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Published: August 6th 2007
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CELTA 2007 International House Wroclaw
I did the CELTA course so I have the opportunity to travel and teach around the globe. Also, so I did something constructive with my summer. I always loathed doing speeches at school/uni and am generally not comfortable speaking in front of many people. So this was a bit a challenge to me, and normally with strangers I’m pretty introverted personality wise.
Week 1 I arrived on the Sunday and the course was due to start on the Monday. I got picked up from the airport by a really friendly woman who works at IH, she helped my buy some tram tickets for the week ahead, and showed me where I live.
My accommodation was a high rise apartment block, but inside was really nice and was obviously owned by a Polish family as pictures were all over the place. I was meant to live with 2 other people, but one of them had made other living arrangements. When I arrived at the flat I was introduced to the person I was going to share a place with for the next month; he was a Doctor from London. I found him in the kitchen eating a tomato, an onion, and vegetable fat which he had mistaken for butter. Pretty funny.
Ok on the first day of school, from what I remember we arrived at around 11am. We did some admin stuff then did some icebreaker games. We did this until around 3-4pm. There was 12 CELTA students altogether; from what I remember they were from England, Ireland, Czech Republic, Poland, Ireland, New Zealand, and the USA. We were then told that 12 students would be coming at 6:15pm and we each had to entertain them for 20 mins each. I was even slightly nervous for this, but it wasn’t a problem when it came down to it.
Just so you know the hours of the school are; arrive at 12 and have seminars with your tutors until 3:15pm. You usually have 2 per day and they go through stuff such as how to teach and plan for a lesson etc. From 3:15pm you get time to speak to your tutors about your lessons. At 6:15pm the students arrive and usually 3 people teach per day, taking a 40 min lesson each. The lessons go on until 8:15pm then after that you’re free to enjoy the evening and panic about your next lessons. They divided us into two groups. One group was to teach upper-intermediate students and the other elementary students. Throughout the course you are observed teaching 6 hours in total. You mainly teach 40 minute lessons and do two 60 minute ones. The other teachers in your class take notes on your lesson as you teach and visa versa. So in total I had 12 students, 5 CELTA teachers and my tutor all staring at me trying to put a masterpiece of gibberish together.
My first lesson, which I was due to teach on Wednesday, was on grammar for an upper-intermediate class of students. I practically crapped myself as I’m still a bit shaky when it comes down to past progressive and past perfect tenses. Let alone trying to teaching 12 students then answering any questions they had in mind. Ok I planned my first lesson and it was hard work. It was a 40 min lesson and it took me around 6 hours to plan, mainly because at that point (and possibly still now) I was highly incompetent. I did the lesson and survived but I was very very nervous and at one point I considered walking out a few minutes before I was due to teach. Encase this happens to you, just get on with it and life will be much better!!
So I survived the first lesson and only had a few ‘tumble weed’ moments where the students or myself had no clue what was going on, or what was meant to be going on.
My next lesson which was on Friday came and went pretty quick, but again I was crapping myself and the lesson plan seemed to take around 6-10 hours to plan.
Week 2 Ok this part will be much shorter as it wasn’t as memorable as the first week. From what I remember about the second week is that not only did we have a 40 min and 60 min lesson to worry about, but also an essay given out on the Monday and another on the Tuesday. Both were due in early next week.
My lessons generally scrapped a pass grade but I was pretty much up from 7am till 1am, either doing lesson plans (then throwing them in the bin) or doing my essays. The first essay you had to interview a student then analyse them speaking and answer various questions. Out of all the essays I would say this was the second easiest. The next essay was on grammar. I found this the hardest.
The weekend of this week was awful. Gorgeous weather outside but not so great inside my apartment block.
Week 3 So in this week I found out I passed my first assignment and failed my second assignment. But not all to worry, as you get a chance to resubmit them. Your tutor marks them, puts comments all over them, then tells you what you need to do in order for it to achieve a pass grade.
Also in this week you’re given another assignment. It’s pretty much the icing on the cake just to kick you in your face.
Ok I was now half was through the CELTA course. I had taught upper-intermediate students for half of it and now I was let loose on some elementary students. My first lesson with these students was my favourite by far. I found it more relaxed (possibly because the room was smaller and psychologically I felt less exposed) but also because the questions they asked were far easier to answer.
Week 4 I was pretty excited now as I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I had 2 or 3 lessons to teach, I can’t remember. I still had a few assignment resubmits to do and lesson plans, so the stress was still there. Out of 4 assignments, I passed half the first time, and with the others it was the old classic resubmits. I became quite fond of them in the end. On my penultimate lesson (thanks Terry for teaching me that word) I almost failed. I knew I had messed it up as I was doing it. I don’t what happened but I didn’t get the students to do the standard procedures which they make you do, and which you need to do, in order to pass. But somehow I passed, but the tutor did draw some goal posts on the board and said ‘if that was the post, that lesson was right there’ and drew a dot right on the post. So very close to failing, but still a pass!!!Yey!!!
Last lesson was an hour long one. I had it planned pretty much, ran it past my tutor who said it looked pretty good. That last hour came slowly but surely and I pretty much enjoyed it. I knew I had passed at that point, because I kept to my lesson plan and my procedures.
So for all you who are thinking of doing a CELTA course, I highly recommend it. BUT, be prepared to stay in for pretty much a whole month, have no life, write the word ‘sensitise’ about 50 times, and get stressed. Apart from that everyone can do it, if you can be bothered.
I’d recommend International House Wroclaw to anyone. The lecturers I had were two British guys and they were supportive, and harsh enough at times to give you a kick up the ass when you needed it. The city centre is stunning and the Polish students are great. All in all an experience I wouldn’t like to do again in a hurry, but I’m glad I did it. Now time for the hard work!!!! Hopes this gives you a small insight if you’re thinking of doing a CELTA!! Any questions, feel free to send me a message!!!
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Roy Melling
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Good luck
Hey, good luck with the course. I look forward to checking out on your progress with the School. Then, I will make up my mind on applying to do a course there as well. Just to let you know, I worked as an efl teacher in 2006 - Feb 2007 (Profi Lingua) They pay very nice wages at 60zl per hour..still many teachers have bad things to say about the school. Personally, I quit the school due to no training. But, the 2000zl - 4000zl per month wage was quite good. Most schools in Poland pay rubbish. Good luck.