ESL Teachers' Survival Guide

Being an ESL (English as a second language) teacher has a lot of ups and downs. First of all, it's incredibly rewarding to be a teacher in the first place and teaching ESL is no different. You get to experience the "Aha!" moments your students have and you get to watch them evolve as English speakers.

But it's not all easy as pie as most of us know. In fact, it can be a rather overwhelming job and one that takes a lot of energy. It's not uncommon to find ourselves frustrated, annoyed and exhausted. However, you and I both know that those times when we feel like that can be turned around into something positive. Some of the following advice is applicable to pretty much any person of any vocation. But it is especially helpful to keep in mind for those of us teaching ESL.

1.) Roll with the punches

Have you ever heard of stoicism? The idea that we should play the part we were assigned in life? Well rolling with the punches is exactly that: dealing with what you are dealt! You're going to have hard days. Expect difficult moments (they're present in any vocation). If your attitude is in the right place then you will recover from any setbacks at a much faster pace. And in addition to that, your students can read you quite well. For the sake of their education don't overreact when things go awry! Harping on the negative gets you nowhere!

2.) Use the "bad students" to your advantage

Within my first few weeks of teaching I found that there are students who like to be extra vocal in class. These students are often the brightest as well. I realized that the reason some of them act out the way they do is because they get bored. More often than not these are the students who are willing to be your guinea pig. Even if the difficult students aren't willing to serve as an example, you can use them to bounce things off of. For example, if a student is loud and distracting I'll point him out jokingly and say, "Wow you are loud!" or "He's crazy!" or even pretend to act like said student(s). Students get a kick out of this and actually listen to what you are saying.

3.) Don't punish your students with English

This is just a don't. Don't use English as punishment for any ill-behavior. They need to associate English with positive feelings. (The "writing English sentences over and over again" punishment included!).

4.) Don't be a pushover

Some countries don't have a problem with corporal punishment. I do and so I don't employ those kinds of punishing techniques. With that said, I do not want to be a pushover teacher who lets students get away with anything. Make sure your students know who's boss and that you are there to learn. Some tactics that work for me are: attention commands (eg. clap your hands 1x if you hear me), having the students place their heads on their desk, making students stand in the back of the class if they are too disruptive.

5.) Speak English with your students whenever you see them

You know those kids that run in the other direction terrified you are going to ask them something in English? Those are the ones you want to try and talk to most of all! :) Basic phrases like, "How are you?" and "What are you doing?" encourages them to use English and makes it less scary.

6.) Build a relationship with your co-teachers, bosses

Establish a relationship with your co-teacher and greet other teachers and your bosses warmly. Abide by the culture (ie. bowing, handing things to superiors with two hands, etc.) to show that you respect it. Also use their language when you greet or say goodbye. Eating lunch with your co-workers is another way to build positive report. If you have a good relationship with higher-ups and your co-teachers, things will go much more smoothly for you, especially if you should run into any issues down the road.

Good luck! Stay tuned for more ESL tips, guides, etc.