Three Tips For Starting a School Year in TEFL

I remember how anxious I was before starting my first year teaching EFL in public school. I remember worrying; “What will the classes be like?” and “How can I possibly manage 45 children?” Sadly, some of my worries came true as I made mistakes and had to learn the hard way how to handle a small army of 6 year-old students. Over the years I’ve met scores of new teachers who had the same experience or worse; unruly students, limited resources, and no guidance. Many of them quit in frustration. It shouldn’t be this way, so I’m here with a few tips for starting the school year in Vietnamese public primary schools.

Starting a School Year Tip # 1: Focus on Classroom Management

Keeping young students in order quickly becomes a challenge for new teachers – especially once the honeymoon phase wears off. In addition, techniques for managing students in small classes won’t easily work when you’ve got 45 of them. Finally, you’ll probably be jealous of how well the kids behave for their local teachers but not for you.

The good news is, it isn’t all that hard to manage a large class if you start on the right foot and build good habits.

Set Routines: Skilled, experienced teachers uses routines to keep their lessons running smoothly. They use routines to start lessons, get students’ attention, pass out papers, clear desks, assign groups, etc to help create a positive learning environment.

Plan your routines before your first lessons so you’re clear what you want. Then use time in your first few lessons to introduce them, model them and review them to establish the foundation for a successful school year.

State Your Rules: Another key point is to set good class rules and playfully reinforce them with your students by playing Drill Sergeant. Young primary students are usually happy to accept whatever reasonable rules you set. With older, more capable classes, you could try having a discussion and making a class contract. Whatever you choose, making your expectations clear will help students feel more secure & respect you more as well.

Related Post: Set Rules for Success in ESL

Introduce a Behavior Management System: You’ll want to choose an effective Behavior Management System and begin using it on the first day. This will provide your behavior feedback with structure and help students understand how they’re doing. Lots of teachers like using a team point system, but I recommend using the a Shark-Swimmer system; it’s easy to manage, fun, and doesn’t pit students against each other.

Don’t Be Fooled: Finally, don’t let yourself be tricked by your students’ good behavior in the first few lessons, or “the honeymoon.” During the first couple weeks students are usually on their best behavior. However, they’re also watching you closely and judging you as a teacher. If they see that you rely too much on your TA, take things easy, are not confident, or you are unclear about your expectations then your job will be much harder come October and November.

Starting a School Year Tip #2: Build Relationships

The key to successful teaching at any age level is developing great relationships. Your students will all be curious about who you are and what you’re like on day one. Many of you will also have Vietnamese Teaching Assistants (TAs). Establishing great relationships here early will make lessons smoother, bring you a lot of great memories, and get you through difficult days.

Introduce Yourself: You can satisfy your students’ curiosity on the first day by playing a get-to-know-you ice-breaker. There are many popular ones and which you use depends on your students’ age and English level. Two of my favorite for public primary schools are an Intro Mind Map and Two Truths & One Lie. These are fun ways to introduce yourself and also start getting an idea about your students’ levels. I always mix in a fun fact or two about myself – like the time I ate a live octopus straight from the sea (and got sick afterwards).

Related Post: Use Intro Mind Maps as EFL Ice Breakers

Learn Their Names: If you have the time, have your students make name cards to place on their desks. Even a simple tri-folded paper with their name written in crayon will go a long way in helping you memorize (or at least use) their names. Take note, though, that your Grade 1 students are still learning to write & will need extra time or support.

Learn What They Like: In public school it’s likely you’ll never know each of your students very well; you might see more than 200 in a day! However, kids are kids and there are always trends in kid culture. Try to learn what games, music, movies, shows, and other things are popular with your students. Showing an interest in them and knowing a thing or two about what’s popular can really help students connect with you.

Teaching Assistants: Finally, don’t neglect your TA. Try to greet and get to know them before your lesson – even for just a few minutes. Get their name and note it down. Give them a heads-up about any activities you’ll need their help on as well. Later, they can also tell you about any students who have problems or will need extra attention.

I also recommend trying to share a coffee, milk tea or bowl of phở with them at some point. Taking some extra time to chat with them will often lead to great insights and better support – not to mention making new friends. Just be aware and respectful that many of them are really busy and may have had some bad experiences with other teachers in the past.

Starting a School Year Tip #3: Begin with Engaging Games and Activities

Your students will also be watching closely to see if you can be both engaging and educational. Children love to have fun, but they also feel a lot of pressure to succeed. They will want to know if you have what it takes to teach them. The games and activities you use at the start of the school year can either build their respect for you or disappoint them.

But what can you do with a classroom of 45 kids packed in rows, a blackboard, and some flashcards? It turns out you can do a lot while getting everyone to actively participate. You don’t even need a sticky ball or a set of dice to keep your kids involved in their lessons.

Quick and Easy Activities: Starting a school year off with simple games like Drill Sergeant, Flashcard Safari, and Magic Eyes will get your students excited and engaged. These games are also quick and easy to run and learn. They involve kinesthetic learning and chanting, both of which work great for all children under 12. They also can be adapted into more complicated activities as your students increase their confidence and skills.

You can find many other activities on this site by checking our page here.