Мартыненко Елена Яковлевна

Why I teach English

  Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.
  John C. Dana

Everybody knows about the advantages of speaking English fluently. It is used for everything from international academic conferences and news reports to popular music lyrics. So, it’s not very difficult to answer the question “Why do you learn English?” But why do some people teach it? Why do I personally do it? To tell the truth I’ve thought about it for a long time. And it made me remember the beginning of my career.

To begin with, I’ve been teaching for more than 20 years. When I was young, I didn’t have any doubts what to be. I was so proud of my father- a teacher of history, I admired my English teacher, and school atmosphere had something magical for me, therefore my choice was clear.

After graduating from the university I jumped into the teaching profession full of energy. I wanted to show my pupils the new world- the world of English culture, the melody of English, the opportunity to understand and to express their ideas and thoughts not only in mother tongue. However, I didn’t feel confident. I was afraid to be asked many questions I couldn’t answer. The classroom management was not an easy job too. But fortunately I understood my mistake very soon: learning a foreign language is an endless process. There’s always something to learn. Now I like my pupil’s questions very much. Sometimes they ask something I’ve never thought about and it makes me learn and improve my skills again and again. Isn’t it a good reason to teach English?

Each year I learn more in my profession and I get new experience. I strongly believe, that being a teacher on any subject means more than teaching the subject itself. It means teaching morality in life. And our subject gives us a chance to do both things at the same time. I teach pupils how to study independently. I guide them to achieve success and when they do, they are enthusiastic about doing it again and it makes me proud. We often discuss some problems we would hardly speak about in Russian. English can give you the power to reach everybody on the planet. As a teacher I can give my pupils voice to express their thoughts in English. I want my pupils to know that they can create and their voices are important. So, teaching English allows me to work on hearts and minds, to guide my pupils in becoming creative, successful and willing to do the world better.

The longer I teach, the more excited I get about the day to day functions in the classroom. Being around young people helps me remain knowledgeable about current trends and ideas. My pupils inspire me to create new tasks, games and methods. Facing the youth I feel young and optimistic. It’s worth to do!

To sum up, I love my school, I love children. If I said I teach English for my pupils, it wouldn’t be quite true, because I really need it. I enjoy teaching English and can’t imagine my life without it!

Овладение учащимися начальной школы основами общения на иностранном языке
Фестиваль педагогических идей «Открытый урок», 2014 г.

Формирование умений поискового чтения на начальном этапе обучения иностранному языку
Фестиваль педагогических идей «Открытый урок», 2013 г.

Нестандартный урок как средство формирования и развития положительной мотивации к изучению иностранного языка у учащихся начальной школы
Фестиваль педагогических идей «Открытый урок», 2013 г.

Survey "Our school in the eyes of seventh graders…"
Фестиваль исследовательских и творческих работ учащихся «Портфолио ученика», 2013 г.

Презентация "US CROSS — CONTINENT TOURS"
Фестиваль исследовательских и творческих работ учащихся «Портфолио ученика», 2013 г.

School rap
Фестиваль исследовательских и творческих работ учащихся «Портфолио ученика», 2013 г.

2014

2013