Interview With A Recent TEFL Course Graduate, Kineta In Wisconsin (Part 2)

In Part 1, Kineta described how her TEFL course changed her outlook on teaching. Continue here to find out more about the challenges and rewards as well as her advice for others.

What was the most difficult part of the course?
Kineta cites “getting and more importantly staying organized” as the most challenging aspect of the course. “I received so many important handouts, assignments and took many notes to the point that the pages from my binder began to give way. However, I noticed the more organized I was the more smoothly things seem to go. In a 5 week course with 130 hours there’s just no time to lose because of carelessness, which can be a direct result of being disorganized.”

Kineta says the most valuable thing she gained from the course is confidence, and describes a situation when she fully realized just what great assets the lesson planning skills, ideas, feedback and resources she gained (and was able to utilize during the course) were: “I was able to plan and facilitate a lesson as a volunteer ESL instructor at my local library. Although my instructors and teaching partner weren’t present, I maintained a sense of confidence because I truly grasped the concepts they thought me through their hands on approach. I remember thinking, “I can do this, I really can do this.” when I left my first class at the library.”

Finally, what words of wisdom would Kineta pass on to potential TEFL trainees?
“Prepare, prepare, prepare. No lesson runs smoothly without the proper preparation. Although I have experienced teaching with little training, I wouldn’t recommend it for an extended amount of time. Most can learn by experience, but there will be a time when an individual will need a formal sense of training. That’s the very reason I sought a hands on TEFL course. I wanted to help my students more. I needed to advance and develop my skills because I had reached my limit, and I knew I couldn’t help my advance students if I didn’t continue to advance personally.”

You can subscribe to Kineta’s ESL Base TEFL Course Diary Blog to read more about her experiences and thoughts on her course. I’m pleased to have one more TEFL Trainee interview and some additional insight to make the TEFL Logue Training section a little bigger and better – thanks to Kineta for participating!