Expanish TEFL Blog
Keeping Away the English Lesson Winter Blues
It is almost winter in Buenos Aires, obvious in the dark mornings and even darker afternoons, chilly day air and even chillier night area, and those short but heavy rain that come out of nowhere. The first few weeks of winter can dampen anyone spirits, so just make sure not to let it dampen your teaching spirits or the spirits of your students!
It is known, on occasion, that when one wakes up to rainy cold weather, that one would prefer to stay in bed, head under the covers, until it all passes. Although there are no real stated statistics, winter is the season where more employees show up late to work, there are more work cancellations, and a lack of motivation all around. Teaching English in Buenos Aires will introduce you to a pattern of class cancellations due to ‘sickness’, ‘slept in too late’, its ‘raining’, ‘don’t feel like it’, and ‘ silence’, meaning a no-show. Students, during the winter months, often have a harder time feeling motivated to leave the house and travel when the weather is less than desirable and need a little bit of encouragement.
Here’s how:
Set rules with your students about cancellations. Such as, if a student cancels 48 hours in advance, there is no penalty, 24 hours they must pay for half the class, and less than 24 hours they must pay for the full class.
Change up the scenery. If a student comes to your chosen place and seems unmotivated to do so, try to change it up by offering to go to the students chosen place one class and your chosen place the next.
Set up more lively classes. Studying at 5pm in the winter can make anyone sleepy, so try to incorporate some more lively activities or games into your classes. Keep it fresh!
