TEACHER CASE STUDIES

Listen & Learn: Hello, Harshani! Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today! Why don’t you introduce yourself so everyone knows who you are? Tell us about which language you teach and why you chose a career in teaching.
Harshani: Hello! As you said, my name is Harshani, I live in Sri Lanka and I teach Sinhala, my native language. I chose teaching as my profession because it allows me to make a real difference in my students’ lives, which is one of the most satisfying things I’ve done.

Listen & Learn: That’s an amazing reason to be a teacher! Could you tell us how you got started in this field?
Harshani: I have been working as a teacher for 4 years. I started my teaching career as a volunteer when I was in university. I taught children who lived in the poorer areas of my city, and it was a turning point in my career. After that, I completed my university degree and started my career as a graduate teacher.

Listen & Learn: And how did you end up working with Listen & Learn? What attracted you to teach with us?
Harshani: There are many reasons, the main one being flexibility, but I also love how the course coordinators monitor and take care of you every step of the way, coordinating teachers and students very well.

Listen & Learn: It’s amazing that our staff has made you feel so supported! And what is your favorite thing about working with Listen & Learn?
Harshani: The way in which Listen & Learn’s classes are organized makes it easy for me to balance my classes with my day-to-day work. I also love that I get to meet a lot of people from around the world and make the Sinhala language and culture better known.

Listen & Learn: I bet that must be very rewarding! And when you have the chance of taking on a new student, what do you expect from them?
Harshani: I follow a student-centered approach in my lessons. But for this to work, my students have to be engaged in their studies. In this way, it will be easier for them to concentrate and memorize new words in their target language and use them in their daily lives.

Listen & Learn: Engagement is definitely key to learn a language. What do you do to help your students stay engaged?
Harshani: I always try to accommodate my student’s needs and interests to keep them motivated. For example, most of my students want to develop their speaking skills and practice day-to-day conversations. So, I always do my best to help them improve their oral skills in the fastest and easiest way possible.

Listen & Learn: I’m sure your students love that! So far, which has been your most memorable teaching experience with Listen & Learn?
Harshani: Overall, I love that I can meet lots of people from around the world and we can learn about each other’s culture. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to make good friends.

Listen & Learn: Absolutely, having the opportunity of interacting with different cultures from your home is unique! And why should students enroll in a language course with Listen & Learn?
Harshani: Listen & Learn provides good quality services at very reasonable prices. They are also very flexible, which makes it easy to accommodate the classes to your schedule.

Listen & Learn: Thank you for your time, Harshani! Before we conclude, could you share with us a funny moment you ever experienced in your classes?
Harshani: Once I asked one of my youngest students: “why do you want to learn Sinhala?” and he said, "I live in an English-speaking country, so if I learn Sinhala, I can use it as my secret language and no one will understand what I am saying.” I found this amusing and told him to keep on learning languages as they will open a lot of doors for him in the future.