My Everyday English Blog!

       It is a day with a difference to any ESL teacher, be you qualified, experienced or not. It’s almost a nightmare to beginners. Some teachers are lucky to grab their new class on the first day. It could be for several reasons: The teachers’ skills, the students’ motivation, etc. Other teachers simply fail and this also happens because of several reasons. The lack of appropiate skills, students’ behaviour towards the subject, etc. There is no magic to it and no specific formula. What you are going to read below are simply tips based on my own experience over the years and suggestions gathered from colleagues and friends. You may find them useful as you may not.

Things to avoid and suggestions

1. Don’t sneak into the classroom leaving students to come in behind you. It’s a very big source of classroom indiscipline.

Wait at the door, your files or books held firmly against your chest. To those of them still idling around waiting for you to urge them in do not. Just stand there and give them a serious look that communicates “it’s time for serious things.” You will soon see them getting in because they don’t know you yet and they don’t know what you have in store for them. That’s your joker card.

2. Don’t talk with them in the hallway. It creates a too-early familiarity which is often misinterpreted by students.

 Some brave ones will greet you and perhaps ask questions like “Are you our new teacher?” “What’s your name?” “Where are you from?” etc. Simply nod to them and use a hand gesture to make them understand that it’s time for class. Attempting to answer these questions in the hallway will obviously lead to more questions and again establish a too-early familiarity.

3. Don’t greet and start talking to them immediately they all get in. Don’t shout at the disorderly ones to take to their seats.

Once they are all in, close the door firmly and walk to the teacher’s table, leave your books on the table and walk back to the centre up front position making sure you have a quick and good view of the whole class. There should be some noise still, with perhaps a few of them running around. Point out the one still not ready for class and assign him or her to one of the following: Clean the board, close the door (if you forgot to close it), open the window (if it is closed), move a chair that’s not in the right position, etc. It must be a very short and easy thing to do. By this time you have communicated enough seriousness and their attention should be pretty much on you.

4. Don’t greet with informal forms (Hi, Hey buddies, How are you all doing? etc).

Use a very formal greeting: Good morning / afternoon / evening students. Be very audible. Let your voice be a little dominant but without shouting.  If the response to the greeting is less than 60% repeat and louder. This will surely get them to respond better.

5. Don’t ask the usual question “How are you?” except you have carefully read the class in the short time to be a disciplined one.

“How are you?” often leads to disorder especially with teenagers. With kids it’s ok. Thank them for answering and tell them that there is going to be a self-introduction exercise during which you will get to know them and they will get to know you.

6. Don’t introduce yourself first and in a rush. Don’t listen to their names without any interest.

First write the date on the board (top right hand side of the board), write the subject name English (top centre position of the board, write ‘Self-Introduction’ below the subject name and underline. Then tell them the guidelines of the self-introduction exercise like: My name is XxXXX My English name is XXXXX. Don’t bring in too many extras like age, origin, hobbies, etc. These make the exercise long and boring. Show great interest in each name as they introduce. This makes them think you have taken note of them particularly. Here is a good trick. If you have a class of 15 for example, sitting in rows and columns you can easily draw 15 boxes on the board (Top left hand side of the board) which represent their sitting positions. As they say their names, write the names in the correct box. This little trick really grabs their attention as they look out for their names being in the correct box. They also begin to have the feeling that you know who they are including their sitting positions.  

7. Don’t ask too many questions about their names and don’t comment badly on their names (they sometimes have really funny English names).  

On the contrary occasionally make good remarks about some names like: ‘Very brave’ for the name ‘Lion,’ ‘Wow! Bill Gates! Very rich’ for a name like ‘Bill.’ This should earn you a substantial amount of laughter to ease up the feeling of a too-serious atmosphere.

8. Don’t give a too-brief introduction of yourself like, ’call me Jack.’

Introduce yourself last and make a full introduction. Write your full name on the board (below the chart bearing their names) and ask them to copy it in their notebooks. Guide them in saying your name until they can say it perfectly. Then continue with your self -introduction: Nationality (see if they know what country it is and where it is found in the world). Your experience teaching English if you have any (this is very necessary for older students to establish some very necessary first impressions). If you don’t have any experience, better not to introduce this aspect but smart students will always ask. If they do ask tell them the truth. Your age and marrital status are important facts that enhance your relationship with students, especially high school and adult students. Tell them about your hobbies. Students like to know the things their teachers do when they are not teaching.

9. Don’t switch into the presentation of a lesson immediately after you introduce yourself. 

Leave a few minutes for them to ask questions about you and the things you have just told them. Be sure to get very funny and sometimes teasing questions. Smile over them and answer those you can responsibly. Here is an example for a teacher who said earlier that he was single: “Do you have / want a girl friend?” Don’t show excitement over such questions. Ignore the fun in it and just give a simple answer like. “That’s personal” That’s my private life. You need to handle these few minutes carefully.

10. Don’t clean off their names and yours on the chart on the board.

Pick out a student to copy out the sitting position chart on the board on a paper and give it to you at the end of the lesson. Then declare the end of the self-introduction exercise.

11. Don’t start using the course book immediately. They are still exploring you so use that. Tell them more about you.

Tell them what kind of things you like and what you don’t like in terms of classwork and discipline. Make them look like little rules in point form like: ‘I don’t like students eating in class’ etc. Put them on the board and ask them to copy out the rules in their notebooks on the same page with your name. (you can also pre-type and photocopy these rules and therefore save time by just asking them to glue the papers to their notebooks. They can even put a title like ‘Mr. Shawn’s rules”). But make sure the rules copying exercise is taken seriously. Make sure the rules are not too many. You could add them later. Give just the basic ones and make them short and easy to be understood.

12. Don’t emphasise only the things you like and the things you don’t like. To students this is too much about you.

Give them a say by asking them what they expect, like and  dislike about a teacher. This will bring fun again to soften the tension your rules have just created. They will tell you funny things like ‘we don’t like homework’ etc. If you still have time accept some that are acceptable and make them see the harm in the other favours they are asking for. But what is most important at this stage of the end of your first class with them is making a deal with your students. This means, getting them to understand that if they give you their best you will give them your best too. Their best to you is hardwork and the respect for rules. Your best to them is promising them friendship, games, exciting activities, good grades, parties, etc. Here is a little trick. Get them to put all their hands together in one bundle like a team. Then put yours on the bundle and ask them whether thy agree to the deal. When they shout ‘yes’ you have won them forever. Thank them, collect your class sitting chart, wish them a nice day and say a solemn good bye to them.

        Like I said at the beginning of this article, you do not have to count on these tips wholly. They could work and sometimes they may not depending on school, class, stduents’ conditions.

Good luck folks.

Denis DNT, Shanghai June 2008.