Author: rttglobal

Making mistakes in teaching is all part of the learning curve. Teachers aren’t just pumped out of a TEFL course with all of the skills and knowledge base of a teacher that has been doing ESL for 20 years has. This is a skills based industry and we all know that skills aren’t just learnt from a textbook, they need to be planted in a classroom and watered with time. With enough nurturing you watch your teaching skills blossom and flourish. And even then, mistakes can still be made.

Several years back, I joined the gym with the purpose of putting on muscle mass. I was eating a lot of calories and going through a disciplined routine. And it was working. Until the summertime came. My job took me out of town for weeks at a time where I was at the mercy of other people’s cooking and other people’s schedules. I lost what I gained and learned an important truth: Staying fit isn’t something you do once and done. It’s a lifestyle and a daily choice.

Teaching has been an expert mentor in helping me see that what I say matters. My words are important because people are actually listening. But my actions may be even more so. How I use my face and eyes and body when I’m talking reveals truth, sincerity, acknowledgment, reciprocation, and about a thousand other things. In communication, the non-verbal tells more than that flabber-jabber of yours could ever hope to.

I am writing for you a list of the Present Progressive which uses a form of the “be” verb + the “ing” form of the main verb. But we’ll get to that more up ahead. Understanding and Teaching the Present Progressive A wonderful tool for getting a grip on the Present Progressive. Englishpage.com’s excellent resource for…
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Today’s interview is with Reach To Teach alumni Sarah Vied, who has been Teaching with us in Taipei, Taiwan.
Hi Sarah! Let’s start off by having you introduce yourself.
Hey! My name is Sarah, I’m 26, and I’m a proud southerner from the USA—originally from a small town called Princeton in western Kentucky. This is only my second year teaching and living abroad, but my first year in Taiwan and in Taipei.

I may not have even thought about it before. It may be that you don’t count your experiences as note-worthy. Maybe you think there is little worth sharing concerning your days. But I’m fascinated by the stories people choose to tell with their lives. Those stories inspire me to choose better ones for myself. And it’s why you need to start a travel blog.

Our buts are a masquerade for fear. They are an excuse to keep us from what we want and where we’re headed. No matter their legitimacy, the buts that stifle our dreams don’t have to get in the way.

We all know what it can be like as teachers, you are as excited as a firework when you go away to another country and begin your journey as an overseas ESL teacher. In the beginning you are busy getting to know your students, getting to grips with the curriculum and school system and getting to know your work colleagues, so everything is new and amazing. Fast forward a year and you find that the ‘honeymoon period’ has set sail, the excitement of your new position has lost its charms and work has become a daily grind instead of a fun cool job.