ESL Lesson Plan

Thanks for this page. I appreciate each of the comments included in your page.

I would like to get some activities for the "warm up" and "ice breaking" activities.

Thanks again.

What a delightful newsletter. Good info, positive tone. Looking forward to more.

I was interested in your comments about older teachers as I went to South Korea to teach after retirement from the Ontario School system at the age of 59.I completed a TESOL course first as it came with a guarantee of a job.I soon found out that applying for jobs at that age was not easy.I wanted to teach Pre-School/Kindergarten age and was told by no less than three schools in Taiwan that they could not employ me because I "could not run fast enough to catch little children." I took matters into my own hands by doing as you suggested and posted resumes that really blew my own horn in terms of professional achievements, skills, love of children and parental appreciation of my teaching ability.Interestingly, the owner of the franchise of two of the schools which turned me down emailed me asking me to apply to one of his schools! However, I was offered the perfect job for me - designing and teaching an Immersion Pre-School program. My director was totally honest in terms of how much she could afford to pay me actually showing me the business cost breakdown and increased my salary as she was able to. Initially parents were a little uncertain of my ability to teach their children because of my age, but two years later many actually cried because I needed to leave due to family matters. The only problem the director had was coping with parental demands to place their child in my after-school class.
I worked long hours and documented all of my unpaid preparation time. I worked paid overtime classes by choice and was the only teacher, Korean or foreign, who did not take one sick-leave day. I would not have missed the experience for the world.The Korean people were very kind to me and at times I was a little ashamed of the lack of effort by some ESL teachers to do a reasonable job in the classroom. Many were still operating in "student-mode" and regarding the experience as a paid holiday.
After leaving Korea, I did some recruiting for the area I had worked in, with my director as liason.I did find jobs for a few older teachers, but the general desire was still for the young teacher. I would suggest that older teachers wishing to teach in Korea look for jobs that do not involve Saturday teaching and recognise that they will probably not receive additional pay for their experience.However, if you can learn to go with the flow, be prepared to change plans at very short notice and go with positive expectations of enjoying the cultural experience, then you may enjoy the time as much as I did.It actually opened a whole new life for me in Canada hosting and tutoring ESL students.

I will be going to China this summer for a 3 week Intensive English class. I feel like I am sticking my toe into the water to see how it feels because I have kept my job back in the states. I will be 60 this summer and while a few schools indicated they were looking for someone younger, I still had many offers. In fact, an American professor in China I have been in contact with is 71 and still going strong.

My fear is that I am not truly a ESOL teacher. I have taught for 37 years and subbed in ESOL classes at night but I am nervous about it.

I do hope to get some insights for what to take as gifts for those I meet, materials I should bring, etc.

I am open to suggestions.

Arden W. Dilley
adilley@bellsouth.net

when I first applied for a teaching position in Korea I received lots and lots and lots of offers until they found out that I was 48 years old. Then all of a sudden, as if someone hit a switch, no-one wanted anything to do with me. I was even told by one director that I was too old. I persevered and finally received only one job offer in a very small town, and I am sure that I am the only one who would take this job. Now I am totally disappointed and insuled really, because I am a good teacher. I wish someone out there had given me a better opportunity. Now I am ready to leave Korea early, but right now I am just taking it day by day. I really think that I deserved better than this.