I have just finished SIT’s four week TESOL certification program in Guatemala City, and it was a tremendously enriching and rewarding experience.  Coming into this program, I was experienced in education administration and had some classroom experience, but had virtually no experience teaching English to speakers of other languages.  I was looking for a program that would provide me with an introduction to TESOL theory and techniques, as well as opportunities for observed teaching practice with real ESL students.

SIT’s TESOL course provided all this and more.  Throughout the four weeks of this program, I learned classroom strategies and lesson plan frameworks that have prepared me as an educator.  More than this, I had the opportunity to see these techniques modeled by our trainers on a daily basis.  The experience-based learning strategies employed by the course challenged my preconceptions of my role as both a teacher and a student, were personally as well and professionally rewarding.  This training and SIT’s educational philosophy, have been invaluable to me as a learner as well as an individual preparing to enter the field of ESL.

In addition to this, the opportunity to work with ESL students, as a new teacher, was not only incredibly challenging and educational, but emotionally fulfilling.  Working with students allowed me to put strategies into practice in the field as I actually learned them.  The warmth and enthusiasm of my students motivated me to work harder to develop interesting lesson plans.  Observing my peers in their teaching sessions inspired me to utilize new teaching strategies and enhanced my understanding of the principles behind the lesson plans.  Feedback sessions with experienced ESL teachers sharpened my understanding of my own teaching practice.  I found this aspect of the training to be absolutely imperative to my improvement as an instructor.  I am confident that the reflection techniques emphasized in the course will allow me to continue to effectively improve my teaching for years to come.

I was especially impressed by the experience and the professionalism of the SIT trainers in Guatemala.  They were wonderful role models and teachers throughout the course, offering honest and focused critique and support.

In addition to being a wonderful professional experience, the SIT Guatemala program has also been an amazing cultural experience for me.   I traveled from the United States to do my certification in Guatemala because I was seeking an opportunity to improve my Spanish.  The staff at the SIT TESOL Guatemala site thoroughly answered my many questions about the program, and made me feel confident about my decision to travel to Guatemala for this program before I ever left home.  My trainer, German, not only arranged a wonderful homestay for me, but demonstrated warmth and consideration throughout the course, often checking in to ensure that things were going well at home and in the classroom.  My experience with my host family, SIT, and IGA was so overwhelmingly positive that I decided to change my travel plans in Guatemala.  My trainer assisted me in finding a teaching position here in Guatemala where I can continue to develop my teaching and language skills.

Overall, this SIT course has been wonderful.  I have been touched by the warmth of the people I have met through this course, and I feel confident that this course has given me the tools to grow as an educator.  I am looking forward to my first ESL teaching position in Coban, Guatemala and to the opportunity to continue to work with the SIT worldwide community in the future.  I most warmly recommend this program to anyone considering pursuing a career in ESL education.