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Two of my very sweet, very charming South Korean ESL students taking a break from their workbook.
Welcome back!
As I mentioned in my previous article, teaching English abroad is a rewarding experience. With that said, there are definite points that you should keep in mind in order to make your experience a positive one. The following are three additional advice tidbits that will help you in your ESL teaching endeavors!
1.) 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.
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.) 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.
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