Teaching Kids at TEFL Campus in Phuket, Thailand

By Abbey Brinklow

 

So there I was, sat in a kindergarten class with thirty little faces staring at me. This was my first time teaching young learners in Thailand and probably their first official English lesson too. I had no clue how they would respond to me. Would they laugh, cry, be frightened or produce any English at all?

 

Naturally, the first thing I said was “Hello”, hoping and indicating that they should repeat “Hello” back to me; nope, no response, just thirty little faces looking at me curiously. I repeated this many times but no luck. My brain was rattling with ideas before I finally started to clap my hands. Sure enough they started to clap with me. Their faces lit up, giggling and smiling thinking this was the best thing ever. I slipped in a “Hello!” whilst clapping and eureka: they repeated that golden word. The rest is history, they are now like parrots and repeat everything. There’s much more to do but this is a good start.

 

A kindergarten teacher might be a student’s first experience with a foreigner who is teaching young learners in Thailand. This is an extremely important stage which I feel privileged to be a part of. In addition to good lessons, generating fun and laughter will hopefully bring about the enthusiasm required for learning English–something I feel most Thai students desperately need. Making a difference, even if it’s just a small one, is what keeps me motivated to teach English in Thailand.

 

It’s now the end of my first week and I am now greeted with my students waving ‘Hello’ with massive smiles on their tiny faces.

 

teaching young learners in Thailand After graduating from TEFL Campus in April 2014, Abbey went on to teach at English camps in the UK before teaching at a language school in China. Now she’s back teaching young learners on Phuket. For information on how to get certified and begin teaching young learners in Thailand, please contact TEFL Campus.
Eric Haeg


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