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TESOL Certificate Training for Teaching English Abroad: Thailand 
THROWN IN AT THE DEEP END:
MY FIRST DAY ON THE JOB! By John Spragg (One of our own: A TEFL for Target Learner Groups course graduate)  Editor's
Note:It's
always best to have a lesson plan prepared before teaching, even when
teaching a group of 60 (or 30) kids, as John did (below). However,
the main objective in teaching kids is to teach them skills
progressively, through a medium of fun that takes the emphasis off of
"book learning". In the real world of Thai schools, there may not be a
prepared lesson from which to make a plan in the first place. When this
happens, "survivers" like John learn to think fast, and eventually
prepare and plan lessons around what came before, even if it's mainly
done just in their heads. It's not ideal, but if the kids are speaking
English and progressively learning, that is a good result under the
circumstances. One thing we are fairly sure of: Had John not been
trained already as a teacher, and learned how to make good lesson plans
for more controlled situations, he undoubtedly would have been scared
"out of the business" by what happened to him on that very first day of
teaching!
When asked for
a story related to teaching in Thailand, I was immediately led to
thinking about my first day "on the job".
I
had arrived in Bangkok the previous week armed with my new
TEXT-AND-TALK TEFL certificate which I had earned in the utopian luxury
of Phuket. I had never intended to work in Bangkok, but economic
necessity prevailed at the time. I had certainly never intended to
start my career teaching children in a school either, but, again, it
was
financially the best option I had been offered. My only teaching
experience to date had been with the nice, compliant "guinea pigs" that
were wheeled in for the TEFL course teaching practice, and I had found
it much easier than I ever thought I would. But was I in for a shock
now!
My first posting was straight
in at the deep-end, no time for prep. or observing an experienced
teacher, as I had requested. I was to teach five classes a day of 10-12
year-olds in a government elementary school. It was a "hi-so" (high
society) type of school attached to a university. At least most of the
Thai people I mentioned the school's name to were impressed! I met one
of the guys I was to work with at the agency office, and off we went
each in our own transport (I in a taxi). I was nervous, but my new
colleague had made it all sound like a piece of cake, so I was ready to
go.
The traffic was shocking (as is
often the case) and we were late for school – not my fault, as I had
been waiting at the office for half an hour before my colleague finally
turned up. As we walked into the school I was promptly introduced to
the Head of English. "He doesn't look old enough to be a teacher!" she
proclaimed to my colleague, while looking me up and down (I was
twenty-six). "Is he new?"
"Yeah,
I'm new." I offered. "Nice to meet you. I'm John."
"Why are you late?" she barked
at my colleague. He was reduced from the confident professional I had
met earlier into a shamefaced schoolboy. He murmured something about
the traffic and off we went to the office.
Five minutes later I was in the
classroom for the first time. The colleague I had already met and I
were to share classes of sixty. As I was new, I was to take half of
them "outside" while he taught the other half in the classroom, to be
reversed the following week. I led thirty kids out of the classroom
with no idea as to where we were going or why. They all had pencils,
although I had been given no worksheets. So I followed the kids into
the lift and down to the schoolyard where they all ran in different
directions!
I was aware I was being watched
by the militaristic Head of English I had already met and so I
proceeded to round up the kids, no mean feat as they were doing their
best to ignore me completely, and some of the boys were far more
interested in an ants' nest they had found! Fortunately, I had my
trusty tennis ball in my pocket (the new teacher's best friend) and
managed to throw together a "game-based lesson". The kids learnt
nothing, I felt pretty sure, but at least they enjoyed themselves and
spoke a bit of English. Anyone watching would have clearly seen that I
was making it up as I went along and it was the kids who were calling
the shots. Funny how the ball kept ending up in the ants' nest and it
was obviously left to me to pick it out each time!
This was the pattern of the
following two lessons, and to be honest, against all the odds, I was
starting to enjoy myself. It was lunchtime and I was walking along the
corridor towards the canteen when the Head of English sprang out from
behind a stone pillar and announced, "You shouldn't be chewing gum,
it's not polite!" She was probably right, but I had reasoned it was
better than smelling of cigarettes, what with me being a smoker. I
apologised politely and carried on to the canteen with three colleagues
who were trying their best to hide the fact that they were delighted
the attention was off of them for the day!
The afternoon passed much the
same as the morning. I was completely left to my own devices and was
watched hawkishly throughout by the demon headmistress. It turned out
she was a dragon to everyone; in fact, I was told that she had actually
been pretty "nice" to me! Three o'clock came and I was exhausted after
my first day as a "teacher". It's funny that I have to say that I
actually really enjoyed my first day, much as I have enjoyed most
subsequent days. It's quite clear to me why some people never make it
past the first day, though! I went home a completely different teacher
than I had been that morning. Whereas I had set out slightly
apprehensive, but generally confident in my own ability, I remember
thinking to myself as I went home that I had so much to learn, and
quickly too!
That was three years ago, and
it's a routine these days. Taking a class at short notice, no
worksheets and no ideas, I now see as "a dream" rather than "a
nightmare", as I had seen it that day! I left that first school for
another one after a semester and I have never met another Head of
English quite like the lady there. "Brutally honest and plain speaking"
would be the most polite description I could muster for her, but I
guess she helped me along in her own way. As for native-speaker
colleagues, I have worked with many. Some are helpful, others are no
help at all, while others are more than just unhelpful!
There's a lot
to be said for being thrown in at the deep-end, because it's certainly
the best way to find out if you are a sinker or a swimmer! After such
an introduction as mine, it can only get easier!
Our Class Schedule: Four Locations!
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