Foreign Language Teachers
Many people decide to be foreign language teachers for their careers. A good percentage of these people are those who have lived in the country from which the language comes and some have just learned the language fluently and want to teach it. This article will focus on those that have lived in the country where the language is derived from and some of the reasons that accompany their choice to become a foreign language teacher.
1. One of the most obvious reasons to become a foreign language teacher is the fact that you know and understand the language. That may sound like a very basic statement, but there is more truth to that than what meets the eye. Just because you learn a language and become fluent in it doesn’t mean you understand the language. Learning a language means you understand the language and the people that speak it. For example, if you know every word in the Spanish language, but don’t understand when to use those words according to the culture, then you should not be teaching the language. That is the most common mistake people make when learning the language is that they don’t understand it.
2. A foreign language teacher does what they do because they can be an encouragement to the class. It would be good for everybody that breathes to know at least two languages, at least a good portion of the language. Foreign language teachers can encourage their students to that learning a language can be done with some effort and practice. Most foreign language teachers know at least two languages and they can use their own experiences as illustrations to the students.
3. Transferring the feelings from the teacher to the student is very important in learning the language. As referred to the first point, understanding the language is essential and the teacher can properly transfer the feelings of their culture to the students so they can see first hand how their words make a difference. It is almost like a live role play where the teacher is a real example of a citizen of that country and you are trying to learn their language. This is the best practice you can get and foreign language teachers enjoy transferring their feelings to the students so they have a better understanding.
Foreign language teachers have a great responsibility of teaching their students the language, but so much more than that is teaching them how and when to use certain words and phrases.
