Is teacher training necessary?

I have conducted teacher trainings for new teachers and volunteers who wanted to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for an adult literacy program. When asked to do a teacher training, I felt honored since I wasn’t an experienced ESL teacher. I was in my first year of teaching English classes, and didn’t feel qualified to prepare new teachers and volunteers in classroom management, lesson planning, and understanding students’ learning needs. However, I decided to take the opportunity to try and it’s been part of my career ever since. A former colleague asked me, “Is teacher training necessary?” I said yes without thinking about the question. I just thought teacher training was part of being a teacher. I learned over time that training for teachers isn’t always accessible or offered. It depends on the school or ESL program. There could be many reasons for teachers not trained to teach ESL, but I knew the need was greater than the challenge.

Teachers should be trained to know how to teach. It doesn’t matter the subject. Having a sense of how to teach, how to lesson plan, and how to communicate with students are very important. My training was through attending workshops and observing experienced teachers. This can be helpful; it was for me. However, what happens when it’s time for you to teach? I was not ready for that part. My first time teaching English to a class of 35 adult students were both scary and difficult. I froze. I even forgot how to introduce myself, because I focused on all the pairs of eyes staring at me. When I finally said, “Hello my name is…” a student interrupted me, “Where is our teacher?!” I apologized and asked who their teacher was. One student said, “We don’t want you, we want our other teacher!” The other teacher they were referring to was a volunteer who recently left the ESL program. How do you respond to students who are questioning you about something you don’t know and are angry? Despite my stomach turning upside down, I managed to introduce myself and explain why I was their new teacher. It took a while for the students to adjust to me and my teaching style (or lack of), but once they did, everything became easier.

I didn’t remember the workshops or my observations from experienced teachers. I had to think on my feet and go with the flow. I quickly learned that being able to communicate well, think outside the box, and a smile can make all the difference. Teacher training is necessary, but one shouldn’t only rely on that to be a good teacher. A good teacher is one who can incorporate what they learn and bring their personality into the classroom. Communication is key. Without it, it will be difficult to reach your students. Teacher training can help in how to plan for a lesson, and how to approach it during class. It can also help in how to manage students’ behaviors, personality traits (you can’t change this but can find a balance), and learning abilities.

In my teacher trainings, I always encourage new teachers and volunteers to be themselves. When you are yourself that is half the battle. You can work better when you are comfortable with yourself, and students will see that and go with your flow. As a result, you will learn how your students learn. As the teacher, you will be able to prepare lessons to help students learn, and the approach you will need to take to meet their needs.