Teach English in Wumiaoji Zhen - Xinyang Shi

This course has been a very thorough, fun, and beneficial overview of basic english structure, which I haven't had a serious look at since 7th of 8th grade. It reminded me of many lessons and mnemonic devices that I learned back in those days, and has given me a more thorough understanding of the (TWELVE) tenses, passive/active speech, and other fine points of english that I had never studied in school. I think that the fact that I, and most of my peers in the english speaking world speak english without having had much formal training suggests that a foreign student may learn quite a lot of english by immersion, hearing it properly and often, without getting too caught up in the esoteric jargon of english teachers. The concepts of grammar and usage should go hand in hand with vocabulary of course, and be used as a framework for study, but care should be taken not to bore, alienate, or frustrate students with too much jargon. Students will learn better if they are actively involved and the lessons are seen as relevant and fun. I will always remember the poor teaching example of lesson 10, the teacher hammering away about "modal auxiliary verbs" and his poor students feeling inadequate, lost, and frustrated. The philosophy of teaching, methods, and concerns were quite useful in this course, and I think, right on target. I feel I've had a very good introduction to what it means to take on the role of a teacher, and the challenges and enjoyment that can come with teaching classes of my own someday. I have done some traveling in Croatia, and would like to be able to live there sustainably, as a member of the community, and not as a tourist. I think my TEFL training will put me in a good position to teach in Croatia for half a year or so at a time.