Hitting the books

My life is about to veer off in a new direction: I am undertaking a major professional development course.

I have been teaching English as a Foreign Language for over 15 years now, but I don't actually have formal training in it.

Sure, I have a diploma in English literature from here, and a post-Bachelor teaching certificate from here, and, for 8 years, I taught French to high school students here.

Plus I have plenty of experience, which does count for something -- thank heaven!

But last fall, after having spent a few years haunting the ESL/EFL Twitterverse and blogosphere, I started to realize that something was missing, or at least I was missing something: formal training and a theoretical background in exactly what I do. Not just teaching, not just English, but teaching English as a foreign language.

So, starting next week, I will be hitting the books, preparing Module One of the Cambridge DELTA qualification.

This first part of the 3-module course is all online learning. A wiki will be involved, but so will old-fashioned reading and writing, with an official exam to take in Paris in December 2012.

As part of this experience, I hope to revive this blog, but it may take an educational bent...or I might end up publishing my teaching reflections on another online space.

So, I'm going back to school at 52, in a way that I never could have imagined even 10 years ago.

Wish me luck...

On the road again

Talk about a big day tomorrow!

Rendez-vous in front of my school at 6:45 am to pick up three students and drive off to the Infosup educational fair in Toulouse...a full day of communicating about our business school...however, I must leave by 4pm because at 6pm my 3rd year students are doing their video/buffet evening about their foreign internships...

I congratulate myself for getting a post in this evening! Now off to bed...

Talking shop

My head is spinning today.

At my "advanced age," I am thinking about doing some sort of degree or certificate program that would formalize and solidify my skills and knowledge in my career and my passion: teaching English as a Foreign Language.

Yes, I have a Bachelor's Degree, in English for that matter, from a prestigious American university. But finding creative ways to teach verb tenses doesn't have much to do with Chaucer or Dickens.

And yes, I did a 5th year of university studies that led to my becoming a certified teacher in Washington State. Indeed, I still use some of what I learned during that program in my teaching.

But that was, um, how long ago? And how much of that year do I really remember? And how relevant is what I learned then -- on a non-subject specific course, to boot -- to today's language classrooms?

I have a lot to think about.

International Relations

The campus of KHK Kempen, Geel, Belgium

My school year started out with an unforgettable experience: making an official visit to a college in the Antwerp area to set up an Erasmus partnership with the business school where I teach.

I am happy to announce that a student from my school will be attending the last semester of his third and final year at this friendly and professional establishment.

It was exciting and inspiring to see how another college system worked, and to meet enthusiastic and friendly professors and teachers.

I am truly lucky that my teaching job has expanded to include an element of international project coordination.

As for the non-professional details, I spent one night in the charming little village of Kasterlee...

...and a day and night in the friendly and lively city of Antwerp.

The past year has been a Belgium year for me: I went to a conference in Brussels in October 2010, back to Brussels with my family for Christmas 2010, and then on this trip.

I quite like the country: there's something cool about such a small place where, nonetheless, there is such diversity between the two main regions.

Of course, this diversity has caused the country some major political difficulties -- but I guess I can say this is not my problem when I'm travelling there!

Internet, teaching and guilt

(A random image that I have projected for discussion in English class)

In my dream blogging world, I not only keep up this personal space, but also blog about education in general, and teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in particular.

Wait! That's not only a dream! I actually do have a teaching blog.

But as you can see, I haven't been there for a long, long time.

Early this year, in fact, I got somewhat involved in the Twitterverse of English Language Teachers.

The talents, creativity, devotion, and sheer online output of this community are astounding...and inspiring.

But as the school year moved on and intensified, the inspiration I was getting from these teaching gods (who must be online 24/7) started to weigh me down more than pump me up.

I've distanced myself from that scene for the time being, but I may get back into it...maybe...

Teacher Tuesday

If you're a blogger, you probably know about Music Monday...and Wordless Wednesday...and Theme Thursday...and perhaps even other little or not-so-little "blogging events" that make the blog world go round.

But do you know about Teacher Tuesday?

As far as I know, it's a Twitter invention.

I became somewhat involved in it at the beginning of the school year, when my teaching intentions were flying and my professional inspiration juices were flowing.

Not that this isn't the case anymore; I just don't have the time or energy to tweet about every minute detail involving my career.

I do wish I did.

Back to school, relaxed and refreshed

I don't work for the French public school system, so I don't benefit from the generous and frequent "vacances scolaires" that regular teachers get.

I worked and indeed had class up to and including the 23rd of December. (Education nationale teachers would gasp in horror at that.)

Some of my colleagues even taught on the 24th. But I lucked out on that score, and was able to take Christmas Eve off, followed by a full week of vacation since my building closes down between Christmas and New Year's Eve.

That break was apparently sufficient for me, as I went back to school/work today relaxed and chipper.

I hope this good cheer can last me through the long, cold, dark months ahead