The 4 P's of ENL

Developed over one of our faculty training sessions, the 4Ps of ENL are four simple values that we try to keep in mind in all of our classes. On days when we're feeling our best and on days when we wake up on the wrong side of the bed, they are reminders that each student is worth every bit of our time and effort, that everyday is an opportunity for growth, and that learning is rewarding and beautiful process.

Here is a closer look at them, as explained by some of our teachers.

Patience

According to a quote by Ann Lieberman, “Great teachers empathize with kids, respect them, and believe that each one has something special that can be built upon.” As a teacher, I always have to be patient with my students, especially the little ones. I take my time to get to know them and learn their quirks. Knowing what they love and how they understand helps me become a better educator for them. - T. Coleen

Persistence

Persistence is one of the qualities that ENL teachers possess. This has been tested and is evident in the course of time that teachers engage themselves in teaching and helping the students develop their skills in the target language. Learning a language is a skill that is developed differently among the students. Hence, setting and achieving a goal for each of them is a tough job. Personally, teaching various students from different levels is definitely challenging. Being persistent is being patient at the same time. Patience in the process and progress is necessary. Sometimes, you don’t see the result early on in some, but others seem to be fast learners. It varies; and it also depends on the teaching strategies that engage the students in the discussion. Furthermore, this should fit the students’ learning styles. Thus, it may take time, but with the right attitude and persistence, the learners will definitely achieve the goals set before them. - T. Ruth

Perseverance

Teaching can be challenging as it requires resilience and perseverance. Over the years, I have learned that successful teachers try and try again. Teaching students from multicultural backgrounds always pose challenges which a teacher must wrestle with, knowing that struggle creates opportunities for growth. To meet the needs of diverse students, a teacher should build up a repertoire of teaching strategies to try and experiment with. Moreover, I think that teaching is a lifelong process of reflecting on your struggles until you improve. - T. Mary

Passion

Teaching is not just transferring knowledge; it requires emotion. As ENL teachers, we do not just teach the mind. We also touch hearts. This line might sound cliché but it’s true that you cannot give what you do not have. We can’t force our students to love learning if we don’t show that we love teaching them. We can’t instill that they should be more interested every time we meet them if we ourselves have already lost interest.

Intelligence and expertise in the field is something, but the attitude towards it is something else. Having passion in teaching gives us energy to wake up and meet our learners everyday with a smile. It allows us to have that strong enthusiasm to think of new strategies to engage them and meet their needs. It also gives us the strength in whatever challenges we face as ENL teachers who encounter and meet learners with different nationalities, age, learning styles, and educational needs. - T. Loisa