by Fatma Çelik, METU FLE 2012
Hi, everyone! 
I am writing my experiences as a MEB teacher working in a remote town in Eastern Turkey. Many thanks to Dear Yasemin Hoca for giving me this chance.
Actually, it is quite difficult for me to be here after METU. I am still having adaptation problems. Every day I wake up at 6.00 a.m., go 30 kilometers to school and come back at 3.00 p.m. Most of the times, we are late because snow closes the roads. The school is cold and the classes are crowded. Apart from physical problems, there are many things I want to share.
Since the first day of the school, I have had many problems in terms of English teaching. At the beginning, there were just three teachers including me. All of us have had some kind of experience before, however, there were two- hundred-fifty students in front of us. I tried to teach English in a mixed class of ninety- seven students for a month. They were 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th graders and they did not know anything in English and even in Turkish. I started to teach basic things like colors, numbers, animals, clothes, food, greetings, etc. Meanwhile, students were as confused as me because I was the first English teacher they had ever seen. While I was speaking English, they were speaking their mother tongue, Kurdish. I was crying everyday.
After other teachers came, we separated classes but this time, the book was too difficult for my students. So, I simplified the book by preparing texts on colorful cards, role plays of the dialogs. I brought board games, jigsaw activities, find someone who’s and even singing English songs competitions among classes in addition to distributing chocolates, candies and books to motivate them. It worked and it still works in some classes. I generally use communicative and interactive activities apart from 8 graders. They asked me to write the structure on the board as it is easier for them. So, I do as they want because they study for SBS and I need to teach many subjects as quickly as possible and there are still many things to do. Another problem of mine is that I cannot speak English throughout the whole lesson. Even if I do so, I repeat it in Turkish. I have students who do not know how to read and I am giving instruction in English. Can you imagine?
On the other hand, I am not helped by the principal and my colleagues. They always tell me not to bore myself to teach English because it won’t work and I won’t be an idealist teacher in a few years. When I embellished Christmas tree to teach future tense to 6 graders, our principle accused me as an unreligious and even as a çapulcu graduated from METU. However, I feel better now because I do what I find right and I do not care about what others think.
Another problem is “boys”. Most of them insult girls in classes and they do not want to sit together. Some of the girls are not sent to school after primary school because they are married by their families for money. One day, when I asked my 6th grader girl, “why do you always sleep?”, she said that she had to wake up at 5.00 a.m. and walk two villages to feed goats and cows. She came back to school after that. Moreover, she is not alone. Most of the girls are in the same situation. English and school are not their first- place problems. I don’t want to discriminate but boys, on the other hand, are always motivated to become “great man”.
Sometimes I feel desperate but there is nothing unattainable. Thank you.
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