What are the “non-negotiables” for you in a working environment?
Politeness: I believe it is important to respect each other and work together to create a nice working atmosphere.

Attention to detail: When you can work with detail-oriented people, you can expect high-quality works that will inspire you to be a better professional.

Adaptability: I personally am one of those who agree with the idea that team members should know how to quickly grow and adapt in order to better perform in an environment where new ideas are developed.

The desire to learn: As I have mentioned before, it is important to be open to new learning experiences in and outside the classroom. Sometimes, we teachers believe we know everything and thus think no necessity for professional improvement is needed. This, in turn, may cause classes to be boring and repetitive since such teaching styles can become outdated.

Transparent Communication Style: To me, it is undeniably important to know the way we should or can communicate with other colleagues at school. By doing so, we can encourage a good work ethic within departments. Strong

Work Ethic: No matter the circumstances, it is always a good thing to stand tall with a real sense of belonging at work. By understanding our workplace as a cornerstone for professional growth, we can take the best out of any situation.

A great attitude: As we know, teaching is not always an easy task. However, it is important to show a positive attitude not only to co-workers but in our professional performance as well.

In what ways might you contribute to the wider school community in an international learning environment?
Teaching, as I have learned so far, always involves a three-phase procedure: teacher’s preparation, classroom teaching, and professional reflection. Understanding the importance of those three elements will allow me to better organize, plan and deliver my lessons. Having said this, please let me share some aspects I consider of great importance in what I think might be my greatest contribution to the wider school community in an international environment.

Preparation: I will divide this into two parts. The first one will focus on my sound knowledge of the language (grammar and vocabulary). The second part, on the other hand, will focus on my external projection as an English teacher (pronunciation). I will always try to improve my grammar and pronunciation knowledge with learning materials such as Practical English in Usage by Michael Swan and How to Teach Pronunciation by Gerard Kelly.

Classroom teaching: This will include lesson planning, class layout, classroom and time management, and student’s rapport. For instance, planning will be designed to have a well-organized and staged lesson activities that can show a sense of progress as they are thought of thoroughly depending on the teaching focus. Additionally, one area I will always have in mind is rapport, as not only would it allow me to better understand my students’ background and the language needs they brought to the classroom but also it would make my lessons more engaging and effective. I will make sure to get to know my students quite well by learning more about them in and outside class. This, in turn, will help me better focus on their needs towards the language.

Professional Reflection: Here I will consider my teaching methods, techniques, and approaches that will best suit the learning process. I would like to continue pursuing more opportunities that could allow me to develop my professional competences. For instance, and as I said before, I would like to do a TESOL master’s program online and a distance DELTA in Colombia to improve my teaching techniques. Finally, one more aspect to be considered is creativity. I have always liked to explore alternative ways of learning and this, eventually, has allowed me to create materials, which I have shared with my students.