Reflective Essay

Saebom Kim(Spring)

According to my memory, I wasn't that keen on English.  English was totally a new subject to me and I felt difficult about it.  I am a kind of slow learner so need more time to understand unfamiliar things.  But, deep in my mind, I believe I had a desire of being a fluent English speaker.  I remember when I was a primary school student, I picked some English words which were hard to pronounce, like 'Synchronize Swimming', and told my friends them.  They were amazed these.

During my school days, unfortunately I couldn't meet any great teachers.  But luckily I met one in the college.  Not surprisingly, most of the professors taught us based on textbooks, a typical style of the Explainer.  However, she was different from the others.  I was shocked by our first assignment which my group had to interview foreigners at any tourist destination spots. We had to prepare all the necessary things for the interview.  It was really enjoyable.  I can say that one of the special experiences was writing a 'Thanks Letter' to the foreigner who we interviewed at the end.  She also made us do a presentation about what we had researched in front of other classmates.  After then she gave us some feedback about what we did and what we missed.  I think back she  knew what was the most effective ways for students to learn more.  And she tried to follow the involver's teaching style.

These days I consider teaching other people a lot, especially teenagers.  Some students do well with their concrete goals, but others not.  From my own experience, it is hart to keep focusing on studying if one doesn't know why to do it.  Therefore, I would like to be a nice guide for those who do not know why and what to do.  As you know, teaching teenagers is not an easy job.  I should first know how to communicate with them.  They will open their mind if I really listen to them and show respect.  Also being patient is another thing that I need to develop.  Sometimes, I just tell them the answers instead of giving them enough time to think.  I am sure they can solve problems by themselves and I just need to wait for it.  That's it!  When a strong bridge is built between us, I will make them think about their future and try hard to find their dream.  I think the most important thing to make people keep going is self-motivation.  If they know why and what to study they will be autonomous and self-directed.  For these, I need to enforce more on various teaching skills as well as excellent people skills.

I always dream of being a good mentor to them not just for their English studying but for their real lives as well.  Times TESOL will help me achieve this for sure.