Have recently been taking a full year UT course on Teaching a Second Language. And for those who really truly aspire to teach kids and teenagers, I geniunely feel that this course is something you'll enjoy (c'mon now don't kid yourself! hahaah) and seriously sooo appropriate for preparing a mind ready to inspire ready-little minds in a elementary school setting or preparing minds of high school kids for the real world out there. I'm so excited aobut taking it right now cuz I'm learning so much!! come talk to me if you wanna know more! :D It has only been three weeks of class but I feel like I'm already thinking differently about learning in general and I eagerly anticipate about what my mind will be opened to next.dan dan dan!!! :D
So class experience, there is more class interaction than I expected initially, which i love! the many perspectives and philosophies about teaching shared just TODAY in-class just blew my mind! :) Really, today was my first time feeling people talking actually care about 'teaching' like gosh! hehehe if you know what I mean...:P Today when one of my classmates was talking, there was a genuine 'uptightness' in the vibe she gave away in the way she spoke; I almost sensed a thirst when she talked her hurtles and fear of feeling inadequate to become a good teacher --> one of our topics of discussion during class. That classmate kinda rocked the whole 'peaceful' class atmosphere a little bit with her passionate and quite confident tone of voice, but throughout her whole 1 min quick spiel, I was like: 'she really believes in what she says!' what passion seriously...and plus it is extremely rare to find such vulnerability in a secular world like this nowadays, especially in a class that has just begun where you don't really know anyone at all yet. Then I though to myself ->we are in dire need of ppl such as these to claim to be teachers.
One of our textbooks is just inspirational in that it brings a message of hope towards new real-life practical strategies for teaching, despite failures from past teaching styles. One quote from the text Teaching and Learning Languages by Anthony Mollica that inspired me personally goes on like this(p.42):
'Language is much more than grammar. It is more than a way of structuring thought. It is a way of signifying our deepest feelings, our most sincere beliefs. Each time I learn a word (says Mollica) which has no translation into another language, I feel that I have discovered a rare gift, a fresh insight..'
Thanks for reading, and hope you guys were able to be somewhat inspired or impacted by the idea of
in this post. ....... .......... or maybe even think of teaching in the future as well? :]
Keeping workin' the mind on this fascinating topic! Cheers :}
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