Ice Cold
The first day of a new class is always a challenging one in that you the teacher do not know the students and the students do not know you. Please do not think that you are just going to waltz in there with all your charm and infinite wisdom and instantly win them over. The class clowns are ready to throw tomatoes and crack wise jokes and probably in a language unfamiliar to you. The quiet ones will be more quiet than ever with poker faces of steel. Yet in still there is light at the end of the tunnel due to the fact that you the teacher are not the only nervous one in the room. In fact, the students just might be more nervous than you and this can definitely be taken advantage of. At the end of the day, your students look to you for guidance and knowledge. You may feel like a clown, but in their minds, you are the all knowing English language expert.
Use your Sweat
If you are anything like me, you tend to sweat whenever standing in front of people. If this is the case, then you should use it the way I do. Own that sweat darn it and turn an otherwise nervous and tense situation into a fun and cool one, no pun intended. When the sweat is rolling down your face like a small stream and your shirt is soaked like you just took a bath and used it as a towel, it is the perfect time to crack a joke about how cold it is in the room or at least make a shivering gesture like you are stuck in Antarctica in the middle of the snow. Of course your temperature is more likely to be a billion degrees. That is beyond the point as you calm yourself down by making fun of yourself. Unless it actually is a billion degrees in the classroom, this harmless attempt to make the students chuckle should do the trick. Remember to repeat this joke over and over again as the class goes on, and just when the students start completing your sentences or copying your gestures, switch it up on them and make a comment about how hot it is.
Now it's time to earn that sweat of yours. Don't be afraid to get out there way on a limb with the latest dance moves, funny faces, screams, and rambunctiously scurry about like a mad man. Remember teaching in the EFL classroom is just as much about entertainment as it is about learning. The students will appreciate you for your efforts no doubt.
Lay Down the Rules
Let them know who the boss is straight away. Do not be afraid to come up with a list of rules for your classroom. An established set of rules helps the students to correct one another. Do not assume that their previous teachers have done this. Besides, Your rules for class management may be slightly or drastically different from the rules the students are used to. Try to make this law giving session interesting and fun via game or group activity. Try to get them to determine some rules on their own and who knows, they might actually come up with some of your rules. After that, add your rules to the list and go over the list as a class. Next time, bring printed copies of the rules to class and have each and every one of those buggers sign it. Get them to sign it in blood if you can! Please don't do that by the way. :)
After each day of teaching, you want to ask yourself how effective you were and how well did you stick to your lesson plan. Yes, you should be planning your lessons. :) Be your own worst critic and leave no room for pride. Determine if every assigned task, game, or activity really met the purpose it was designed for. If not, think of how you can tweak it to meet the need. Ask yourself how effective your instructions were. Could your students really understand what it was that you wanted them to do? Give yourself realistic goals in the classroom about what it is exactly you wish to accomplish each time you have a class. Any progress no matter how small is much earned and worth it. Just as you should be continuously assessing yourself, you should be assessing your students through various activities and other creative ways you can muster.
Hit the Books
When I first started teaching English as a foreign language, I noticed how little I actually knew about my own language. Once I realized it, I came to work early every day in order to take advantage of the vast wealth of knowledge available to me on the bookshelf in the teachers room. When you finally realize that all that infinite wisdom wasn't worth a dollar or couldn't get you more than 30 minutes through your lesson, it is the time to enrich your knowledge and brush up on how much you actually know about the English language and all of its complexities. Fortunately this can be accomplished over time as long as you strive to stay at least one step ahead of your students. The more you teach and apply what you have learned, the more you will remember, and the more you will improve in delivery of the given points.
Know your Pet Well
We all hated teacher's pets when we were still in school right? Well, unless you were one. In that case your classmates might have hated you.:) As a teacher, you will come to find that your pet is the most accurate source of information. Your pet has all kinds of ways you can improve your class once you get through all of the meaningless compliments that come forth automatically. It is your pet after all. Always tell him/her how important he/she is to the success of your class and how much you value you the advice and suggestions. Give him/her the inside scoop on lessons to come so your pet can do some of the leg work in preparing the rest of the students for future material. Reward your pet by implementing some of his/her suggestions in your lesson plans.
Make them Stars
Technology is just wonderful these days, wouldn't you agree? Let your students know just how important they are to you by creating a safe blog or Facebook page showing how bright they shine in your classroom. When I say safe, I mean do not mix your controversial very private social media profiles with pictures of you drinking beer and etc. with the account you use to showcase your students. Once you have the page or site set up, let your students know you have it and add them to the page. This is the perfect place to highlight class achievements and dish out fun homework in an interactive way. Hopefully your students will feel a sense of pride and want to be all they can be.
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