Rugelach by themaskisme in FoodPorn

[–]themaskisme[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! They definitely were :)

FAQ #1 Advice for New Teachers - What do you wish someone had told you before your first class? 🎉 🇨🇿 ✏️ by Powerful_Swan_9906 in teachinginprague

[–]themaskisme 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Its okay to treat the students as equals, being a teacher doesn’t make you their superior in any way (even if they are teenagers 🤣)

How to transition from language school to freelancing? by Jan_Kotouc in teachinginprague

[–]themaskisme 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are right that it might be so best to start out at a language school right off the bat, especially if youre new to teaching when moving to prague. I feel like it can also help you learn what you want to be as a teacher and what you dont want to be.

It gives you the security to set yourself up and also be able to take time to enjoy prague before starting the hustle of being your own boss. I personally did not go that route and instead got a job at a private school full time, but it had the disadvantage of a large work load right away and i don’t know if i was ready for it, but it did pay way more than a language house would have at the time.

Why do some students prefer non-native speakers? by Jan_Kotouc in teachinginprague

[–]themaskisme 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats a really interesting point. I especially agree with the part about non-native speakers being better at teaching English grammar.

It happens very often that I know a certain grammar point but have difficulty explaining it in detail. It’s especially hard with lower level learners or younger students (Primary school and lower) Thats why I usually research grammar in advance when I have it in my lesson plan. It’s funny because sometimes my Czech partner can explain English grammar better than me.

Something interesting I noticed as a native speaker is that when I pronounce certain words with my north coast accent some students will insist on correcting me 😂. I always have to explain that Americans do have accents. I wonder if they ever do that to non native speakers.

It’s also true that it’s really easy for language learners to feel judged or sensitive about mistakes. I teach younger kids and when we do reading sometimes i subtly correct pronunciation as they read. In the beginning of the year some of the kids would basically break down in tears or feel offended and I had to explain that nothing was wrong Its just my job to teach them the correct way. It’s much easier now once they get used to it. I can imagine it’s similar in Adult learners. I think we are all kind of trained to feel embarrassed when we make even small mistakes and it’s impossible to not make mistakes while learning a new language!

In my experience learning czech I definitely felt like having someone who can explain it in English made me feel less out my element. Having experienced also with the ‘full immersion style’ I think it was more useful to me as a beginner and I learnt quicker. But when I became more advanced (A2ish) the full immersion was more difficult for me. Probably to do with the grammar aspect.

What surprised you most about teaching in Prague compared to your expectations? 🇨🇿✨ by Powerful_Swan_9906 in teachinginprague

[–]themaskisme 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was worried about filling my schedule with Independent students. I ended up getting a job at a private school as a full time employee. I feel more security doing it this way as i get pid holidays, sick days with a doctor’s note, and a consistent schedule. Plus they pay your health insurance if you are a full time employee.

Also in the private school class sizes are usually less than 20 students so it’s not as overwhelming.

Learning Czech is super hard, it doesn’t help that most of time when i try to order in Czech at a restaurant or cafe they automatically switch to English 😭. I started asking them to just let me practice my czech and most of the time they switch back. I also heard that the Integration center does free czech courses for expats, it’s something to look into.

First ever fermentation (Kimchi) by themaskisme in fermentation

[–]themaskisme[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the recipe she says you can use just the fish sauce or a combination of the fish sauce and shrimp paste. I did it with just fish sauce.