Humanising Language Teaching
Year 2; Issue 1; January 2000

Page 1 of 1

I have been a teacher for thirteen years, but I only started enjoying it five years ago. The last five years of my life have been very enriching .I have become more aware of my students' needs. I used to be a very strict teacher and, although I was very responsible, I didn't pay much attention to my students as people; they were mere objects of my work .So, many problems arose from that thinking .I felt there was a wall * between them and me and that they were the problem (they didn't like learning and there was nothing I could do to change it ).

I started thinking about a way of escaping that feeling: I needed a new job.

Well, I didn't really look for it; I just weighed the pros and cons of teaching, what I could do with my degree and started paying attention to the newspaper ads. I couldn't find anything suitable for me. In the meantime I thought things over: naturally things became clearer to me-I had to find some motivation too .Why not start searching in me, in my inner person ?The answer came all of a sudden : if you really want to change something , you can do it. I started looking for models. I thought some of my colleagues were very human and I tried to be like them because they were successful and I wanted to enjoy what I was doing / my work.

I think that I started seeing the students as people who needed me, not only as a teacher ,but also as a human being .The fact that I met a person who was really warm and sensitive, who cared about the students , made a very big impression on me and I suddenly realised I could do better If I wanted to feel motivated .

Lots of times I have asked myself if all the effort is worth it and I expect to find an answer in my future everyday work , so I am working harder on having confidence and pleasure enough in my work ,so that the students can feel their teacher is pleased with her work ,although she may sometimes feel sad with some results. I can "help" other people enjoy what they are learning three times a week , but I know I shouldn't feel discouraged if they don't enjoy it.

IT may be in their "inside" not to enjoy it now .I feel I have to respect the students' feelings and not force them one way or the other .We always have to find a balance. I don't expect to be perfect or very successful. I just hope to have the feeling of satisfaction me in me and in my students' faces when they are learning with me.

Stressing ?

Yes, it's a good challenge!