International House London CELTA training centre
Week Four
MEC Commissioning Editor and recent CELTA graduate, Jenny Lovel, writes:
'It's nearly over. We return from the bank holiday weekend having completed assignment four, a reflection on what we've learnt on the course and having had some sleep. Despite the end being in sight the class is feeling less than jubilant. Last week one of our classmates left the course, unable to cope with negative teaching feedback and a couple of failed assignments. We've become so dependent on each other that he's sorely missed. In addition, the bank holiday weekend has given us a taste of the social lives we've put on hold to do the course. Everyone tells stories of breaking down in tears of happiness in restaurants and partners with frayed patience. We've also all lost weight while doing the course but none of us would recommend the unique CELTA blend of sleep deprivation and sugary foods as an alternative to Weightwatchers.
On Wednesday I have my final lesson. I've now got the lesson planning down to a mere three hours so, in contrast to my other lessons, I've actually had some sleep the night before. The lesson is on the present perfect (shudder) so I decide to keep it simple and elicit the form of the language from the students. Unfortunately I write something on the board which isn't right and fail to notice until heckled by my tutor. Deeply embarrassed, I teach the remainder of the lesson looking a bit red and sweaty but in general the lesson has been a success. More importantly, it's my final lesson and my teaching practice is over! I feel like putting my jumper over my head and running round the classroom in celebration. The only remaining challenge is another un-assessed "carousel" lesson (where the class is divided into groups which rotate to a different teacher every 15 minutes) on the Friday. But a game of "Guess Who?" superficially to revise vocabulary about personal appearances goes down a treat and everyone enjoys it. We're in the pub by 4 pm eating baklava, a gift from a student, and drinking beer. We've all passed.'
Do you remember the day you passed your CELTA? Have you ever used MEC to help you reinvigorate the present perfect? What do your students think of MEC? Leave a comment.