Mérida, Venezuela: starting my teaching experience

Our intern Stephen is just starting out on his exciting TEFL internship in the picturesque city of Mérida, Venezuela. Find out what’s in store!

I’ve now been in Merida, Venezuela for two whole weeks and it’s fair to say that the time has flown by. My stay here so far has been jam-packed with activities and a busy teaching schedule. The other interns and I weren’t quite sure what to expect on arrival at the new school but any possible doubts were quashed as soon as we were greeted by the jovial headteacher. We were immediately made to feel at home by the other teachers as well as the students. What first struck me was the age range of the students. On our ‘settling in’ day we ended up sitting through 3-5 year olds singing nursery rhymes in the morning, while in the afternoon we were helping to teach grammar points to adults desperate to learn English in order to enhance their career options. What I found really heart-warming and eye-opening was the attitude of the students. When I think of a school in the UK I think of students sitting through lessons half awake with one eye constantly on the clock. Here that’s far from the case. The students emanate a really positive vibe which not only makes the time pass quickly, but makes it a real joy to teach them.

I received my official timetable on the second day and was immediately struck by the intensity of my teaching schedule. My timetable consists of two hours of teaching in the morning and four hours in the afternoon for four days a week. This may not seem like a lot compared to average weekly working hours but when you have never taught before, it is extremely exhausting. This made me realise what was expected from us and that we we aren’t here to simply ‘fill a void’ or sit in the background observing. From day one I have been thrown into the deep end and given several of my own classes to teach. We are expected to make a real contribution here and to really enhance the students’ learning experience.

My first class was far from easy and was actually quite a daunting experience. I was handed the teachers’ and students’ workbook and told to construct a general lesson plan and that in half an hour I’d be conducting a class of my own. After sitting for 15 minutes quite clueless with a rushed and somewhat convoluted lesson plan I realised that as long as I performed with confidence and without thinking too much about my mistakes, that it would be a really enjoyable experience. It was my first lesson so they weren’t expecting perfection, just how I present myself to the students and if I project a good first impression. With this mindset I took my first class ignoring any potential mistakes and it was an unforgettable experience. Of course there were instances when I had to look to the main teacher for assistance or get an approving nod, but all in all it was a definite success. I was treated with a feeling of almost awe by some of the students. For a lot of them it was the first time they’ve been introduced to a strange foreigner from the other side of the world and I took great pleasure in answering their questions and explaining to them about my culture. From this lesson on the teaching experience has just been getting better and better with an ever increasing feeling of satisfaction on realisation that my students have learned something new. It is encouraging me to try new things, new teaching styles and maybe even, further down the line, to try freelance teaching after the internship is over.