English and Children are NOT Nightmares

Asep Taufik Gunawan

I am afraid of
English not my mother-tongue too many rules hard to be mastered Children have special characteristics

Do You Want to Teach English in Elementary Level?

No, Thanks...

Why?
Teaching English for young learners needs a special requirement. They want to teach in a higher level, such as Junior High or Senior High. Teaching young learners has a big responsibility. Becoming English teacher in Elementary school gets a small salary. Becoming an English teacher in Elementary school is not challenging.

Backgrounds
Only a few English Education students who want to be an English teacher for Elementary level. Elementary level needs many English teachers. English teachers can be anyone.

Research Method
Qualitative Approach Descriptive Method Participants: 4 English Teachers, 3 Headmasters, 20 English Education Program students. Data Collection: observation check-list, interview transcript, and written documents questionnaire.

Basic Requirements of Elementary School English Teachers

understand about the management of learning, understand about young learners characteristics, having good personal characteristics, having willingness to teach English, having an educational background, having a supporting system from school, and having a supporting system from the government.

Understand about the Management of Learning

giving enough times for students in responding their questions, giving a clear instruction and example before students start the activity, using several media, providing some jokes in order that students feel more comfortable, and asking students to work in pairs or in groups.

Understand about Young Learners Characteristics

children have their own way, children learn by the way of physical activities, children have relatively short attention and concentration span, children should have a great deal of exposure to, engagement in, and support for the language they are learning, children will learn best when learning is kept whole, meaningful, interesting, and functional, children tend to learn holistically, in the form of scripts, a teacher should be a good model for students, and children are often learn indirectly rather than directly.

Having Good Personal Characteristics

patient having a low personality knowing the position (being a teacher/friends) loving childrens world

Having Willingness to Teach English

having desire to be an English teacher want to learn more

Having an Educational Backgrounds

Should be the same,
OR NOT ?

Having a Supporting System from School

supervising the teaching process evaluating the teaching process paying attention giving opportunities to increase the quality of teaching

Having a Supporting System from the Government

The government should clarify and specify about the regulation of English teachers in Elementary school. The education department organizes the seminars, workshops, and trainings in teaching English for young learners. Give a clear explanation about the important of professional teacher in Elementary school. Give a bigger salary. Give a limited responsibility. (One teacher supervises only for three different grades.)

If you can read this sentence, Say thanks to your teachers

Stiker Bember

Being an English teacher in Elementary School, WHY NOT?