Hi there! My name is Will Herr and I’m an American living & working in Vietnam. I have more than 10 years of experience teaching EFL to young learners and very young learners in Asia. I started Star Teacher Training in 2017 to help new teachers succeed in large classes at preschools and primary schools.
My TEFL Track
15 years ago I was a poorly trained teacher in South Korea who struggled in the classroom. I couldn’t find the resources I needed online to help me and I didn’t have access to any teaching books. Looking back, my classes were teacher-centered, unproductive, and occasionally quite frustrating.
After my first year of teaching I was promoted to Head Teacher of a center. I then became responsible for training and observing many new EFL teachers. Talk about the blind leading the blind! This experience showed me the need for real training & teacher support.
I eventually moved to Vietnam, earned a CELTA (B), and moved to another company where I also got the opportunity to manage, observe and train more than a hundred teachers, most of whom were in the first years of their teaching career. Helping solve teaching problems was an invaluable experience for me. I also got the chance to earn a CELTA Young Learners extension and an International House Teaching Very Young Learners certification.
Finally, in the last four years I’ve focused on working in public primary schools and preschools with large classes of 20 to 45 students. Even with my training and years of teaching experience I still found these classes to be a real challenge. The techniques that worked in small classrooms just didn’t seem to work well in large ones. I’ve had to research & build my skills to be successful in my own lessons and to help my teachers as they worked all over Ho Chi Minh city.
Will Herr at Star Teacher Training
I’ve built Star Teacher Training to achieve my central aim of helping new teachers succeed in large preschool and primary EFL classes. In Vietnam and elsewhere many families can’t afford to send their children to expensive after school academies or tutors; public school English classes are often many kids’ only opportunity to learn English. As a trainer I want both teachers & their students to have positive, engaging experiences in their EFL classrooms.
You can find articles with teaching tips for large classes on this site. In addition, I host TEFL workshops in Ho Chi Minh city for teachers who already have a TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate but are looking for more specific skills.
I’ve seen the power of great English skills in my personal life and I’ve also felt the joys of teaching a great lesson. Please help me in my quest to spread teaching skills by liking, sharing, and commenting on my posts with your ideas, suggestions and questions. Thanks!
-Will Herr
I also have a YouTube channel and a course on Udemy!
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Reviews for Star Teacher Training Workshops
I attended a workshop here today on how to teach VYL’s (very young learners) and I have to say it was so so very helpful! Will is clearly a very experienced teacher and it shows. I really learnt a lot from him, he’s got some great techniques which he was able to share with the class. I had to teach a kindergarten class straight after the workshop and I felt so much more confident through the things I’d just learnt. The class went so smoothly. I highly recommend this to any teacher looking to improve on their techniques in the classroom. – Charlotte Anstey on Facebook
I had to cancel my classes just so I could attend this workshop and that had been a wise decision. To say that the workshop was great would be an understatement. I wished that I had this kind of training even before I started teaching VYLs. I was able to immediately use what I learned from the training and it definitely helped my class. I would love to attend future workshops from Will. – Christine de la Cruz on Facebook
This workshop is useful to people who want to improve teaching English skills for kids. In addition, Mr Will is a dedicated teacher. I really appreciated your making a meaningful workshop, Mr Will. – Anh Dang on Facebook
I attended one of Will’s 2-day workshops and learned a lot from him. I feel more confident about how I should structure my classes so they are set up with real learning outcomes. He has learned many lessons over the years and is generous to spend the extra effort and time required to pass on some of this knowledge. He is helping to make teaching in the public schools a more valuable and enjoyable experience for both teachers and students. – Tomas Triantafilidis on Facebook
Check out my Facebook page for more reviews and workshop photos.
