United States
US
Rosie Louise Ellery
Teach Enrich Empower
“Teeth” vs “Teat”: My TEFL Journey
At 21 most people are partying and drinking at weekends, but, me, I studied TEFL with The TEFL Academy. I’m Rosie and I’ve always been a passionate language learner and in recent months an equally passionate language teacher.
My love of languages and knowledge of Spanish led me to my first TEFL job in a high school in Madrid. I have several groups of different ages and abilities. The system in the school means that all levels are mixed for English, and so I am truly challenged. Thanks to the TEFL course, though, I felt prepared to handle such situations and have been successfully teaching all levels and ages.
It is a common misconception that in being a native English speaker, one can teach it. However this course and my experience at the school have dispelled this myth. Knowing and explaining are two very different things and the TEFL course really helped me to understand how to explain concepts that I have known my whole life. I also learned a lot about English grammar; in studying Spanish I began to understand some aspects of English grammar but studying it for TEFL was extremely helpful and I am able to explain in the detail that my students require thanks to the course.
In the classroom I’ve had hilarious moments, namely in a game that required the students to practice using comparative sentences and questions. Two students were stood back to back ready to play. The rest of the class asked questions such as “who reads more?” or “who has the nicest handwriting?”, and the two at the front had to vote for themselves or the other person. All was going well, until one student asked “who has nicer teeth?”, only he forgot the plural of tooth is teeth, and failed to pronounce ‘th’ correctly. He soon realised what he had said, as did the class, and everyone laughed.
“Thanks to the TEFL course I felt prepared to handle situations”
Living in Madrid is brilliant, it’s a great city. My school is very central and I live nearby. Recently my favourite thing has been the weather! School finishes around lunchtime and I enjoy going to the local pool to relax in the heat after work. I must mention the food too which is a real highlight.
My next role will be in Dublin, working with Education First as an EFL teacher for the summer. After that I’m not sure where I’ll go. I think Asia may be calling me, but only time will tell. Teaching abroad is an incredible experience, and one I highly recommend to anyone who wants to do something enriching, rewarding, challenging and fulfilling. It’s the best way to wake up on a Monday and know you’re going to a job you love. I believe we should love the life we live, and in the same way live the life we love, and being a TEFL teacher has given me the opportunity to do just that.
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