Online learning has been tough for everyone, with teachers scrambling to adapt their lessons into online modules and students struggling to stay engaged in a remote setup. The usual strategies have not always translated well to the digital world, and it’s been particularly difficult to foster the sense of connection that drives classroom learning.
For Teacher Yveta Sarino, the pandemic definitely threw a wrench in her plans, as she was aspiring to build a teaching career abroad. Yet, she found herself committed to taking ATI’s Advanced TESOL Virtual program, which proved to be an authentic learning experience for her.
Teacher Yveta shares her reasons for deciding to pursue English language teaching and how the program helped her elevate her teaching strategies to a whole new level—even amid the challenges of the online setup.
Turning Challenges Into Opportunities
Teacher Yveta has had her fair share of topics to cover, being an elementary school social studies teacher as well as now an online English teacher. Yet, despite her experiences, she realized that she could still do more and learn more to become an even better educator.
Moreover, she noticed that the demand of English teachers has steadily increased. “There are more students opting to learn English online. And so with that demand, I also pushed through with becoming an English teacher,” she said.
“I needed to find an institution that would help me become a credible English teacher, because I graduated with a different background [in social studies]. Though my course had teacher training, I lacked the content knowledge,” added Teacher Yveta.
And that content knowledge is precisely what ATI’s TESOL program equipped her with, in addition to an internationally recognized certificate that served as strong proof of her professional development and credibility as a teacher.
Even though she had been teaching for some time now, Teacher Yveta admitted that she did not always understand why she was using a particular teaching method. It all felt like a black box to her, and so she could not maximize her teaching without understanding which strategies worked best for what contexts. With ATI’s program, however, she learned how to adjust her teaching approaches according to the needs of the students.
“The sessions discuss the theory, explaining why we teach English through these particular strategies. Because of ATI, I understood how to craft lessons that are appropriate to the level of expertise of my students,” she explained. “It would be more authentic and enjoyable for the learners. Otherwise, if your approach does not match, there would be no connection between the teacher and the students.”
From Different Vantage Points
With ATI’s program, Teacher Yveta found that she could thrive and excel even in the online setup. “It was as if it was not their first year teaching online. The virtual program is really superb, like ATI has been teaching for several years already and there were no problems with transitioning,” she expressed.
As the program not only involved modules on our easy-to-navigate platform but also daily sessions on Zoom, she was able to interact with fellow participants and directly learn from an expert teacher.
“In the zoom sessions, your classmates can share their experiences in teaching—their strategies, knowledge and backgrounds. You learn from that, too, going beyond just the modules,” Teacher Yveta explained. “There's authentic learning that is happening.”
These diverse backgrounds also enriched the group activities, including one project that involved developing lesson plans. This is a particularly important skill for any educator, and interacting with fellow classmates gave Teacher Yveta new ideas on creating effective lesson plans. They were each able to contribute their own ideas and techniques, integrating them into an output that was truly memorable and insightful.
Inspired by these experiences, Teacher Yveta is looking forward to exploring teaching opportunities abroad, whether through remote learning or by eventually moving when the pandemic has let up. With ATI’s certification in her arsenal, she’s also more confident that she has the credentials and the training necessary to adapt to new learning environments.
“I really want to connect to different cultures and improve myself professionally. I want to see students achieve their goals and dreams, helping them realize their capabilities and hone their skills,” she concluded.
Looking for an online program to enhance your English teaching skills? Explore ATI's Advanced TESOL Program and embark on a course designed to help you grow professionally, no matter your background.