Teaching in Malta

             

                 Precious Moment at Cara’s

 

 

“If you choose to be a teacher, from your students you’ll be taught.”-----from the musical  The King and I

 

I’ve been telling you how I’ve been totally frustrated with the EFL business here, and how difficult it is to get a permit to be a freelance teacher—and all that.

Tonight I went to dinner with one of my students from back in my CELTA days—which was less than two months ago.  She’s from South Korea, she’s 22 and she was thrilled to be with a teacher outside the classroom.  We’ve run into each other several times since the CELTA class.

Over some egg salad sandwiches at Cara’s, she took out a little sachet which held some small cloth objects the size and shape of dice, but made out of fabric with little beads in them like the kind you find in a pin cushion.  There were Korean letters on them, and she told me that when she left for Malta, her friend gave it to her for luck.  It is, in fact, a type of lucky charm from Korea. 

Her friend told her that this would indeed bring her luck in learning English—and that she would find a wonderful English-speaking friend from it.

“And it came true,” she said, “because I found you.  It’s been a privilege to have you as my teacher.”

She then handed the sachet over to me and told me she wanted me to have it—and that it would bring me luck in being an English teacher.

I don’t think that all  the qualifications I have—or all the years of experience I may acquire—will prepare me better for teaching than this little sachet I will keep forever.

 

Comments

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Hi Dee, no, they use British spelling here. I look like a bad speller!--Ilene

[Dee Owen]

What a great student! And a great gift! Yum, egg salad sandwiches, my favorite (American spelling!) On that subject...do they use English spelling in Malta?