Teacher, I Soaked My New Textbook!

image provided by freepik.com

by Katherine Reilly – originally published by ELT NEWS

It’s 6.00 am and I find myself twirling in bed; my sheets wrapped around my body tighter than a tortilla. Although I hit the hay early, I feel as though I hadn’t slept a wink. Sluggishly, I get out of bed and commence preparations for the long day ahead. My teacher’s bag is equipped with all the basic necessities for teaching juveniles. No, I’m not referring to markers or books; rather tissues, adhesive bandages, cleansing gels, you know… the works! A bit of makeup, some finishing touches to my hair and off I go!

Upon arrival at the school premises, I take a moment to reflect upon last year’s predicaments before exiting my car. It doesn’t take a prophet to tell me this year will be no different than the ones before. I unlock my door and before I even have the chance to exit, I am greeted by familiar faces that have physically matured over the summer months. Some are most welcome as they wholeheartedly embrace me. Others strike a sense of dread for what is to come. The pranksters and smart-alecks, or the socially obnoxious and loud.

“Good morning, Ms. Katherine!” yelled one of my students directly into my ear drum.

“Good morning, Johnathon. I haven’t had coffee yet,” I reply, carrying a year’s worth of textbooks in my arms.

“You’ll need it!” shouted my student as he and his classmates trampled away giggling.

Continue reading “Teacher, I Soaked My New Textbook!”

September Blues and Classroom Hues

Image provided by Freepik

by Katherine Reilly

Could someone please enlighten me on the matter of mandatory school attendance? Don’t get me wrong, I am clearly aware of the importance of education and identify as an avid supporter. Nonetheless, the fact that we dread the prospect of returning to our classrooms is, without a doubt, a surging feeling we have all experienced at least once in our careers. Is it our apprehension of the individuals who must surround us for the foreseeable future? The demands of our duties which, to be honest, consume a great portion of our daily routine? Bullying, demeaning behaviors, obnoxious colleagues and students, infinite papers to correct with little to no recognition of our endeavors, jeopardizing our own sanity and peace of mind…

Continue reading “September Blues and Classroom Hues”

TeachingEnglish|British Councl – Breaking Down Barriers: Handout & Certificate

LWA/Dann Tardif

Hello TeachingEnglish community!

Thank you for coming to our event on ‘Breaking down barriers’ in the ELT classroom yesterday. It was a lovely atmosphere and the discussions in the chat were extremely interesting. We hope you enjoyed it!

Don’t miss our panel event on 5 July with Katherine and Amina answering questions on the same topic:

https://www.facebook.com/events/815806946646186

HANDOUT:

You find the handout for this session here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/2024-06/HANDOUT_KatherineReillywebinar.pdf  

CERTIFICATE

You can access the certificate here:  

THANK YOU ALL!!!