Jewels Tutor Interview

jewels Tutor Interview

Q. We have heard so many good reviews about your class from the students. When did you decide to teach foreign students? Was it difficult at first?: A. After finishing school I obtained an English Literature degree and a High School teaching Diploma. I was looking to start off my teaching career so I travelled to South Korea. Yes it was difficult at first but mainly because I had to adapt to a completely different culture. I decided to make teaching ESOL my profession after returning home. As I found it rather difficult to remove myself completely from Asia. It was when I started working in a language school here in New Zealand that I could really start to settle back down in to my Western culture life. You can never disconnect yourself from your overseas experiences as they leave a profound impact on your life.
Q. What countries have you visited before? What country has amazed you the most so far?: A. I have been to Australia, Tonga, South Korea (including one day visit to Osaka, Japan to renew my visa), Singapore and Malaysia. I would have to say that even though I only spent two weeks in Tonga it was the incredible welcome, hospitality and warmth that we received as a mission group going to help people which gave me an unforgetable experience. This encouraged me to make my future travel a cultural experience rather than a sightseeing trip. I believe that a country is about the people who live there not about the sights.
Q. Tell us about your experience in South Korea! What kind of education system do Korean students adopt? Is it different from the ones in NZ?: A. In South Korea I used to teach adults before and after their work hours in a language institute. Sometimes I relieved in a children’s after school language institute as well. The largest difference between the NZ and South Korean Education is that NZ children are at school from 9am to 3pm with homework afterwards and South Korean’s are in an education institute again after school. South Korea puts a huge emphasis on learning English (their second language) starting as early as preschool whereas NZ only teaches a small amount of Māori, the language of the indigenous people, from preschool onwards. This is not enough to call it a second language unless students choose to study a language at high school. In New Zealand, universities specialise in subject areas. The standard is equal between them – they are not ranked like in South Korea and I think in Japan as well. In my city there are two universities; Lincoln specialises in agriculture and Canterbury covers all the general subjects with a focus on Journalism, Engineering, and Economics.
Q. Would you mind sharing a story or two about your personal life? What do you do on the weekends?: A. As a family we love the outdoors. We take any opportunity to get out in the garden, my oldest daughter (nearly three) already knows how to sow seeds direct in to the garden and in pots to grow indoors before planting. We love going for walks. A favourite spot is Beckenham Park where there is a large pond with a large flock of ducks to feed. On Sunday mornings we attend a church service. After church I return home and get ready to teach online. Every second Saturday we hold Home Group (a group Bible study) in our home. Our home group and church consists of different nationalities. Sometimes as a home group we go for a weekend retreat and enjoy the native bush.
Q. Have you studied a foreign language before? Do you think it’s hard to adapt to a different culture without learning its language?: A. I have studied Korean but not for a long period of time. At present I am studying Dutch as my husband moved from the Netherlands to New Zealand when he was five. We would like our children to learn another language so we are starting with that. I also use Korean phrases which I know and they quite often hear Korean through our friends.
Q. What do you most care about when you teach your students?: A. them to achieve their goals. I try to make everything as clear as possible. It is important that my students talk the most.
Q. How can we improve our service? Is there anything you want Cafetalk to change?: A. I’ll let you know if I think of something. I believe in ongoing feedback.
Q. Tell us about your lessons!: A. All lessons are based on the TESOL techinique as I am Trinty trained. Become Confident to Speak has become my most popular lesson. In the first lesson I ask students what they would like to learn. Some students choose to read and then discusss a news article. Mostly students enjoy talking about general topics.
In a fifty minute lesson I usually work on teaching a grammar structure followed by practice. Then I usually have a vocabulary focus and encourage students to use the new vocabulary. I follow the same format for Speaking for IELTS but use topics specific to the exam.
Chatting Children is based on a text book but I rarely teach directly from the text. I use children’s books, objects, pictures and photos through the webcam. If a child starts to show me something, we talk about it and I give them the vocabulary and grammar needed. I go with the child’s interests.
Q. Is there any advice for your students in terms of improving their English speaking skills?: A. Take every opportunity to practise your English. Two lessons a week is better than one. The key is to practise English in some way each day for example speak, write, read do grammar exercises, have a lesson or review what you have been taught each day so that what you learn gets reinforced.