Traditions and Teaching Tips

The skies were a bit gray today, but I am told that they will clear up just in time for my weekend exploration to Prague. Two more weeks of summer despite the progression of the celestial calendar, but Happy Autumn to everyone!

After three hours of coffee at my co-teacher, Ivetta's, home, I come home to write of new found knowledge of traditions and customs of a Czech wedding. Yesterday, I talked about lunch and how it is the most important meal of the day, but what I forgot to mention is the prevalence of soup (polévka) before the meal. For example, everyday at my school the children have soup before the main course (Yes! Did I mention my job includes a lunch time and snack time? That means traditional Czech Food daily!) Even when I have attended meals at peoples homes there is always a soup course before the main meal. It's wonderful, I love soup, and I suppose it doesn't seem all that different from someone ordering a soup or salad before their meal at a restaurant, but I have never consistently had a soup 'course' before a meal. How this relates to tradition and customs... Today Ivetta and her husband Mirek were showing me pictures from the niece's wedding and I can across one picture of the husband and wife covered and bound together by a cloth while eating from the same bowl of soup, example. I had never seen anything like this, but apparently this a wedding tradition, read: eating the soup jointly. I kind of like the theory behind this and it makes me think how lucky I am to have all that soup to myself!

Tak.

I have been asked by the TEFL Institute to do a little write-up for their newsletter and since I am going to include my blog in the write-up, I thought I should start adding some pertinent information for prospective EFL teachers. So this is for you future TEFL Institute Alum.

1. Children love singing. No, really. Sometimes the only way I can get them to stop hitting themselves is to start playing a song. Super Simple Songs is a great place to start for Beginning learners. My students love "Walking, Walking" on CD 1 & bonus, they finally understand when I say stop. The videos for the songs and the teaching tips on the website are dynamite--the children love seeing the other children preform.

2. Never underestimate the power of a talking monkey. A week ago I started integrating some of the Cheeky Monkey Material into my lesson plans and while the songs leave little to be desired that's where you can supplement with SSS.

3. Children's attention span, especially when it comes to listening to someone who isn't speaking their native language, are fleeting at best. I've found that sometimes what works is having someone else do the talking for me. Peppa the Pig has been a wonderful way to get the children to settle down and the episodes are short enough that the children do not become restless. Sticking children in front of a TV (computer screen), I know how it sounds, but if you use it in addition to other material it becomes invaluable as a reference to other areas you might have taught--i.e. my student are now obsessed with pointing out everything that's pink and whenever I say pig they all oink!

While I primarily teach children in the morning, my afternoons are filled with adult tutoring and high school EFL Classes. I like that I am getting the opportunity to teach English to students of many different levels.


Sorry picture fans, nothing new, but after Prague...