ELT News Think Tank

Panelists: Curtis | Marc | Chuck | Chris
Date: January 2006

Topic: "What was the best idea you had in the last year?"

Chuck Sandy

Page 1 | Page 2

At some point I thought I had achieved something remarkable with just this process alone and was quite happy that this idea, sparked by Curtis, had turned out so well. It was then, though, that something even more remarkable began to happen. Students became happy ­ happy with their work, and therefore happier with themselves. As they presented their first projects to the class, I saw them begin to glow with a rightful pride in what they had accomplished. With each success, confidence grew. With this new confidence, based on earlier success, work got even better and happiness flourished. As happiness flourished, absences vanished, tardiness decreased, and work continued to get even better. I began to see an almost mathematical formula at work: a first success led to the next success; that next success increased the likelihood of further success; a further success led to not only more success, but also to an overall happiness and sense of self-worth among students that was beautiful to see.

People began to come early for class and stay late. They helped and encouraged each other. Even I did not want to miss even a moment of one of these classes because something wonderful was happening. I think it began when I got fully involved and started not only modeling, but also working along with my students. I think it got better as we began to see each other more wholly in this light. I know it got even better yet as one success led to another. I’d like to tell you that some student came up to me at the end of the year and told me that being in one of my classes had made her life better, but that didn’t happen. What did happen, though, is that in some marvelous way all of this made my life better and so I was able to pass that on through my students in each of my classes. I fell in love with teaching again, and having done so, am now better prepared to swing the pendulum even a bit further towards the human in the coming year.

Page 1 | Page 2

Panelists: Curtis | Marc | Chuck | Chris

Discuss this topic on our Message Board

Chuck Sandy, Chubu University

Co-author of two series from CUP, Passages and Connect

<<Back Number | Top | Recent Issue>>