What to Expect as a New ESL Teacher? Here is your roadmap!

Ever wish you had a guide as a new ESL teacher? I sure do wish I had, when I started out. And it turns out, I am not alone!

I recently did two things. 

I asked a question on Facebook asking “What are some of the things you had or had known as a new ESL Teacher?” and a survey on Instagram asking “As a new ESL teacher did you have any guidance?”

The results did not surprise me at all, but nevertheless, were eye opening. 

The question on Facebook generated an amazing discussion. The teachers were pouring out their tips and ideas. Some were asking questions because they actually were new teachers. 

And, honestly, the phrase “I wish I had a new ESL teacher roadmap or something” came up more than just a couple of times. 

The results of the survey on Instagram? 85% said they had no guidance when they started out as new ESL teachers. 

The reasons for this could be numerous. 

In some schools, there is only one ESL teacher for the district and nobody else knows the specifics of the job. Hence, no one is able to mentor. 

Assumptions about the ESL teacher role could prevent effective mentoring of new ESL teachers as well. Quite a few mainstream teachers and even administrators are not entirely sure what it is we do. 

Not to mention other challenges like lack of funding. 

In any case, whether you have a mentor or not, I know how helpful it would be to have some pointers when you are just starting out. 

And that is why I wanted to share with you a new ESL teacher guide.

While creating this document, I realized, or rather, internalized one very simple yet important truth. It is quite a task to put into a simple guiding document the peculiarities of an ESL teacher’s job. 

Sure, when someone asks what we do and how we do it, we can just utter the common phrase “I work with children who speak a language other than English”. 

But in reality, there is so much more to it. If you are wondering about the roles of an ESL teacher, here is a post about it that I wrote not only for the ESL teachers but also to share with mainstream colleagues.

The ESL Teacher Guide

The ESL teacher roadmap provides guidance to those who are just starting out in the field. 

Based on my own experience and feedback from other fantastic ESL educators, this guide has been narrowed down to seven common “road markers” to expect and to follow. It also highlights several most popular mistakes to avoid. 

Click here to download your copy. 

The new ESL teacher road markers

Position yourself as the expert

This is a golden piece of advice, especially if we consider the above statement that not a lot of our colleagues know what we do.

Advocate 

It is the “buzz” word of the education community, and the real meaning of “to advocate for your students and yourself”  is revealed only when you begin working with English learners. 

Get organized

No brainer? Yes. Difficult? Absolutely!

Lesson plan

Don’t expect someone to provide time for you. You will have to make time to plan the lessons. 

Collaborate

This one is another “buzz” word of the ESL field, and again, you only realize the scope and importance of it when you begin working. 

Multiple levels

Working with students in multiple language proficiency levels and different grade levels is very frequently an ESL teacher’s bread and butter. Learning how to scaffold and to be flexible is very important.

Relationship building

There is a saying: Maslow before Bloom. To put simply, it is important to ensure students feel safe and trust you before you can demand academic performance. Building relationships with your students and your colleagues from the start will pay off in the long run. 

And there you have it. 

What are some of the pieces of advice you would give to a new ESL teacher?

Share with us in the comments below!