Why I don’t use competition in the classroom

by David | Classroom Management, Kindergarten, Lessons

There’s a fairly common view held by teachers of very young learners that competition doesn’t work well in the classroom. Generally they say this is because young children find competition stressful. My sense is that very young children can’t relate...

It’s not your fault!

by David | Kindergarten, Lessons

I recently started teaching a brand new Kindergarten 1 class. Its my first such (regular) class in around 18 months, and I have to say parts of it have been challenging. Children crying and being upset doesn’t really affect me anymore, that is to be expected...

A word about those exhausting EFL work schedules

by David | Lessons, Tips

This week, I covered classes at another language centre, far away from my home. I was expecting that the longer classes (2 x 2 hour classes without any break in the middle) would exhaust me. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The difference, this time, was that I...

Why I love cover teaching

by David | Lessons, Lifestyle, Other

For around a year now, I’ve been full-time cover teaching Kindergarten and Primary level English, and I’ve really been enjoying it. Originally, I decided to do cover teaching, in order to free up my time so that I could create my own Kindergarten English course. For...

Teaching EFL STEAM lessons

by David | Lessons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw8bkc-nR9U One of the language schools I’ve worked for ran a STEAM program this summer. Actually, since there was no Technology, Engineering, Arts or Math, it would more accurately have been called a ‘Science’ or an ’S’...

Teaching Kindergarten or Preschool English for the first time

by David | Lessons

I actually don’t clearly remember the first Kindergarten English class I taught. I do know that I was nervous, stressed (about teaching), and worried about the kind of things many first time teachers at this level are: Will the kids like me? What happens if I...