Short reflection on CELTA
Today is Sunday. Tomorrow the final week of my four weeks teacher training course is to begin. Right now, I am busy writing my fourth assignment. Looking at our time table, I wonder how we actually managed to crank out four assignmengts in between morning sessions, teaching practice and feedback sessions in the afternoon and lesson planning in the evenings. Well, actually, I know how: Through sacrificing our weekends, sacrificing sleep and being incredibly disciplined when it cam eto meeting deadlines.
The principal said last week that week three would be the toughest. I strongly disagree. Week three was a piece of cake in comparison to this final week where everything has begun to hurt. You're fed up with assignments, fed up with rushing to the study centre at a quarter past eight to get your lesson material and/or assignments printed, fed up with struggling with the photo copy machine, fed up with the smell of the trainee room, fed up with eating sandwiches, ... FED UP describes my attitude toward anything related to the course right now.
Of course I have learned a lot. Professionally, this has been the most rewarding experience ever, and there is a ginormous amount of things I am intending to change about my teaching. Personally, it was very rewarding, getting to know the other trainees which seem to come from all walks of life, but yet there seem to be a few common traits which bring them together, the two most important being a) extended experience with living abroad b) having studied unmarketable disciplines, in particular philosophy and literature. Isn't it a weird concidence that three out of only 12 people have been to Zambia, for instance? How often do you meet people who would even vaguely know where to put Zambia on the map?
Etc. pp. Need to turn to my assignment again. In the meantime, for those who are considering joining the world of ELT and CELTA, have a look at the English droid page. This might ward you off eventually, 'cause there is a grain of truth in everything s/he says...
Begin here, if you don't know how to make sense of the navigation:
CELTA without tears
N.B.: CELTA is the course I am currently taking: Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults, monitored by Cambridge university. And the Cambridge assessor is going to come to OBSERVE us tomorrow. There was a 50% chance that I wouldn't be teaching tomorrow, but of course: I've drawn the shorter straw.
The principal said last week that week three would be the toughest. I strongly disagree. Week three was a piece of cake in comparison to this final week where everything has begun to hurt. You're fed up with assignments, fed up with rushing to the study centre at a quarter past eight to get your lesson material and/or assignments printed, fed up with struggling with the photo copy machine, fed up with the smell of the trainee room, fed up with eating sandwiches, ... FED UP describes my attitude toward anything related to the course right now.
Of course I have learned a lot. Professionally, this has been the most rewarding experience ever, and there is a ginormous amount of things I am intending to change about my teaching. Personally, it was very rewarding, getting to know the other trainees which seem to come from all walks of life, but yet there seem to be a few common traits which bring them together, the two most important being a) extended experience with living abroad b) having studied unmarketable disciplines, in particular philosophy and literature. Isn't it a weird concidence that three out of only 12 people have been to Zambia, for instance? How often do you meet people who would even vaguely know where to put Zambia on the map?
Etc. pp. Need to turn to my assignment again. In the meantime, for those who are considering joining the world of ELT and CELTA, have a look at the English droid page. This might ward you off eventually, 'cause there is a grain of truth in everything s/he says...
Begin here, if you don't know how to make sense of the navigation:
CELTA without tears
N.B.: CELTA is the course I am currently taking: Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults, monitored by Cambridge university. And the Cambridge assessor is going to come to OBSERVE us tomorrow. There was a 50% chance that I wouldn't be teaching tomorrow, but of course: I've drawn the shorter straw.
posted by Jana @ 4:14 AM
2 Comments:
At 2:54 AM,
Unknown said…
Interesting blog! Hi I'm checking out Edinburgh for next summer. How was your experience. Also have you seen one cert more recognised than others? You can get ahold of me at justindhill @gmail.com
At 12:20 AM,
Unknown said…
Hi!
I'm also thinking about doing the celta course - could you please tell which school in edinborough did you do it in?
thanks a lot))
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