One common theme is miscommunication. For example, the teacher may use a term or concept that is easily misunderstood by students due to cultural or language differences.
Classroom management issues are also common. Like having unruly students who don't respect the teacher or other classmates, which can disrupt the whole learning environment. There could be situations where students talk over the teacher or refuse to participate in activities.
Well, there are horror stories about cultural misunderstandings. For instance, the teaching style that might work well in Western countries could be completely misinterpreted in Korea. Teachers might be too direct or casual in their teaching approach according to the local standards, and this can lead to conflicts with students or parents. Also, some teachers have horror stories about the long working hours. They might be expected to work extra hours without proper compensation, like staying late to help students with exams or prepare teaching materials.
Firstly, do thorough research on the school before signing a contract. Check online reviews and talk to former teachers if possible. For example, on ESL teaching forums, there are often threads about different schools in Korea. Secondly, make sure the contract is very clear about salary, working hours, and living arrangements. If it's not, ask for clarifications. Thirdly, try to learn about the local culture and teaching norms as much as possible before starting to teach. This can prevent a lot of cultural misunderstandings.
Well, there was this time a teacher had to teach a large class of ESL students. The classroom was very noisy and the students were not interested in the textbook materials at all. The teacher tried different methods but couldn't engage them, and it was really frustrating.
Teaching ESL through stories promotes better language retention. Because the language is presented in a narrative form, students are more likely to recall the words and phrases. They can relate the language to the events and characters in the story, and this connection aids in long - term memory of the language.
Ghosts are a common theme. Many stories feature the spirits of the dead that come out on Halloween. They can haunt houses or people.
One common theme is the supernatural. Stories often involve ghosts, like in many traditional ESL ghost stories where a spirit haunts a place or a person.
One common theme is the battle between good and evil. In many stories like 'The Chronicles of Narnia', the characters have to fight against the forces of evil to save their magical world. Another theme is self - discovery. For example, in 'A Wrinkle in Time', the main character Meg learns a lot about herself during her adventures. Magic and the supernatural are also common, as seen in 'The Hobbit' with all the magic spells and mythical creatures.
One of the funniest was when teaching body parts. I asked a student to point to his nose. Instead, he pointed to his ear and then his eye, and finally his nose while giggling. Another time was during a pronunciation lesson. A student mispronounced 'banana' as 'bah - nah - nah' in the most comical way.
One effective method is to choose stories that are relevant to the students' interests. For example, if they like sports, use a story about an athlete. This grabs their attention. Another is to use pictures or props related to the story. It helps visual learners better understand the plot and new vocabulary.
Stories are great for teaching ESL because they are memorable. Students are more likely to remember new words and grammar when they are part of an interesting story. Also, stories can introduce cultural elements, which is important for language learning. For instance, a folktale from an English - speaking country can teach about the local culture and values.