Mr Lim Mr Lim 2

Dearest Adelina,

When I say I learned a lot from Mr.Lim, because he showed the link to perfection (almost perfection).

Let's just take a simple example:

If you say you want to show students pictures from the slides >> then the questions you are going to asked in class must be relevant to the slides. Secondly, always asked specific question... instead of general question. Eg: What do you see... [students can give many many different answers - and that's when you can't control the class.] , so it is better to ask : What is the boy doing? What is he playing? How many ribbons are there??...

Simple as that.

IN first year, we did not teach , basically we just planned our lesson plans.
In third year , we plan, we show... we teach.
When it comes to the teaching part, only when you demonstrate that you realize the right way to teach , what you need to explain and show to student etc. That's teaching...
Before I thought we just need to prepare many many activities in class to engage students, even though we have objectives - our lessons was everywhere - in short, we don't need to teach, we are planning activities to finish the 40 minutes in class. [ That was what I used to think]

FAKE IT TO MAKE IT [ermm...like the Leonardo in the movie CATCH ME IF YOU CAN??.. the points are there...]>> Even though we are not really good in teaching be it grammar problems, pronunciation problems, classroom management, lack of confidence and so on... so many bad points to look for too... we could just follow or mine those who are good in teaching. Teaching is acting ... MR LIm says when you fake it to make it... and soon you will be it.
We all unnatural teachers now.... because we are doing it for the sake of evaluation and grades...so when we are no longer assessed that way... perhaps or very possible we are natural teachers then.

I hope I get my points across...
What else you need to know, just write it here.
I get back to you when I have the time...
ENjoy yourself..

Mr Lim Mr Lim....

Mr Lim was my lecturer for simulated teaching for TESL. I would say he is a very practical man, very structure based lecturer, but I would also say I learned the most from him.
Everything I learned during my first year in university were totally different with what I was learning with him - in my first year I thought that what I did was pretty good, a very good lesson indeed, I am proud of my creativity, however, when it comes to MR.LIM class...
Most of the time I end up having my more wrinkle lines on my fore head....

"Are you sure..." - i think I get that point...
"Do the other student gets to learn?"
" But only 2 students were practicing..."
"How to make the lesson better..?"
" Are you teaching the content or the language?" . >> [Does it matters??...]
" Are you an English teacher.. ? I am { then teach how to use the language....} How to teach language...?? :-//
" A change is equivalent to a rest...."
" Never just call and asked one students only"
" Never accepts the first answer as the correct one, as a few... then only you said it is the correct answer"
"Give praises all the time... students loved that"...
" The point is to make them use and said the words... you don't control accuracy then..."
" Over drill them... let them get fed up with it...so when they hear the words outside, they know it immediately whether it is wrong or right...."
"Teach only a few selected items... don't give too much, you will confused them...."
" Make sure they learned something when they leave the class....."
" Don't teach or explain grammar in class, don't even to teach preposition.... forget about it."
"Teach usages and understanding on how to use the language....."

And so many many more things - I copied every words he says... His words will lead me to the right path in my teaching practice... I could say I have a bible about teaching theory and structures ...

Most importantly : FAKE IT TO MAKE IT> He bElieveS in that, So perhaps I should....<

Should or should not...

That one day (one Wednesday in March 2008)was the worst day in my life.
I was doing my presentation with my partner..
And we had the lousiest lesson plan on earth because we were to come up with a complete lesson plan in just less than a week --- sometimes lecturer is just being unfair to us. While the other gets to prepare a lesson plan on shorter genre like short stories and poems,some of us - me and my partner had to do dramas and novels.
I knew about my genre 6 days before I need to hand in my lesson plan and make copies for the whole class. I don't even know how to plan a literature lesson plan and worst still I have never read any of the novels in the new lit cycle. ({PISSED)

The presentation was lousy of course. I knew it would be lousy...cause we are not sure what we are teaching.
But the things that makes me sad was the comments given by my friends...
Grammar errors, pronunciation problems, classroom managements and so on..EVERYTHING IS NEGATIVE. (Just give me a break!!)

The thing that lingers in my mind is grammatical errors. I tried very hard all the time to check my lesson plans. I reread it alot of times, but sometimes even a careless mistake can kill you~~
How to fix my problem?
And I wondered will i ever pass my teaching practice??


However sad and distress I am... my point is... should I be a teacher?? (backfires now)
It always expected that teachers that are majoring in English are supposed to be good and fluent in the language. I am not, but I am learning.
But sometimes I guess it is so difficult to master everything. I need more time...

Sometimes I felt the world is so unfair to me, why put me in TESL if you think that I am not good enough.
Yes I choose TESL, but I never know that teaching will be that hard..
I wish people had told me what it is like to study TESL>>> let alone let me prepared myself to brace all the challenges in studying TESL>..<

Now that I come so far...
I learned that teaching is not my calling.
I feel stress out when I am not good enough in the language.
I wish I can change that, but the only thing I can do now is persevere.
I don;t think I will be perfect,
But at least,>> (hear me out) <<. I am trying to be better.