Faces of Na’atik: Georgia, English Teacher

One of the things that makes Na’atik special is our incredible team of teachers. We have been lucky enough to welcome teachers from all over the world and give our local students the opportunity to learn about their cultures and experiences. It also exposes them to different accents and even ways of speaking English, helping them to communicate with people regardless of their background.

This month we talked with Georgia, an English teacher from the UK, who joined us at the start of 2023 to work with our growing number of young learner classes. She will be with us through to the end of the academic year.

Why did you decide to become a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Teacher?

Originally, I saw myself as more of a traveller, and only decided to teach as a way to make travelling the world possible. Despite most of my family being teachers, I wanted to avoid it as a long-term career. That changed once I started working with students in the classroom. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, and now I can’t really see myself being anything other than a teacher, whether that is abroad or back home in England.

Where have you taught before Na’atik?

I taught in South Korea for one year, and did two more years in Vietnam. I then decided that I wanted to learn a language while I was teaching and felt like Spanish would be easier to learn than any of the Asian languages, so I came to the Americas and taught in Ecuador for a year before coming to Mexico.

How did you find living and working in Ecuador?

I loved my time there. The people were really nice, and it was very easy to make friends. The location was also great, up in the Andes mountains and only two hours from the Amazon. The biggest downside was the food, which was relatively bland after my time in Asia.

Why did you decide to come to Mexico and teach at Na’atik?

I began looking at teaching in Mexico because I wanted to see another part of Latin America, and I felt it would be more of a relaxing atmosphere. I also wanted to continue learning Spanish.

I was attracted to Na’atik because it looked like a very different kind of school to where I have worked in the past. After working for top-down profit-making schools, the idea of working at a community-focused nonprofit and providing education to children who normally wouldn’t be able to afford English classes really appealed to me.

Has teaching at Na’atik been as different as you expected?

If anything, it has been even more different. Class sizes here are much smaller and I have time to prepare and focus on each class individually. Because the focus is on learning the language rather than ticking boxes or passing a specific exam, I am able to slow down and really ensure the students have grasped a concept before progressing. Being able to spend more time with each student is also great. Having the freedom to innovate in the classroom and to teach rather than follow a set plan has also helped me improve as a teacher.

How have you found living in Carrillo?

Well, the biggest challenge has been the heat. Although I knew it would be hot before coming here, and I had worked in warm climates before, I still wasn’t quite prepared for how warm and humid it is! I have really enjoyed being in the town though. It helps that Na’atik has a great team who are all working together towards the same goals and that provides a real sense of community. Having a job that is fun to go to is really important in a place that can be almost too relaxed at times!

What is your favorite part about teaching your classes?

I really enjoy working with the children on projects that we can display on the classroom walls. They take a lot of pride in this work and are always pointing out their own pieces to their friends and classmates. My classes also really love learning through song, which I always enjoy and it can be a lot of fun.

What is the most challenging part?

I have always found classroom management to be the hardest part of teaching, particularly if you have one or two students who are not as engaged as the rest of the class. This was more of an issue in Asia though, where my classes could be as big as 50 students. With short classes and high student numbers it can be impossible to build a rapport with the students and understand their specific needs. This is less of a problem here as the classes at Na’atik are a lot smaller. I do sometimes find that I have to work hard to ensure that the younger students stay engaged over a long 90-minute lesson.

Is there anything you would like to be able to do with your classes that you have not been able to?

I would like to do more activities outside of the classroom and give the students more real-life opportunities to learn and practice. I know that this is something Na’atik is looking to do more of in the future, and hopefully now the school has its own vehicle, we can start to offer  these kinds of activities.

What is it about Na’atik that makes it so special?

I think the way everyone is involved in the project and works together as a team, rather than being separated into management and teams or into different departments. It means we all see how the school’s mission comes from a place of caring about the community and can see how what we are doing everyday contributes to that mission.

What are your plans for the future?

I am looking at experiencing living and teaching in some more countries. I would love to spend some more time teaching in South America, perhaps in Argentina or Colombia. I am also looking at returning to Asia due to the number of opportunities there. I will probably return to the UK first though and spend some time with family, as it has been a long time since I have seen them!

Georgia and one of her classes enjoying Children’s Day activities

It has been great having Georgia here at Na’atik as part of the team and we hope she enjoys the rest of the year here in Carrillo and returns to visit us at the school in the future!

To read more about our English language program, and how we support local students on their educational journeys, visit our Impact page. Every immersion and online Spanish or Maya course booked with Na’atik helps us to deliver these life changing programs. To find out how you can learn a language while helping us to empower local students, check out our Spanish and Maya pages or contact us say@naatikmexico.org