Opposites attract

When’s the last time you team-taught, held a workshop session with a colleague or simply got together with fellow teachers to re-connect, network or blow off some steam?

The teaching life can have its lonely moments, especially for freelancers. We teachers can be wary of talking about which companies we work for, how much we charge and what our five-year plan looks like. That’s all understandable, but we’re really doing ourselves a huge disservice by not forming virtual or tangible teaching communities.

For those of us based in Germany, there are the ELTAs (English Language Teachers’ Associations) in most of the major cities and regions. Switzerland has ETAS and Austria has TEA. (Click here for a full list.) But following a thought in the latest issue of Business Spotlight, why not look for a mentor? And to get the most out of it, remember the mantra “opposites attract”.

I was literally assigned to my first mentor back in graduate school. She had been teaching for 35 years and I was a mere rookie. We had different teaching styles, backgrounds and strengths, but our common love of teaching helped form a strong bond. We’ve stayed in touch and I look forward to hearing from her every year at Christmastime from across the Atlantic.

A more recent mentor experience has come through work. I’ve been holding workshops and seminars with a colleague since 2004. I’ve always enjoyed team-teaching and these past years have been no exception. Again, I think it’s our differences that form our strength. She’s tech-savvy, grew up in a different country and might even have me using HTML one day. Compare that to me, a person who feels most comfortable with a piece of chalk, a pair of scissors and a communicative classroom activity. Yet during our workshops and conference sessions, I’ve opened up to the idea of incorporating more technology in my teaching via podcasts, Skype and Web 2.0 resources, such as Facebook.

Speaking of Facebook, it’s never too late and you’re never too old (my 76-year-old mother’s on) to start. The funny, honest and sometimes just plain weird lists of 25 random things currently being posted are among the Internet’s best distractions, and a great classroom writing activity.

I’m off to write mine now so I can ask my students to write a condensed version in class this evening. After that we’ll be talking about the business of Valentine’s Day, from Pajamagrams to chocolate, to conversation hearts.