Ebaby's ESL Teacher

Writing can be hard, even for me a native English speaker and ESL teacher. But once ESL students become comfortable with writing in English, it is important to introduce some common structures in English writing.

 Traditionally in English, an essay states the main idea in the first paragraph and each paragraph that follows supports the main idea. While this rigid structure is not always followed, students should understand that normally they should structure their writing in that manner. 

ESL teachers, especially native English speakers, may not consider teaching essay organization, but some cultures value other essay structures. There is a great video clip about a nonnative English speaker, Pablo Zapata, and his problems with the very direct manner of English essay writing.

Some students may have a hard time transitioning to this style of writing, but once their language is intelligible, it is a necessity. English readers have certain expectations about how writing should be organized, especially in academics.  As teachers, we should give our students the skills to meet readers' expectations.

I live in Portland, Oregon and at the university in my town, like most US university, exchange students need to take the TOEFL exam before they can take classes. And they need to get a high score, a score of 197 or higher. The TOEFL exam has three parts: reading, writing and listening.   

In my ESL class, students learn to read, write, and listen to English. But I wonder, do my students know enough to pass the TOEFL exam?  At Portland State University, students need to get 197 points on the computer-based TOEFL test before they can go to school there. I always wonder, if I am teaching my students enough. The only way to know if my students are going to do well on the TOEFL is to work on their reading, writing and listening skills and practice answering questions like those on the TOEFL exam.

For some students, the best thing to do is to take a TOEFL prep class. I have never taught one of those, but maybe some other English teachers on English, Baby! have.

 All I know is that the TOEFL test is hard and that it takes a lot of practice to get a good score on the TOEFL. Can any teachers give me some help on preparing my students? I think a good place to start would be to get a TOEFL practice exam and have the students do it. 

On English, baby! we sell practice exams written by the real TOEFL test writers. The exams are just like the actual test. So students can take the practice test and see if their score is high enough to study at Portland State University. 

It is a well known fact that ESL and EFL students cannot learn English in an overly emotional environment. In essence, students' emotions stop them from learning. Learning another languge requires so much of an individual that there just isn't enough energy or brain power to process new language and overwhelming emotions, like fear and sadness.

But what about the ESL teacher? Being an ESL teacher is  an emotional job. For me, there are only so many emotions I can deal with and still be an effective teacher. Students often come to me with their problems. As their ESL teacher, I am supposed to help them learn the language and transition into a new society. But, sometimes there just isn't enough of me. Lately, my own personal troubles have stopped me from being the best teacher and the best support system for my students. 

 I guess, I would love some advise from experienced teachers. Or maybe there just isn't a solution. Maybe you can't be a great teacher, if you are too emotionally invested. Just like students who can't learn, teachers can't teach when their feelings aren't under control.  How do you control your emotions?