by Rolly Obedencio
Every time I come into this class, I feel like so alarmed as to what appropriate strategy I have to use to fit their level and learning style. I always ask myself what could be the reasons behind their behavior? Am I missing something? I have exhausted all means and strategies. I always devise, revise and innovate my methods which are very much effective in other classes, but of no avail among Grade 9/5B students. Every time I get out of the class, I feel like I’m a complete failure as a teacher. I feel tired and disillusioned, whereas I’m full of energy, enthusiasm and inspiration in all the other classes.
It’s commonly said that a great teacher inspires. How can I inspire them when they don’t understand well? How can they understand when they don’t know how to read well? How can they read well when they don’t like to read? How can they like to read when they don’t participate in any activities related to English study? What do they always clamor for? They clamor for watching movie and fun. Why? Is ELT all about watching movie and fun? How have they got that idea? Have they been told that foreign teachers are transitory and are the source of fun? Have they been informed that foreign teachers don’t take ELT seriously? If ELT is to be always fun and entertaining, how much fun and entertainment they get from other classes taught by the local teachers? At the continuum between Fun/entertainment and seriousness, at what degree is the students’ practice and attitude towards ESL class? At the same scale, how much degree is that towards other classes?
If I only knew the factors affecting their lack of motivation to study, I would be able to move on. It seems that I need to define the problem, ask researchable questions, formulate hypotheses, design methodology and instrumentation, collect, analyze and interpret data and write a report. For now, these are just the available ideas that have occurred, so far. Perhaps, there will be more later.
