We all know it eventually depends on the teacher… At the end of the day, it all ends up in the professional you are, how creative, how engaging, how capable of managing a group, okay, but how trained are English teachers really? And are they mentally ready for what is to come?
Today is the day we were all waiting for (or were we?) in the city of Buenos Aires. This will be the very first district in the country to go back to in-person classes in schools, at least while the summer warmth keeps the pandemic’s numbers low. School teachers of both public and private institutions will most probably have to endure staff meetings all throughout the week to go over the famous protocol that has been thoroughly and repeatedly discussed during the time they were supposed to spend resting and trying to disconnect from the rollercoaster of 2020, and be then ready the next February 17th to receive their first students and manage according to the infrastructural reality of the institution where they teach, with all that implies.
IG and FB gurus of education, teacher trainers and all kinds of teacherpreneurs, many of whom saw their growth in social media last year by helping and assessing desperate teachers trying to cope with a quarantine, lack of ideas and resources while teaching remotely (Puzzle contributed with its very own ‘Tips and Ideas for the online class’, which will surely have its comeback soon), have spent the weekend asking their audience how they felt about what is supposed to be the happiest of moments for many of them. But not only are the circumstances different, but both teachers and education have been shaken and will never be the same, thus many replies have included, among others, the words uncertainty and fear to describe the feeling. Many, in fact, are completely overwhelmed.
As regards how trained English teachers are, there are memes that perfectly serve their purpose when describing a big portion of EFL educators who have not only always been up to the challenge (let us remember the many congresses, seminars and webinars to catch up with what is new and access the very latest material when it comes to international examinations, new coursebooks and readers, etc. these teachers attend every single year) but have also joined the massive demand of peers teaching different subjects for whatever would make their classes updated, interesting and more engaging, most of the times paying for the training from their own pocket.
What happens from now on will surely set precedent for freelancers like many of us at the Puzzle dream team who would like to gradually go back to on-site teaching in houses or companies, but all in all, the answer is yes, teachers of English are more than ready. Nobody should ever doubt that. It would just be nice if, once in a while, someone asked them something way more essential for a good teaching performance that indeed looks to benefit parents, students, schools or institutions, but mainly, themselves: How do you feel? Is there any way I can help?
Happy start, dear teachers, and good luck!
Puzzle Language Services 