience should play attention. This is why English content outside the classroom should
touch various topics that are not covered in school. For example, the effect Korean culture
has on the world and how foreigners perceive Korea. This gives the individual a new
perspective of Korea and the rest of the world.
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