Teacher Career Development

Teacher Career Development , why complete a TEFL course?

What does Teacher Career Development and completing a TESOL course have in common? Me. I am an elementary school teacher who wanted to develop her career by learning how to teach English overseas. In signing up for this course, my goal was to obtain a certificate and go teach abroad. I had not planned on having a course book of English grammar that I could use in my 5th grade classroom. Without thinking about it I was able to develop my skills as a Language Arts teacher, as well as gain confidence in a subject I was not very familiar with. I found myself developing as an educator and completing the TESOL course all at the same time.

In Unit 1 of the online TESOL course, it talked about what makes a good teacher and their roles. ‘A good teacher should really love teaching. A good teacher is able to motivate learners. A good teacher should be able to involve all students equally throughout the lesson.’ (Unit 1, Pg 1) I would also add, that a good teacher is someone who continues to seek knowledge in how to be a better teacher, which I feel I have done in taking this course. 

In a 1998 survey conducted by pollster Louis Harris, it was found that of those interviewed 92 percent said excellent teachers need to be "well-trained and knowledgeable about how to teach effectively," and 91 percent said they need to be "thoroughly educated in the subjects they will teach." (Recruiting New Teachers, Inc.) In reading the course material I found myself using the units of classroom management (Unit 5), lesson plans (Unit 14) and teaching English methodology (Unit 3) in my classroom. I feel that in having completed this course, I have educated myself more on the teachings of the English language to native and non-natives speakers.

TESOL’s course materials have provided me with a foundation of how to set up my classroom, what the levels of my students may be, possible challenges, curriculum materials and lesson planning strategies. In taking this course I have found a new energy and sense of adventure in teaching. The thought of going abroad next summer and taking with me all that I have learned in this course excites me, at the same time it has awakened my zest for starting this new school year. The role of a teacher, as outlined in Unit 1, is that of a manager, organizer, prompter, assessor, model, observer, facilitator, participant and tutor. I feel that I have hit upon all these roles in my current teaching position and now that I have completed the course I will have the opportunity to continue this development abroad. As a teacher my career will be forever developing, because I am the eternal student. My advice to anyone who is considering taking this course is to go for it. In return you will receive an online technological development in your career whether you are a teacher or not. Everyone has something to gain from this course. To my tutor I would like to say thank you for taking me on a journey that has and will continue to open new doors for me.