Interview with an ELL teacher!

Hey guys! Today's Thursday, so there's no mentoring session today. However, I'm back to share with you guys something different! Recently, I emailed one of the teachers from the ELL department, Ms. Fleming, for an interview about her job. I believe some of you are familiar with her. Gratefully, she agreed to participate in my interview exclusively through email to make it safer for both of us! I compiled 10 questions that I'm curious about and shot them to her. The following are the 10 questions:

10 Interview Questions:

  1. How many years have you been teaching in the ELL Department?

  1. Why did you decide to take this career path?

  1. What part of teaching English is the most difficult?

  1. What strategies do you use to correct students’ pronunciation and strengthen their memory? 

  1. Do you have any advice on teaching phonics (any aspect of it)?

  1. How do you cultivate positive relationships with your students and keep them engaged especially during online teaching?

  1. How do you reach a balance between being nice and firm when handling difficult students?

  1. Have you ever had moments where you doubted yourself or regretted being an ELL teacher?

  1. What is it about this job that makes you want to continue?

  1.  How is your own life enriched by being a teacher (if any)?


Shortly, she sent in her responses and let me share them with you guys!
📪
📫
📬
📭


Ms. Fleming's Responses:

  1. How many years have you been teaching in the ELL Department? 11years, 9 at Churchill

  1. Why did you decide to take this career path? I started out as a music teacher, focusing on choir. My first job was half ELL and half music. After I worked with a fantastic department head, he inspired me to continue teaching in this direction. I found that I was very passionate about this area of education.


  1. What part of teaching English is the most difficult? I wouldn't say it's the most difficult part, but it is the most tedious part: getting the students assessed. I like to switch up what I need to teach according to what they know. Sometimes there are classes that need more help with verb tenses; other classes have trouble with sentence structure. It's hardest to figure out what to teach that will benefit the most people. Once I have a good idea of where every student is at, it is smooth sailing.


  1. What strategies do you use to correct students’ pronunciation and strengthen their memory? Repetition, repetition, repetition! Everything needs to be said twenty times. I make sure that they orally practice it, and not just take note that they made a mistake. Then it's a matter of them using it over and over again until it becomes second nature.


  1. Do you have any advice on teaching phonics (any aspect of it)? I start with consonants and then consonant blends. At the same time, I will work on vowel sounds. That way, it comes together quicker, rather than working on one skill at a time.

  1. How do you cultivate positive relationships with your students and keep them engaged, especially during online teaching? It's been very difficult! I try to vary up my assignments. Sometimes it could be a written response to a video, an oral book report, or a character representation through a diary and vlog. I definitely feel that face-to-face sessions have formed that connection!


  1. How do you reach a balance between being nice and firm when handling difficult students? I always joke that it's better to be feared than loved! For me, I like to set a firm tone at the beginning of the year/quarter. Once that respect has been built, then I ease up a little bit on them. Bottom line though, especially with ELL students, compassion is key. Many come without families and without any English at all. It's more important for their mental health, stresses, and learning that they are seeing a kind human than an English teacher.


  1. Have you ever had moments where you doubted yourself or regretted being an ELL teacher? Yes, but not necessarily as an ELL teacher. I've doubted myself as a teacher. And I think that's just part of being human. Am I good enough? Am I doing enough? Am I doing what's best?


  1. What is it about this job that makes you want to continue? When I see students that are surviving in a new country with little English skills, no friends, no family, and they are still working hard with a smile on their faces, it makes me want to work hard for them.


  1.  How is your own life enriched by being a teacher (if any)? I am seeing a new generation! I have taught students who have found success as lawyers, teachers, doctors, health care workers, pre school educators, engineers, mechanics, professional singers, bankers, etc. I like to think that I have minimally contributed to making the world the place it is today.


My Thoughts:

Getting insight from a real reading teacher really is beneficial! One of the greatest realization is that the doubts that I experienced are normal! I wouldn't consider myself a perfectionist, butttt who doesn't want to do well? Especially when I'm a role model that's responsible for another child, I feel the pressure not fail him. There have been many times where I faced mental battles with myself.
Am I helping him or making it even harder? Is he not getting it because I'm not doing enough? I don't know how to do better! Can I even improve?
After getting to know Ms. Fleming's experience, I can be sure that this is a common challenge. I think a huge part of being a teacher is overcoming those internal dialogues and focusing on the up side. Being able to strengthen your mentality is the key to success.
I also agree with the fact that a source of motivation is knowing that these students have the courage to face their weaknesses, and that makes me want to work harder for them. Small moments where they can recall something you've taught them or say thank you are very rewarding! I've only been a mentor for over a month, but I'm sure as a teacher, it must be even more rewarding to know your students crossed the language barrier to pursue their passions thanks to your help.

As for the teaching part, repetition is indeed the key. Previously, Margaret taught me a strategy that requires the student to orally practice a word a million times before they get it. It's reassuring to hear the same idea overlap with each other from 2 completely different individuals. If you recall, I actually witnessed the power of repetition last session. I corrected/ reminded Karl how to say Rusty about 7 to 9 times before he could correct himself. As a mentor, I learned the importance of having the confidence to point out what's incorrect and guide them to fix it. It's necessary to be the best you can be to prove you're someone worth trusting.

In conclusion, it's amazing to see someone dedicate their life to something so worthy of respect. I'm not planning to be a teacher, but the experiences I get from it are worth it.

😇

Comments

Post a Comment