My First Year of Teaching

Ms Yan Tsoi Lam, Graduate of BEd(EL) (2020)

In the midst of the pandemic, I entered the teaching profession and became a secondary school English teacher. The transition from “sitting in front of the screen listening passively” to “talking to the screen and waiting for students’ responses” was a bit strange. Though feeling overwhelmed by the huge responsibility as a teacher, I still keep the teachings of my professors in my heart.

Most novice teachers find classroom management a challenge, and I am no exception. Classroom management is about striking a balance between being the teacher authority and the friendly teacher. While I make the class rules clear, I also remind myself to step into students’ shoes to understand why they act in certain ways. Professors at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) have always been approachable and enjoyed discussions with students. Through their actions and words, I experienced how positive student-teacher relationship benefits learning and teaching. Therefore, I try to interact with my students more often so that I know each individual better and hope they have less fear in learning English.

I joined the E-learning Team at school to facilitate students and teachers in integrating e-elements in lessons. E-learning suddenly took the centre stage when the pandemic prevailed. Many students and teachers needed help with attending and conducting online lessons. I was somehow fortunate to have attended online lessons in my last semester at EdUHK, so I had a chance to observe how my professors conducted Zoom classes. I even attended workshops jointly organised by EdUHK and Microsoft to learn how to use MS Teams. I got a pocket full of handy e-tools ready to conduct online lessons myself. I also shared my ideas with colleagues in my English department.

I am grateful that my connection with the EdUHK community continues even after graduation. I was invited by Professor Jackie Lee of the Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies to share with the undergraduate students and primary teachers my experience of creating e-books and using them in the English classroom. It was also an honour to have Dr Michael Leung from the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts to run a workshop for students on using Makey Makey at my school. The first year of teaching has been a bumpy but blessed ride with lovely memories. I look forward to another exciting year!

I am teaching English with my iPad.

Students from my English group give flowers to me at the end of the school year.