October 5 is Teacher Appreciation Day in Canada, and in over 100 countries globally. To help celebrate teachers and teaching professionals the LYE podcast - Teacher Talking Time - has organized a special two-part series called “Why did you become a teacher?” We interviewed six teachers from different countries and contexts to hear their stories, and celebrate the stories of all educators around the world.

We asked six teachers eight questions over two episodes. We talked about becoming a teacher, remaining a teacher, thinking about leaving teaching, misconceptions of teaching, rewarding experiences, and much more.

The teachers who graciously took part in this mini series are as follows. Please feel free to reach out to them and to support the projects they are working on.

Angela Barone

Angela has been teaching for over six years and now teaches 8th grade Spanish 1 and 7th grade exploratory Spanish in Columbus, Ohio. She also taught abroad in Costa Rica, delivering general and business English courses. In her school district, Angela serves as a diversity liaison, and also runs the “We Are United” club at her school, navigating discussions of race, cultural appropriation, bullying, and more with students. When she’s not teaching, she loves travelling and her cats.

Danny McGee

Danny has been teaching English since 2002. Originally from England, Danny is based in Toronto, Canada and teaches English for Academic Purposes at colleges and universities there. He is an advocate for mindfulness and meditation in pedagogy. He also does private tutoring. Visit his Facebook page @ESLTeacherDanny.

Mandy Welfare

Based in Berlin, Germany, Mandy Welfare specialises in HR English, communications and business English. She has delivered business English and multi-cultural communication training in Germany, Finland, and Spain, and is a Hueber and Cornelsen author. She has a Masters of Education and enjoys volunteering for her local teaching association. Furthermore, she is on the IATEFL BESIG publications team.

Check out all she’s doing on her website: mandywelfare.com

Marina Faquetti

Marina lives and works in Chapecó, Brazil. She runs her own business as an English tutor and translator. Marina started delivering English lessons at the young age of 14, and she has never looked back. A passionate professional, she strives to invoke the love of learning in her students in ways that are meaningful to them. Follow her on Instagram @mamorandini

Matthew Brown

Matthew lives and teaches in Toronto, Canada where he delivers English for Academic Purposes classes at Ryerson University. He has been teaching for over 20 years in a variety of different contexts. When he’s not teaching, Matthew is a graphic novel writer and artist. Check out his Instagram Page (@poopsiepenguin) and his blog “Ambient Zero Comic Book Blog.”

Mostafa Hasrati

Mostafa has been teaching for over 30 years. He received his Ph.D. from King’s College in London and has taught in many countries around the world. He is now based in Toronto, Canada where he is a professor of English, English for Academic Purposes, and Communication Studies in the Centre for Preparatory & Liberal Studies at George Brown College. Mostafa identifies as a researcher, and his most recent article “The rise of non-dissertation track master’s programmes: An academic literacies approach” can be found here.

In Part 2, we ask our instructors the final four questions:

5) What are the challenges of being a teacher? (10:00)

6) What gives you the longevity to keep going and have you ever thought about leaving teaching? (30:00)

7) Are any of the misconceptions about teaching sensitive to you? (46:30)

8) What advice do you have for a teacher starting today, and as well for yourself on your first day? (1:02:00)

As always, thank you for listening. If you like the show, consider subscribing on Spotify, iTunes, or Google Podcasts, and sharing it with a friend. If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com

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