My Summer as a Teacher
By Catherine Robinson
        After final exams were finished I was so overworked that I felt as though I was mentally paralysed from life outside of my books. My plans for the summer vacation were simple and consisted of relaxing, sleeping, and doing anything else that didn't involve too much energy. After a couple of weeks, after I recuperated from exhaustion, I became restless and needed some constructive brain exercise other than using the remote. Jay, a fellow classmate, called me and asked if I had any native English speaking friends that were interested in teaching English in the north of Thailand. Immediately I thought "Why not?" I could be a teacher. I told my friend about the job offer and we confirmed the positions the next day. The job was located in Phetchbun, a small province half way from here to Chaingmai. Jay told us that foreigners are a rare species up there and said that we would be the first young English speaking teachers to have ever come to Phetchbun, hence, we became pioneers in the province.
 
        Once we arrived in Phetchbun we were fully informed about the business plan. English Speaking Tutorial Centre or ESTC was the name of the school and there were approximately 50 students. We were each assigned three classes per day, which lasted for an hour to an hour and a half. The classes were to be made up of children, at elementary, middle and high school levels, university students, professionals, and some teachers were even included. At first I was very nervous. I'm hardly qualified to teach English and I had to make up a two-month course for three classes. This surely was a challenge.
 
        Before classes began we were expected to evaluate each student so we could place them into the appropriate classes. The day before classes started, we contacted the students and asked if they could come to the centre for an interview. To begin with we asked the students basic questions about themselves. After that, if their English was good, we would ask them more complicated questions. During the interviews we noted any common mistakes, and determined what articles of speech were missing. After the interviewing was over we arranged the classes. I had three classes to look after. My first class was made up of the more elderly crowd and some university students. The standard of English in this class was low so lots of verbal practice and basic grammar usage was intertwined in the course. Most of the students desired improvements in their conversation skills. My second class consisted of three high school girls. The standard of English in this class was generally high, making them more demanding than my other classes. One of the girls had just passed her AFS exam and was waiting to go study for a year in the states. My focus on these girls was to improve their vocabulary and also to enhance their speaking abilities though more structured and diverse discussions held in class. My last class was made up of about twelve youngsters aged between 11-18 years. The students in this class were shy to speak so my major objective for them was for them to openly express ideas and opinions confidently within the classroom. The first couple of days of class were the hardest but it gradually became more fun and easier as time progressed.
 
        A teacher must be knowledgeable in all aspects of life. You rarely come across a teacher that didn't know what he or she was talking about. This is what everybody's expectations of a teacher are. So how could I match this criterion? I am not even half way done with my degree, how could I meet up to the same standards as my previous English teachers? Standing in front of a class knowing that the students might think you are brainless was scary. The students were paying to have me teach them what I know and I was essentially testing my intellect. I wasn't only teaching the students English but I was teaching them things about life. Our discussions often got carried away and the contents ranged from everything from Thai history to transvestites. Giving them a western perception, I felt that I not only improved their English but I actually changed their way of thinking. The students liked us, in fact they loved us we were their friends and their teachers. What was most rewarding was the fact that I felt as though in some way I had made an impression on each student. I taught everyone something new and something that they will remember.
 
        Though this teaching experience was fun and enjoyable we did incur some difficulties. Teaching without any training and making up three different courses from scratch were not easy. In addition, when we first arrived at the school building it was simply a few rooms with tables and chairs in them. We decorated the classrooms and made the school a lively learning centre.
 
        In essence, this experience has opened another window of opportunity for me. Learning how to teach and commanding a distinctive degree of respect, held only by a teacher, between my students and I, has certainly been insightful. Additionally my overall confidence has been boosted. I have learned that teachers play a big role in everybody's lives. Students, including myself, depend on teachers to help arm us with knowledge so we can take on the world. In the future I think I will take some serious teaching training but in the mean time I think I'll just keep on listening to my professors and learn some new tricks.