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Back to Basics

The importance of returning to the basics struck me with the force of a sledgehammer this morning. Today, for once, I didn’t count the sheep in the small hours but slept through the night. And when the alarm went off at 5:30 am - because I had to take Ági’s car to the garage - my mind crafted sentences including the not-so-elegant and sophisticated expressions one would use while entertaining themselves with the creme de la creme. Mind you, it all depends on the members of the assembled company, though. Anyway, as I made my way to the car, climbing the concrete stairs of a hillock, I couldn’t help but notice how much it resembled my English learning journey. As every eleventh step was followed by a little pause - there were four of them - I immediately associated them with my English stages - A0, B1, B2, and C1 at the top.

Reaching the summit meant, in this context, completing the CELTA course, a still unbelievable yet significant achievement in my life. After finishing my chore, I was already sentimental when I returned home and buckled down to complete my beginner student’s lesson plan. When I filled in the teacher sheet - part of the lesson plan - in which I recorded the stages of the lessons and what and how to impart, the thought of grabbing the beginner and intermediate books appeared flashing on my inner screen. Not because I would find them challenging to explain but rather because I’ve been studying hard to reach the coveted C2 level, and it requires a difficult approach to expressing myself in written and spoken English; therefore, I always have to remind myself of the importance of grading the language when teaching.

After all, teaching is not about me wielding English words like a samurai does with his katana but engaging and motivating the students without playing the role of a stand-up comedian. Even though comedy is what some of the students want to experience during the lessons.

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