Tag Archives: #children

The missing link

The missing link

This blogpost I write about why EduCoaching is important for me by telling a very personal story.

 
 

 
 

When I was a teenager, I was very lost. During elementary school – until the age of 14 – my grades were quite OK. I managed my studies quite well. Though my relationship with one of my teachers, the class master, was rocky, I was still considered to be one of the best students in my year. I was also one of the lead singers in the choir and played in the national youth orchestra.

 

When I was eight, after my grandfather, my main caretaker, died, I found myself in a whole. Members of my family had been used to my grandpa taking care of me so, suddenly, they did not know who should pick up the slack and provide for me. My mum was busy with a three-year-old. My grandma’s hands were full with a mentally challenged daughter and her newborn. My father was at work most of the time. So, I became a latchkey kid.

 

Luckily, I lived in a tightknit community so some of the neighbours took care of me here and there. Because children used to stay in elementary school for eight years, most of the teachers in that school knew me quite well. My home life was troubled, but in school I was still OK. I also liked studying and I liked being successful at the different things I was involved in.

 

Everything changed when I started secondary school. I was in constant sock. I did not understand a word of the subjects I was studying. I did not understand the kids in my class. There were 44 of us, most of whom came from different  parts of the city, some from more affluent areas, and everyone seemed to have a ‘sponsor’ in school.  It was an ‘elite class’ who were allowed to study foreign languages behind the iron-curtain because we were trained to be managers of foreign affairs.

 

Suddenly, I was not a good student any more. Each semester, I was failing 4 or 5 subjects because I did not understand the subject matters. I was artsy, I liked drawing, reading books, and playing music. In this school the main subjects were economics, foreign trade and languages. Teachers kept on telling me that I was a failure and I did not have anyone at home to discuss my struggles at school, either.

 

In that mayhem, I lost my sense of who I was, I lost in touch with the successes I had achieved, and with my ability overcome challenges. I played music for years, so I understood hard work, overcoming difficulties and succeeding over adversities. Somehow, during these four years of high-school, I simply was not able to access my abilities to achieve and do well any more. I was slowly sliding into a pit-hole of misery, self-doubt, and low self-esteem.

 

Looking back now, I can see that I desperately needed a coach. I wish, I had had someone to talk to, someone who had the tools to help me find myself again, someone who could see my struggles. I wish I had been able to confide in someone and told them how lost I felt in the jungle of these difficult subjects.

 

I needed some help not because I was not a good and capable a student, or because I was lazy, or I did not care, but because I did not know how to handle this new situation and I needed tools so I could conquer my challenges.

 

Later, at university, when I was studying to become a teacher, I was  constantly looking for a solution that would provide students the support  they need to overcome similar challenges. At first, I thought psychology would be the answer. Then, I looked into methodology. About ten years after university, I finally found the key. It is called coaching in educations or Educational Coaching, EduCoaching in short.

 

Read more about Coaching in Education, here, CLICK

 

момчетата

момчетата

 

Както най-често се случва, децата учат английски като посещават някакъв курс или в средата, в която учат – училището или детската градина. Така беше и със сина ми, докато ходеше на детска градина. Нещата се промениха, когато навърши 6 години и започна да посещава предучилищна група в едно училище. Там вече нямаше уроци, часове или каквото и да било на английски. Търсехме начин да запазим знанията натрупани до момнета и да ги развием и надградим. Имаше няколко варианта, но за нас най-подходящ и желан беше възможността да учи език онлайн с Илдико, заедно с едно негово приятелче.

 

Познавах Илдико и знаех, че мога да разчитам на подкрепата и професионализма ѝ. В курса по образователен коучинг, който тя водеше и който съм завършила, ми беше показал възможностите ѝ. Въпреки притеснението ѝ, че децата са в предучилищна възраст и не пишат все още, тя намери начин да ги обучава и на тях да им е интересно и забавно.

 

За всеки урок подбира тема и материали, които да са им интересни и разнообразни. Чрез различни активности и упражнения успява да ги увлече в процеса, да им е забавно и да запомнят материала, който им поднася.

 

Децата рисуват, лепят, изрязват и оцветяват, докато повтарят думи и изрази. Сътворяват света около тях на английски и неусетно, дори и за тях, започват да употребяват думите и да пеят песничките.

 

В един момент сина ми започна да ме кара да му пускам песните, които слушат в часа по английски, защото му харесва да си ги пее и защото му е забавно.

 

Заедно с езика, децата научават и неща от ежедневието, разбират интересни факти за света, който ги заобикаля, забавляват се и израстват.

 

Радвам се, че синът ми има възможността да учи именно с Илдико и вярвам, че това е ценен опит за децата, за мен, а надявам се и за Илдико също.

 

If you want to ‘ lean’  English with me, get in touch by clicking on the pictures below.

Darling! :)

Darling! :)

In this post I discuss the importance of playful learning and how to do it.

My little 6-year old students call me ‘darling’ because I call their mum ‘darling’. Children copy what they see and hear, and follow the examples.

Adults should do the same. Why don’t they? Because they feel silly.

 

The boys give me so much joy! I love teaching them. They are funny and serious at the same time. They are serious about their participation in the class and it is really sweet and funny the way they go about it.  🙂

 

They are Bulgarian and though they studied English before, they do not speak English. Hence the classes. One of the boys’ mum is a friend of mine whom I call ‘darling’.  So, they boys assumed that this is how you call each other and when they want my attention, they call me ‘darling’. I just love it! 🙂

 

It is amazing to observe how quickly and easily they pick up the language just by listening to it and playing with it. They cannot read or write yet, so all we do is watching videos, making art and craft, or doing some other activity. They learn through creative play.

 

The reason, I believe, behind the longer time invested in learning a foreign language for an adult than for a child is that children perceive the language classes as fun and games. They don’t see it as something they have to suffer to obtain. They participate with expectancy and enthusiasm.

 

It seems that adults lose their ability to play as they grow up. Picasso said it well:

 

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

 

Learning a language – learning anything – should be a fun, exciting and an awe-inspiring process. Einstein said that

 

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”

 

What it means to me is that if we want our eyes (minds) to stay open to the new, we must find the way to stay in the present, enjoy what is in front of us, participate with enthusiasm and release expectations of self and others. As we allow ourselves, like children, just to be and do, we simply find that learning becomes more like play and fun rather than hard work.

 

If you want to ‘ lean’  English with me, get in touch by clicking on the pictures below.

Learning thru creative play with KIDZ

Learning thru creative play with KIDZ

In this post I share about my experiences of teaching two six year old children.

 

I have been teaching two boys for a few months now. They both are 6 years old, and they don’t read or write yet.

 

OMG! Aren’t they the sweetest?! They are funny and engaging. They have no idea what is going on most of the time because their English is not strong enough to understand me, but they are up for it!

Read the rest of this entry