TEACHERS,
VOCATION OR
You're currently living in Pereira, aren’t you?
Nope, I'm working in a school in Quinchía-Risaralda,
I'm an English teacher here, and I have a lot of work,
because I have not only the job of the school but also
in some institutes and some people that like to learn
English, so they look for a teacher that teaches them
English, so I am the one here.
When did you get interested in learning a
different Language from Spanish?
Actually it was at the school, I had an excellent
English teacher, and then, well… My first option was
to be a priest, but then at the school, I really liked
English, and also the way that the teacher told us,
so.. He was like the person who made me believe in
this.
Which is the most difficult part of teaching to
young people?
What would you identify as challenging?
I think it depends on the teacher and it depends on the
school. If you have all the resources to teach English, It
is not difficult, and also you'll always try to do your best,
right?. Sometimes it could be difficult, but if you are a
teacher for pleasure, if you want to be a teacher, things
might not be very difficult. in my case I'm play some
games with them, i have many activities, I prepare my
classes, if the topic is for example verbs, I have activities
with verbs, for example Simon says.
Do you think teachers get the recognition
they deserve?
Well, if you work for recognition or for money, you
are not a good teacher, so, you have to work for your
students, you have to work for a memorable learning
process, not for money, not for recognition, for that
reason I say that teaching English should be an
enjoyable thing. I don't think about money so much,
because I love teaching and I have not only my job at
the school, but also in other institutes, and I'm doing it
for pleasure, for helping people, for making people
happy, I don't care if some teachers earn more money
than me, no, it's not my problem.
CHOICE?
Meet Luis Carlos Forero Alzate, a UTP graduate
professor whose goal, beyond a good salary, is
a good educational legacy. This article is made
because I had the opportunity to interview him
regarding his professional life and his educational
process, below the report of what he
commented:
When did you get interested in learning a different
Language from Spanish?
Actually it was at the school, I had an excellent English teacher, and
then, well… My first option was to be a priest, but then at the school,
I really liked English, and also the way that the teacher told us, so..
He was like the person who made me believe in this.
When did you realize that you wanted to become a
teacher?
Well, I was at the seminary for one year and I used to write my
classes in English, so when a priest just checked my notebook he said,
Do you want to learn English? Or to study English? or do something
related to English?, and then I said, yes I love English, so he said,
What about if you go and study English and if you want to come back
later, I’m gonna receive you, but I preferred to be a 100% English
teacher.
As an English teacher, who is also a father, do you think it's
important to teach your children English from their
childhood?
I think it’s very very important, but not to be a mandatory thing, right?
If they like English, teach them English, if they don't like English, try to
teach them English but in a different way, right?. Nothing mandatory,
anything like “you have to learn English because you are my son”, no,
English is more for pleasure than mandatory.
What would you tell all the future teachers?
Be yourself, enjoy your career, enjoy your profession, enjoy your
students, enjoy this process because while you're teaching other
people, you're also learning from them, and in every class you
learn something new, so you say, okay, it could be better if I do
some extra activities, or if I prepare my class in a different way,
and then you could improving your teaching skills, so my advice is
that, basically when somebody asks me like, Lucho, tell me and
advice to learn English or to be a good English teacher I said
enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, prepare your classes in different ways,
don't be like your old teachers, it's sounds bad but old teachers
had a different chip, we are young teachers, and we have a new
era to do this process better than we have.