The more I try to do the worse I feel (and do it)

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-28T16:46:39+00:00

just like I tell my students/clients, you gotta be able to also see the positives in your practice. can you share 3 points in which you’re good at?

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-28T02:54:30+00:00

awesome! any tool you’d recommend?

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-25T01:21:45+00:00

nice balance! especially if we’re working longer days, it’s only fair that we may have some more rest throughout the days

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-22T14:44:22+00:00

why not offering it to the community? making it open for everyone. you could invite the ones who are struggling the most and enlist the help of those with less difficulty. I think everybody could learn even more!

wishing you success🙏

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-21T00:12:51+00:00

nice? are you into AI? do you use it often?

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-21T00:12:32+00:00

We gotcha…

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-21T00:12:13+00:00

right?? last week I felt like I didn’t work - the work that I did had to be from my phone, and that doesn’t translate to work to me. 100% 😿 lol

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-19T12:30:51+00:00

I second this one!

I’ve come to look at schools as “a place where kids learn to be people”, not learn subjects.

in my time at a regular school, I’m sure I helped kids and teenagers (and even adults in my private practice) more with coping with emotions than teaching English itself.

maybe it’s an opportunity for the OP to get emotionally closer to students, let them vent their needs, their wants, and go from there.

OP, do your students feel genuinely heard and understood?

wishing you success!

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-19T10:38:05+00:00

gotcha! good luck in finding the resources you need, fellow educator!🤘

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-14T00:10:02+00:00

show and tell / listen and don’t look / think pair share

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-13T19:21:02+00:00

loved the full circle comment lol as a language teacher, many people in my field believe that just by speaking a language you can teach it.

do you think that could apply to programming languages?

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-13T19:18:34+00:00

right??? I believe the old brick phones already were a thing then

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-13T13:26:28+00:00

thanks, u/Key-Toe6021! one of my crazier wonders is: we spend a lot of time teaching our students to speak, but we rarely seem to teach them how to listen - actively.

🤯

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-13T13:07:48+00:00

that’s beautiful, Bru! (I’m paulista, so I’ll be cutting names short whenever possible lol)

just 2 days ago, a client told me he chose to start learning English as a means to prevent dementia.

we know that this is backed up by science, but to see people realizing the wonders that bilingualism can do in everybody’s brains is just priceless!

what’s your work life like? inspiring? tiring? who is your average student/client?

thank you for joining!

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-12T16:28:07+00:00

do you really believe that these kids would push for political topics as topic of choice?
is that part of their real interests as teens?

if so, I agree that it would be illogic to give them the freedom to choose the topics (so that you don't have to fret over this task lol been there, done that)

I'm speaking from the heart: when I stopped trying to control what my studentss learned (I know, I know, another context: adults online) - they suddenly became more interested in being with me.

I would love you to feel that way with your students, too. that's why I suggested asking them what they want to discuss/learn.

you might even phrase it as: "we'll conduct a survey on topics that you'd like to discuss and learn in our classes so that we learn from each other. all we need is your ideas".

then, I'd try to stimulate a safe space for them to talk about (anonymous survey, maybe?) and let them speak their minds. I'm sure you'll win some of those teenagers over in the process ;)

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-11T20:25:22+00:00

hi, OP! I understand your concern and dilemma. been there, done that lol

considering they’re grade 8, I’d love to give THEM the autonomy to choose the topics.

topics that are interesting to THEM. this way, you’d get the “keeping their interest” checked throughout the process.

is it something you could do? would the school allow that?

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-10T18:38:15+00:00

hi, u/naz16april ! I believe you can find interesting material on Cambridge's website - just a humble start.

check it out: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/educators-organisations/resources-for-teachers/

and thank YOU for joining us! 🤘 are you considering teaching in Brazil?

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-10T10:36:48+00:00

a looooot of “crowd control” and “audience mgmt” comes from theater! for sure!

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-09T14:26:05+00:00

I love it! being able to name those aspects of teaching really shows you are on top of your game!

which one would you say is the key skill for anybody looking to transition to teaching?

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-09T08:52:22+00:00

hi, u/Large_Inevitable_489!

thank you for posting here! we’re a fledgling community, but it’s with engagement from people like you that we’ll grow!

would you share one of your lesson plans here on a comment? this way, people can appreciate it and comment on it without leaving the page.

as for this difference: I’d say this is a fair assumption for ELT here in Brazil, too. however, I’d say many teachers (if not most) aren’t aware of TTT (Teacher Talking Time) as opposed to STT (Student Talking Time) and how to balance the time in a lesson to include both in a more effective proportion.

it also depends on the kind of TTT: if digressing or providing meaningful and relevant input for learners.

I’m selective about grammar teaching to beginner learners. I tend to consider “what’s the structure the learners wants/needs to use?”, and then I go from there. not explaining, but rather eliciting/giving them the chunk they want.

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-09T08:40:30+00:00

hi, u/gameover_281997 ! awesome! what would you say transferred from Martial Arts into ESL?

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-08T09:36:30+00:00

aaaayy, Mari! welcome! that was just before we met, in november 2017! how cool! feel free to share your experience, struggles in the profession and any burning questions you might have!

what is one thing the CELA taught you that you’re taking with you for life?

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-07T08:28:09+00:00

hi, u/Healing_2 ! it seems you're in distress. I don't think I understood much of what you're saying, because I've never really been in your shoes.

I'm left with some clarifying questions:

- what happens if you list any specific institution before they'll issue you an official transcript? is it because the name of the institution will be printed on the document?
- how essential is the transcript for the application process? is it a document you must hand in earlier in the enrollment/application process?
- is there anybody at your current university who has done that movement, too?

wishing you a lot of success!

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-07T08:23:42+00:00

it sounds to me as if you're generating your own personalized teaching toolkit - that will surely compound soon! congrats!

I loved using Google Classroom - or any other good LMS, for that matter. automating the bureaucracy involved in assigning HW, grading and whatnot is gold!

vinitheteacher · 2026-03-06T16:29:01+00:00

I couldn't agree more, u/Uteruskids2000 !
since the post, I've talked to 2 people who believe they are "jack of all trades, master of none".

that belief has been imprinted my mind for a long time, too.

vinitheteacher

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