5 Tips for Teaching English in Israel
Hi! Most of my teaching posts are talking truthfully about the teaching situation here in Israel, which is mostly stressful and ridiculous, so I figured I might as well add a post to help my fellow English teachers out during tough times. So here are five useful tips to implement when teaching English in Israel.
#1: Always Be Prepared
I remember my first ever “real” class as a first year teacher. This was a 10th grade class who were at a high level. The school was called Beit Hinuch, which in English means “School of Education,” which yes, is a ridiculous name for a school. Anyway, after two years of doing a masters and fumbling through the teaching hours I was given (small groups of 7th — 9th graders) I had finally landed my first Real Teaching Job. And boy, did I not know what I was doing.
I was taught Lesson Planning and Unit Planning and Worksheet Making and all that in school, but it is way different when you are facing 30+ teenagers in one room.
I gave them some vocabulary and a text to read, and I realized that we have 15 minutes left of class.
What to do? My mind was blank. All that Lesson Planning and Worksheet Making flew out of my head as I realized that you can’t just make a bunch of worksheets on the spot.
So, as a brand-new teacher, I let my class out early. Which not only was a big mistake, but it also caused the students to scream and laugh and make a mess in the halls, which disturbed the other classes still in session.
So, make sure you plan extra worksheets for your class. Every day.
#2 Be Flexible
I am not great at this. Teaching is super stressful in general, with trying to accommodate all students’ needs at once, control the class, and teach the information clearly. And in Israel, there are often last-minute cancellations, classroom changes, or technology malfunctions that even if you planned a perfect lesson, sometimes it just won’t work.
I want to say that any lesson you plan never goes the way you want, but that’s actually not technically true. Some lessons go perfectly and you are happy at the end.
What I do in these situations is take a deep breath and be honest with the students.
“Why are we learning in this student’s dorm room?” you would hear a student ask. (True story.)
“I’m not sure, but we can definitely learn some English in the next 30 minutes,” you can say.
And students are way more flexible than you, so that’s the advantage of youth.
Also, never listen to them when they want to learn outside.
#3 Make Your Lessons Personal
The way I do this is include my student’s names in worksheets. If I am teaching Present Progressive, I have sentences about Gali or Roni running to school and taking the bus, instead of Sally or Tom, like they have in the textbooks.
When giving examples in class, ask students what they think, love, or prefer. This hooks them in (the teacher is taking an interest in me!) and helps them remember specific rules.
I was teaching the poem “The Road Not Taken,” and part of the interpretation of the poem is whether the speaker is happy or regretful at the end. The line, “I shall be telling this with a sigh” can be interpreted in two ways. So the way I taught this, I took two student names and explained:
Shani sighed. She had just eaten pasta, pizza, lasagna, and ice cream for dessert. She is sighing because she feels happiness and is relaxed.
Eli sighed. He forgot to do his homework. He is feeling regret.
Another way I do this is tailoring projects to student’s interests. If you know a student loves sports, have them do a project of writing the rules in English. If a student loves cooking, you can instruct them to write a recipe in English.
The beauty of English is that it connects to each and every subject, and it is very adaptable.
#4 Games are Best
Never underestimate a game for class. As long as you have clear instructions, a game can be very freeing. You no longer need any frontal instruction, and the students are learning in a fun way that will help them remember rules or structures. Games that I use are usually cellphone friendly, such as Quizlet or Kahoot.
There are also a million websites that have grammar games or vocabulary games. A few of my favorites are Wordwall, Gamestolearnenglish, and learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org.
This year, I teach remedial English to students who are struggling in 9th grade. They can’t listen to kid songs or do easy worksheets. So, they say they have to review something they were taught in class and I can pull up a game and have them practice that skill. Not only does it help them review the rules, it also keeps them engaged throughout the whole 45-minute lesson.
#5 Make Sure To Keep Up With Self-Care
I know teaching is time consuming. It’s not like a job that you come in, finish your daily hours, and then you’re home and you’re free. It’s insane how many “after work” hours teachers spend. The new reform in Israel actually does pay for teachers to grade tests and lesson plan, but it is never enough time.
Sometimes, it’s a good excuse to get out of social events if you don’t want to go out. But usually, it’s a feeling of never-ending work, piling up. Learning to prioritize yourself and your feelings is the most important lesson I’ve learned since turning 30. And it’s always okay to leave tasks for the next day. You will figure things out. The students will be okay. It’s not urgent. And you need time to breathe.
Some de-stressing methods I have are taking a break from screens, baking, swimming, petting my animals, journaling, blogging and, well, drinking alcohol. Sometimes you need that shot of whiskey after a long day.
