Interview

I interviewed my practicum teacher Carmen, who is an English teacher at IES Abastos, a secondary education school. Her experience is being very helpful for my training time.

 • How did you first learn to do what you do?

I studied the CAP program many years ago, but it was not of much help. We attended few lessons and our practicum period was only 2 weeks! So I manily learnt by practising, little by little.

• What was hardest when you first started doing it?

For me it was difficult to stand at the front of the classroom, with 20 teenagers looking expectantly at me.

• What made you keep doing it even though it was hard?

I loved it when I saw my students' progress, when I realised that I was helping them learn. It is such a satisfactory experience that I kept trying, up to now.

• What helped you get better at it?

 Experience is key for learning how to be a good teacher. So never give up, ven if you find it really difficult at the beginning.

• Did anyone else help you with it? How?

My colleagues have helped me a lot -and they still do-. Especially those who have been working on this for many years. I learn from them everyday. Our English department is sort of a teachers' cooperative.

• Describe one time that you knew you were getting better at it. How did you know?

There is not a precise moment in which I realised I was improving, but there are some moments in which you feel satisfied about your work. Then you think you're getting better.

• Once you started to get good at it, what made you want to get even better?

Sometimes the teacher's performance does not determine the students' performance or attitude towards the subject. So the only reason that leads me to keep improving is to try to help students learn as much as I can.

• How long did it take before people started coming to you as an “expert”?

I do not consider myself as an expert, I am just a teacher who's been teaching English to teenagers for about 15 years!

• Who do you trust to tell you how you’re really doing? How do you know they will tell you the truth?

I hope my colleagues at the high-school feel confident enough as to provide me with feedback that helps me be a better English teacher every single day, year after year.