Being a teacher has never been my dream job. Studying English, however, was appealing to me from the time I was a child. This deep love for the language helped soothing the feeling of disappointment that grew out as I realized that the only way for me to use the language was inside a classroom as a teacher of English.
As I started my teaching career, I was able to see things from a different perspective: This job was my way to share the enjoyment and excitement to learn the foreign language with others. In the first year of my career, I had to teach beginners with no previous knowledge of English, and at the end of that academic year I had a myriad of feelings that vary from pride to excitement. It was rewarding to see a group of young people whom I taught from scratch able to use the language to communicate and interact.
From that day on, I developed professional convictions that turn around a fundamental concept called change. It goes without saying that our time is characterized by rapid changes. Learners, I believe, should be prepared for those changes through the stimulation of the flexibility of thought. Adapting a wide range of instructional techniques, varying from simple instances of argument to tasks based on critical thinking and debating, is the best way to achieve this goal.
Creating an independent learner is a prerequisite, and constructing a personality ready to adapt for change is paramount. My teaching techniques and strategies stem from my commitment to inculcate good ways of asking questions, devise activities fostering critical thinking and encourage learners to maintain a high level of independence for learning.
As a result, as a logical continuation, I strongly believe that a teacher has to put among his priorities to engage in a continuous process of professional development and be ready for change as well.
Mr. Anwar was my English teacher for 3 years. He is a smart person. His linguistic abilities are unique, and you can definitely spot his skills from the first lectures. He is not conventional like other teachers at all, always trying to find new ways of delivering information. He is also good in programming and technology in general. To this day- after 5 years- I use lots of the skills I learned about using the internet, getting good resources, and writing formal emails, in addition to the language itself.