Teaching English
As I have just recently started working as an English teacher, this entry will have to be taken as first impressions. In many ways it is the perfect job for me, and I can see myself really liking it. So far the hours are fairly relaxed, only about 4 a day, giving me quite a bit of time to enjoy seeing other parts of the city and to catch up on my reading.
I teach three different beginner courses that range from 3to 15 students. Most of the students are in their early twenties and see knowing English as their primary means to better jobs. They mostly are in the food industry, travel, or business, all of which are types of jobs that interact with non-Turkish speakers quite a bit. Unfortunately I have not met anyone who is hoping to learn English in order to have access to greater fields of literature. I suppose this is natural though, for those with literary inclinations go to universities like Bogazici, where they learn English and study literature, philosophy, history or the like at the same time.
I did, however, get a chance to conduct a short extra-curricular class with some more mature students on literature. I began by talking about the difference between literature and fiction. One of the students mentioned that she had read several Dan Brown novels (which are as popular here as they are in N.A.), which gave me the opportunity to discuss the difference between literature and fiction, a subject that has fascinated me since working in a book store. We then talked about Charles Dickens, which I found out is an author that most Turkish high school students read, in translation of course. Why don’t we read him in Canada? Is the yearly special broadcasts of the Christmas Carol enough to get our dabble of Dickens? I finished the discussion by having the students tell me about some famous Turkish writers. We all lamented that so much great Turkish literature of the Ottoman period is somewhat lost due to the change of script (one of Ataturk’s many reforms was to change the Turkish script from Arabic to the Latin alphabet). It is good for travelers though, for if things were still in the Arabic script I would be totally lost instead of only partially lost.
This class was for me another instance of what I feel to be a natural inclination to teaching. I am finding that explaining grammar is now second nature as I spent so much time grueling over it while writing in university. I may not still read Latin or Greek, but the hours I poured into reconstructing sentences into English have really paid off in an understanding of language. I am also having a lot of fun with it. One of the big challenges is finding inventive ways of making the learning enjoyable; for it is a rare individual who takes great joy in laboring over grammatical points (I just happen to know many of these rare individuals).
I lament that I may possibly only do this for a couple of months, as I think it is great way to live in and learn about another country, especially as I have utilized my position to find out from the students all the good places to see and eat while in Istanbul. I hope, however, that this will only be a first of many such experiences. I recommend that some of you who are reading this consider teaching English as an extension of your education. If you pick someplace such as Istanbul you are bound to find something that will interest you.
As I have just recently started working as an English teacher, this entry will have to be taken as first impressions. In many ways it is the perfect job for me, and I can see myself really liking it. So far the hours are fairly relaxed, only about 4 a day, giving me quite a bit of time to enjoy seeing other parts of the city and to catch up on my reading.
I teach three different beginner courses that range from 3to 15 students. Most of the students are in their early twenties and see knowing English as their primary means to better jobs. They mostly are in the food industry, travel, or business, all of which are types of jobs that interact with non-Turkish speakers quite a bit. Unfortunately I have not met anyone who is hoping to learn English in order to have access to greater fields of literature. I suppose this is natural though, for those with literary inclinations go to universities like Bogazici, where they learn English and study literature, philosophy, history or the like at the same time.
I did, however, get a chance to conduct a short extra-curricular class with some more mature students on literature. I began by talking about the difference between literature and fiction. One of the students mentioned that she had read several Dan Brown novels (which are as popular here as they are in N.A.), which gave me the opportunity to discuss the difference between literature and fiction, a subject that has fascinated me since working in a book store. We then talked about Charles Dickens, which I found out is an author that most Turkish high school students read, in translation of course. Why don’t we read him in Canada? Is the yearly special broadcasts of the Christmas Carol enough to get our dabble of Dickens? I finished the discussion by having the students tell me about some famous Turkish writers. We all lamented that so much great Turkish literature of the Ottoman period is somewhat lost due to the change of script (one of Ataturk’s many reforms was to change the Turkish script from Arabic to the Latin alphabet). It is good for travelers though, for if things were still in the Arabic script I would be totally lost instead of only partially lost.
This class was for me another instance of what I feel to be a natural inclination to teaching. I am finding that explaining grammar is now second nature as I spent so much time grueling over it while writing in university. I may not still read Latin or Greek, but the hours I poured into reconstructing sentences into English have really paid off in an understanding of language. I am also having a lot of fun with it. One of the big challenges is finding inventive ways of making the learning enjoyable; for it is a rare individual who takes great joy in laboring over grammatical points (I just happen to know many of these rare individuals).
I lament that I may possibly only do this for a couple of months, as I think it is great way to live in and learn about another country, especially as I have utilized my position to find out from the students all the good places to see and eat while in Istanbul. I hope, however, that this will only be a first of many such experiences. I recommend that some of you who are reading this consider teaching English as an extension of your education. If you pick someplace such as Istanbul you are bound to find something that will interest you.
posted by Levon Bond | 1:05 AM
2 Comments:
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Sounds like you are having the time of your life and you found your calling. Teaching english in other countries. Pictures look great keep them coming.
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