CSU Global Professional Experience - English Teacher Year 7-9
October 2016-November 2016
​
Personal Reflection
At Riviera International School, Nepal, I worked with students ranging from year 7 to year 9. I facilitated English lesson, including grammar and creative writing. In the Nepalese school system, the curriculum is based directly off textbooks. This made it hard to differentiate for individual student needs. However, I was able to create a few lessons, based off the texts, creating a different learning experience for the children. For the year seven class, I had them write letters to an Australian school in the hopes of creating pen pals. This experience was received positively by the students who were engaged and excited to hear from Australian youth in their age demographic. The students also had opportunities to create poetry, and participate in classroom discussion. I found the barriers of this experience were cultural differences. I witnessed corporal punishment, which made me feel uncomfortable, and quite distressed. However, I believe I made lasting networks with other brilliant educators, and the students were receptive and appreciate of the classes I coordinated. The year nine class created a class newspaper, which included drawings and photography, as well as written reviews. I was expecting to teach English as a second language, although, English Medium schools curriculum is taught solely in English. I found that many of the students had a better understanding of English language conventions and grammar than I did. This provided opportunities for me to learn from the students. What amazed me was all the English conventions I know to be true, but then reiterating them was hard to explain. This experience has prompted me to engage in opportunities to further understand and explain the English language, as well as examine the rights of the child on a global perspective, and what can be done on a Global level to encourage the growth and development of all children. Additionally, I also learnt that even with limited resources educators can create engaging lessons. The experience helped me to solidify my teaching goals and personal teaching philosophy.
​
You can read more on this experience through my blog.
​