The Summer That Made Me a Better Educator

As the second semester approaches, practice teaching is right around the corner, and as a 4th-year college student, I’m feeling both excited and eager for this next step in my journey. To help prepare for this, I look back at my summer experience working at an ESL school, where I gained many lessons.

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A couple of weeks after the academic year 2023-2024 ended, I decided to look for a summer job to escape the boredom of staying at home. I just wanted something to keep me busy and avoid feeling like I was wasting away in bed. While searching, I knew I didn't want anything too stressful, especially fast-food jobs, which I find really challenging. I'd be better off with something that just required me to sit and talk since that's what I'm more capable of.

It just so happened that my friends were also looking for a summer job, so I decided to join them. We started searching for any English as a Second Language (ESL) companies hiring, and luckily, we found one—a well-known ESL company here in Cebu. My friends and I prepared everything, from gathering the required documents to preparing for the interview. However, my friend who initially came up with the idea suddenly changed her mind and decided not to push through, so it was canceled.

Fortunately, my classmate found an ESL school right here in our city. She recommended it and shared what we needed to bring and prepare. I sent in my resume and got a call to schedule my interview and exam. My friends and I were scheduled on the same day. I still remember that day vividly—it was raining so hard! We were all soaked from head to toe, and we couldn't stop laughing about it.

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The whole process took an entire day. First, we had our interviews, the exam, and the teaching demonstration. To our surprise and relief, all of us got hired! After about two weeks of training, I felt so lucky to be chosen as one of the teachers to start teaching right away since not everyone gets that opportunity.

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I was assigned as a Grammar teacher, and honestly, I was a bit nervous on my first day. I wasn't entirely sure what to do despite having two weeks of training. However, since I only had one student that day, I took the time to prepare, study the books, and plan what to say. Thankfully, the day went smoothly. My first student was a Chinese boy named Long, who was such a good student. On my second day, things got busier. My schedule went from having just one student to teaching seven! I was excited to meet all of them, but that's when the real challenge began. My students' ages ranged from 6 to 16, so every class felt like a new adventure. One student, though, gave me a tough time on his first day. He was in a terrible mood, kept asking to go home, and wanted to call his parents. I was caught off guard and didn't know how to handle it right away. Thankfully, he was the only one who tested my patience that day because the rest were kind and respectful.

For my two months of teaching in that ESL school, I met different kinds of students. Some were smart, respectful, fun, and others were just plain difficult to be with. Each one taught me something and pushed me to become a better teacher. I had two batch of students, the first batch gave me a chill and fun experience, they were the best and unforgettable to me. The second batch was a bit different, this batch tested my patience and I was just so tired all the time. Their differences taught me how to adjust to different kinds of students.

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Students who were remarkable to me.

Hyerin

One of my favorites was Hyerin. She's 15 and from Korea, and she is a cheerful and funny girl in my 10th class (out of 11). Classes with her were never boring! She always had so much to share despite struggling with English. Our favorite topic was her crush, who is one of my students. Those moments with her were so memorable.

11th class

Then, my youngest student, a 6-year-old Korean boy, was in my last class. He is full of energy and so mischievous that by the time our class ended, I felt completely drained. It was like my energy went from 80% to 0%! T.T. I was so stressed because we always ended up disturbing other classes. He would get up and start running around! It was so hard to keep him in his seat, and I felt like I was spending more time chasing him than teaching.

5th Class

Let me talk about the student who gave me so much attitude on his first day in my class. He's 16 and from Taiwan. Honestly, I wasn't too fond of him at first because he was always so unmotivated and demanding for the first two weeks. Teachers even called him a "special student" because he didn't follow the usual schedule. Most students had Speaking, Writing, Grammar, and Reading classes (if I remember right), but he only did Writing and Speaking because he kept complaining about the books. He even said there wasn't a Grammar book that suited him!

Whenever I asked how he was, his response was always, "I'm tired." Every single time. He just seemed like he didn't want to be there. But by the second week, something changed, and I noticed he started to adjust. Honestly, I was pleased to see that. It made me realize he was actually really smart and serious about learning. He mentioned how much his parents paid for the camp, and he didn't want to waste that opportunity. Some teachers thought he was a pain in the neck, but I am seeing his greatney. By the end, he was so engaged in class and asked many questions—sometimes too many, to be honest. I felt like he was testing me, but seeing how much he was improving was worth it. He would always ask me about synonyms for different words, and honestly, it felt so fulfilling to see the words and phrases I taught him pop up in his diary. Even though I wasn't the one assigned to check his diary, he'd always insist that I be the one to do it. That little request meant a lot and made me realize something important —I'm not a bad teacher, after all.

Henry

Four weeks passed, and on July 27, six of my students went back to their home countries. I felt so sad that day because the classroom became so quiet. It was like a piece of the energy left with them. After a day or two, a new batch of students arrived, and as the schedules kept changing, so did my students. At one point, I had eight students, and the one who stood out was Henry2. Since there were two Henrys in the class, they added the "2" to his name, and the funny thing is, he never removed it! He thought it was part of his name, which cracked me up. He gave off a mix of vibes, like a blend between Hyerin and my mischievous 6-year-old student. He was full of energy and always fun to be around. This kid was extra mischievous, always keeping things lively. He was in my 10th class, and like with Hyerin, there was never a dull moment. I found him so funny, though it was clear he didn't really want to have class. He just wanted to talk! But I ensured we got through at least three pages of the lesson. The truth is, we usually only managed to get through one, or maybe one and a half pages at most. We'd get so caught up in chatting that time would just slip away. When I'm with students like him, time flies so fast!

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Why did this experience made me a better educator?

As a 4th-year college student, my Summer Camp experience gave me a glimpse into the world of teaching. I learned so much, and it helped me identify both my strengths and weaknesses. This self-awareness is really important in improving my teaching skills. I also had the chance to meet many different students, each with their own personalities and challenges, which made the experience even more rewarding.

Those four students were remarkable to me, and I'm so grateful to have met them. I had the chance to teach, laugh, and learn alongside them which makes the experience even more unforgettable.