I have to admit i am a lazy teacher. Lazy meaning i do the least possible work to produce the end result, i.e. student learns a little something and is happy for having been there, which makes him come back. The happiness is the key ingredient, that and simplicity. Today i was thinking it's high time i started teaching how to teach. Why the hell not? i've been doing this crap for almost 7 years! can you believe that?! Where on God's green earth has the time gone? So recently i've realized the manifestation of a pattern that i previously was only slightly aware of. It's a pattern of teaching, specifically related to larger group classes, 15 or more. i teach alot of private students - in fact i mostly teach one on one - so the culmination of my group teaching skills have been slow to manifest.
Basically i come in, make some chit chat to make people comfortable, then i make em chit chat with each other to loosen up their respective tongues. After that i bust out a dead easy to follow grammar page with pictures - everybody loves pictures - and after they've robotically done the drills i make everyone walk around the room and use cues that i've written on the board to interact with each other. They like this. For some reason it is funny. i haven't figured out that part yet. To me it is just beautifully killing time. Next, i give them new vocab words from a pre-arranged sheet that also has discussion questions using the new words. This is brilliant. It almost completely takes the teacher out of the equation so he or she can sit back and play video games on their cell phones.
Then there is the classic, guess what word i am holding on the little scrap of paper that Kurt gave me. They have to desribe the word without saying it. They love this one too, and again it gets em up and interacting, hopefully not with me.
So these are some examples of my master plan of success through laziness.
Not bragging or anything, i've gotten lots of repeat business and positive feedback, students wanting me to keep being their teacher and whatnot. It doesnt go to my head or anything (i am the greatest man that ever lived), but today i was thinking shit; i know how to maximize student talking time in class, make everyone feel smart and happy, and get them feeling like i did all the work, when in fact i did next to nothing. If this crap isn't marketable, then i don't know what is! That's when the thought occurred that i should take my show on the road and make people pay me to train their teachers. However,our company doesn't have any such program for incoming instructors. They - along with most Taiwanese companies - pretty much throw you in the water and see if you can swim. If you can, you get more students. If not, good luck. So my crafty plan may have no market value after all. Still, i gotta try. And if i get paid to teach teachers how to be lazy and be loved for it, i rule!
But hey, i rule anyway.
