I have been teaching English in Naples for the last few years, working with private students and small groups online. I love teaching, and my students give me good feedback, but I always felt like an "unofficial" teacher. I was teaching based on intuition, on how I learned languages at school, and on YouTube videos about teaching. I did not have a solid methodology to support my decisions.When a student asked me, "Why do we say I have been to Rome and not I have gone to Rome?" I would answer, but I was not confident that my explanation of form, meaning, and use was accurate or clear. I wanted to stop improvising and start teaching with professional confidence. For me, CERTEFL was the opportunity to validate my experience, fill the gaps in my knowledge, and be able to say: I am a qualified EFL teacher, not just an English speaker who teaches.The second motivation is for my students.This is the most important one. I teach adults who are making a big effort. They work all day and then connect to my class at 8 pm. Some need English to get a promotion, others to help their kids with homework, others because they dream of moving abroad. Their motivation is high, and I felt my lessons were not always respecting that effort.I was giving them long grammar explanations because I thought that was helpful, but I could see they were bored and not speaking. I was correcting every single mistake, thinking I was being thorough, but I was actually making them afraid to speak. I joined CERTEFL because I wanted to learn how to be more learner-centred. I wanted to learn how to create contexts that make language memorable, how to use CCQs to really check understanding, how to differentiate for mixed abilities, and how to give feedback that builds fluency, not fear. My motivation is to become the teacher they deserve.The third motivation is personal growth.I am Italian, and English was not my first language either. I remember the feeling of being in a class where the teacher only spoke to the best students, where I was too shy to ask a question. I don't want any student in my class to feel that way.Taking this course was a way to challenge myself. Studying again, writing reflective essays, planning lessons that are observed and assessed, being a student again — it reminded me what it feels like to be a learner. That empathy is crucial. It has made me more patient and more inclusive.So, my motivation was not just a piece of paper. It was to transform my teaching from intuitive to intentional, to honor my students' time and dreams, and to grow as both a teacher and a learner.
I have been teaching English in Naples for the last few years, working with private students and small groups online. I love teaching, and my students give me good feedback, but I always felt like an "unofficial" teacher. I was teaching based on intuition, on how I learned languages at school, and on YouTube videos about teaching. I did not have a solid methodology to support my decisions.When a student asked me, "Why do we say I have been to Rome and not I have gone to Rome?" I would answer, but I was not confident that my explanation of form, meaning, and use was accurate or clear. I wanted to stop improvising and start teaching with professional confidence. For me, CERTEFL was the opportunity to validate my experience, fill the gaps in my knowledge, and be able to say: I am a qualified EFL teacher, not just an English speaker who teaches.The second motivation is for my students.This is the most important one. I teach adults who are making a big effort. They work all day and then connect to my class at 8 pm. Some need English to get a promotion, others to help their kids with homework, others because they dream of moving abroad. Their motivation is high, and I felt my lessons were not always respecting that effort.I was giving them long grammar explanations because I thought that was helpful, but I could see they were bored and not speaking. I was correcting every single mistake, thinking I was being thorough, but I was actually making them afraid to speak. I joined CERTEFL because I wanted to learn how to be more learner-centred. I wanted to learn how to create contexts that make language memorable, how to use CCQs to really check understanding, how to differentiate for mixed abilities, and how to give feedback that builds fluency, not fear. My motivation is to become the teacher they deserve.The third motivation is personal growth.I am Italian, and English was not my first language either. I remember the feeling of being in a class where the teacher only spoke to the best students, where I was too shy to ask a question. I don't want any student in my class to feel that way.Taking this course was a way to challenge myself. Studying again, writing reflective essays, planning lessons that are observed and assessed, being a student again — it reminded me what it feels like to be a learner. That empathy is crucial. It has made me more patient and more inclusive.So, my motivation was not just a piece of paper. It was to transform my teaching from intuitive to intentional, to honor my students' time and dreams, and to grow as both a teacher and a learner.
