This interview is with a long-term high-school English teacher, mentor and radio broadcast provider Irina Apoyan.
You are a great motivator and manage to inspire and encourage even the most unmotivated students and put your heart and soul into your classes. You are also very experienced and knowledgeable. No wonder a number of your students have applied to various programs and have won different competitions, to say nothing of university entrants.
It is a great honor for me to be chosen for this project to be interviewed. Thanks for your words and appreciation. I haven’t even supposed that I have that much popularity among students.
I think the first reason is the fact that all students both excellent and mediocre feel that I do my job with the greatest pleasure. I have always wanted to be a teacher and I am sure it is my inborn talent. Since childhood I have practiced myself as a teacher, I made up assignments, organized some imaginary trips, tried to be their friend rather than a teacher. And today I am at the right place doing my favorite job.
How do you account for your immense popularity with the students? Even if the classes are online that day, your students are impatient to come to school for face-to face learning. You are also the most caring person during school trips. You are sometimes even more attentive than the students‘ parents, providing all kind of support to them, including provision of different medicament. Not only the students but also the graduates do have fond memories regarding their school trips. The memories are sometimes so dear and exciting that they bring tears to their eyes.
Oh, You know I am a very sensitive person and take everything too close to my heart. After each trip when students share their impressions and memories I can reread them several times, when they remember something from the trips sometimes tears burst into my eyes too. I am very responsible and a little bit even sometimes extra scaremonger.
Memories create bonds between students and teachers. A great teacher is warm, accessible, enthusiastic, and caring. … This is the teacher to whom students know they can go with any problems or concerns or even share a funny story. Great teachers possess good listening skills and take time out of their way-too-busy schedules for anyone who needs them. May be I am too inquiring but sometimes I easily interpret the feelings and thoughts of other people.
We like Surhandak (the courier) radio program you currently conduct. Will you tell us about it?
Some 3 or four years ago when I came to high school each school had its own radio,
Hasmik Ghazarysn conducted Surhandak radio. Once she offered me to prepare a radio program together and I agreed. It meant learning new skills and editing programs. I was truly impressed by it and then I started to organize broadcasting myself, of course, under the watchful eye of Ms. Hasmik. Until now we work on this project together. Of course, it isn’t an easy task as you know our fast-moving and growing educational complex, we always host guests and organize events and all this should be broadcast. It takes much time but when you do something with pleasure time flies, moreover when you have listeners or you find your name in Mr. Bleyan diary it gives you extra wings.
Congratulations for participating in a TESOL/TEFL certification course and receiving a certificate. What does the certificate mean for you?
Thanks for the congratulations. Frankly speaking, I didn’t want to waste my free time in summer and decided to self-educate and take part in an interesting online course. I got a notification on my Facebook, read the reviews and wanted to have this certificate even though the course cost $34. Before getting started, it’s a good idea to really get to grips with what TESOL/TEFL is, what it involves. TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
I have been teaching English for more than 11 years and I was keen on exploring new skills and methods in teaching. Surprisingly enough, the methods and skills viewed here were very familiar and we use them in our teaching process. I just think that you never know what future holds for you and why not take a chance and get it. Here truly are a lot of possibilities with teaching English. Whether you’re looking for an exciting experience, a long-term job, or a springboard to a new career, there are plenty of opportunities out there. All in all, it was very interesting and it took me a week to finish the course.
Thank you.
Below are some student’s opinions on Irina Apoyan
If nobody’s got me, I know Ms. Irina’s got me.
Ani Davidian, 12th grader
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward
I came around this quote recently, and I think this as well might serve to describe Miss Irina. Her classes don’t go like the know standard classes do, but they’re always fun and exciting and very educational. She listens to her students, makes room for creativity and uniqueness, and that’s what makes the students of her group be eager to learn, inspires them to speak up and makes them excited about the next class and then, the next one after, and so on and on…”
Maria Movsisyan, 11th grader
1. Kind, generous and understanding, that’s how I’d describe Ms. Irina.
Nika Poghosyan, 12th grader
2. We need more teachers like Ms. Irina, as she is a very smart, patient and straightforward person.
3. How she treats all students and how carefully and accurately she solves all problems, motivates me to be kinder and more attentive person.
Ms. Irina is one of the reasons why school is still entertaining.
Azat Karapetyan, 11th grader
Ms. Irina is one of my favorite teachers. She knows how to teach us. I like her teaching methods.
Anahit Hovsepyan, 9th grader
The interview was conducted within the framework of “People who inspire us” project by 11th grader Gayane Poghosyan
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