My Life after CELTA

Charlette hasn't replied to my previous email yet, which makes me a bit anxious. I hope they are all right on the other side of the world. Anyway, should she not be able to offer more lessons, I must come up with a viable solution to my CPE preparation. I'll have a test lesson today with Issaiyanee and tomorrow with Raylene to see which one we are compatible with. In the meantime, I'll write a letter to Charlette to ask about their plans. I miss her classes terribly. Other than that, I went through the eighth lesson about 'GO'. There weren't any new phrasal verbs in the latest chapter; however, there were a few meanings I needed to familiarize myself with. I will jot down the two most interesting ones, as the whole topic of 'GO' is rather long: TO GO ABOUT to often be in a particular state or behave in a particular way to continue to do something; to keep busy with something to spread from person to person to start working on something TO GO IN FOR SOMET...

I carried on my studies today. I'm eager to finish the intermediate phrasal verb book in March to continue with my other language and grammar books; hence I got over two more lessons about 'COME' and 'GET'. There were hardly any new phrasal verbs, so it was more like a revision. And I miss my lessons with Charlette terribly. I hope they find a final place soon to dwell in Latin America and continue giving classes. Other than that, I will make up for the missed articles on one of my favourite websites: aperture.gg . I saw Zynq posted a lot of new and exciting staff there, so it's high time I went back and read them. The last post I saw was last year before CELTA began. His video essays are top-notch, and he's trying to deal with complex topics. This channel was introduced to me by Charlette, and the topic of her choice was ' The Black Swan Theory ', which is a rather interesting subject to read about. I'm starting to enjoy this new lifestyle. The ...

Today is the first CELTA-free Sunday, and it seems odd without the teaching practice, feedback, and afternoon session. It was great to learn a lot. I miss those Sundays, but I'm happy with returning to normal and spending quality time with Ági and Abby.  Today I went through another two lessons in the intermediate phrasal verbs book. I found a few unknown ones I have yet to hear about, so I've got to learn a lot more before embarking on a new career. I wouldn't have done anything about this deficiency without completing the CELTA course. I might have skipped the subject and focused on the higher-level phrasal verbs, which would have been silly. I'm on the right path with my plan, so there is nothing to be worried about for now. Step by step, I'll go through the books I intended to study from. Anyway, let's see which were the phrasal verbs I had some issues with: to drive at - to try to explain something to someone, to drum something into someone - to teach som...

We went out today because we had passed the last few months in captivity. Well, not verbatim, obviously, but it felt like being in a cell. Ági's habilitation took a lot of time and effort for her to prepare for her exam, and I had to spend most of my time in my little office throughout the CELTA course. Anyway, it was nice to get away from home. As for my studies, I revised the previous three lessons from the Intermediate phrasal verbs book and found a few that need a bit of memorization. No biggie, and they are the following ones: To play (sth) up (sth) - to behave badly; to cause someone problems or pain; to make something seem more important or better than it really is, especially to get an advantage. To look (sb/sth) up - to become better; to visit or contact somebody; to look for information in a dictionary. Apart from this little excursion and the long walk with Abby, not much happened today. I still feel tired after the CELTA course. However, there are signs of me emerging...

Today was the first day that I realised I'd made it. It sank in slowly, and my wee brain was struggling with it, but the notion of completing the CELTA course put a smile on my face eventually. I knew it would happen sooner or later, but accepting it in light of my weaknesses in my English made it a tad difficult. Anyway, now I need more time to rest and relax, to fill up my batteries and prepare for the CPE exam, which surely won't be easy. At the same time, I decided to enrol in a free Spanish course the OxfordTEFL Centre offers for all CELTA graduates. The Spanish course is similar to CELTA regarding teachers since it is part of the teacher training, but I'll be the student this time. ¡Arriba, arriba! ¡Ándale, ándale!

I still can't believe I completed the course. And so did my peers. All of them completed the course. Not because I hadn't worked a lot during the last 17 weeks but rather than being fully aware of my preparation, my abilities, and my English knowledge. I'm not saying that I wouldn't be able to teach. On the contrary, the CELTA course highlighted a couple of areas of my English that need a lot of attention.  I am OK with improving my English, so my next milestone is sitting a CPE exam this or next year. But till then, I'll follow my schedule. I devised a plan that I think will be appropriate to follow to improve my English: Starting with processing my A1, A2, B1, B2 and C1 language and grammar books, which will take at least three months. The A1 and A2 books will be the easiest ones to deal with, but as I progress with the books and the level gets higher, the process will gradually slow down. It should be OK with my CPE preparation as the two are interconnected and s...

Well, I got the final grade: PASS. I thought it would mean not being able to teach without someone constantly checking my lesson plans and delivery, but I was wrong, and now I'm relieved. Although I'm over the moon, I need time to process the whole experience.       The real tiredness has just kicked in, and now I need some quality resting and relaxation. I'm not going to come up with plans hastily and rashly; I'll let little myself take some rest and rejuvenation. There is a lot to do in this field.      I'm allowed to teach in a language school or, if I want, take private students. But the most peculiar aspect of the course is that I'm allowed to teach higher-level students, too. I don't feel like being ready for any higher-level student for now, but gradually I'll work towards that level, too.      Anyway, I'm grateful for the support from my wife, Charlette, the tutors and my peers. Despite being unemployed, I feel like the luckiest ...

     The weather was lovely today; a tad windy but warm and sunny. According to the thermometer, the highest temperature was as high as it usually is in March, +15°C. Spring arrived a bit too early, I hope it won't negatively impact nature later. The afternoon walk with Abby was great, although I had to show her again who’s the boss. Other than that, she behaved, and we also played with a piece of wood. She can be motivated in a split second by something thrown away, which is a fantastic piece of information to keep in mind in case I want to teach her more tricks, which I might do soon.     I have finished today my teaching templates: the student record, lesson plan and presentation templates are ready to be used. I revamped my little office by extending my desk to have more space to write and learn.  The bookshelf behind me remained untouched, but it should be fixed soon. Slowly I’ll get my ducks in a row and start my English journey, but first, I nee...

Yesterday we had our last teaching practice, which means the course is officially over. We said goodbye to the students, tutors and each other and returned to the grim reality. CELTA was a blast, and it took so much time to work through the course that I almost forgot what a task-free week means. My days were brimming with work, such as planning the next lesson, putting together the presentation, and checking every detail so students could enjoy the class.       Interestingly, the course brought out things I hadn't thought would surface. I suspected some anxiety but wouldn't have dreamt about being that nervous. If I could start it over again, the only thing I would change is my anxiety. I'm so ashamed of myself for being that nervous throughout the course. I'm perfectly aware of its causes, and I'm not looking for cheap excuses; however, I still make annoying mistakes while speaking and writing in English, which makes me a tad anxious.      Neverthele...