Teacher Profile: Lewis Roe
Focus on… Lewis Roe
Welcome to our Teacher Profile series! In these posts we will be profiling our teachers so that you can get to know them a bit better. Comments and additional questions are very welcome!
“Students should hopefully know where they have weaknesses and be ready to ask for help to focus on those. It’s easy to do the things you’re already good at. Learning requires you to get out of your comfort zone for a bit.”
What's your name?
Lewis Roe
How and why did you get into teaching?
For years I had had a travel bug that I needed to itch. I wanted to see the world, learn about it, broaden my mind, and understand other cultures and histories. My work history was a mix of teaching, entertainment roles, and being a source of information for people. I'm good at explaining things, and I like to make things fun.
Getting into teaching English was a perfect way for me to utilise my skills in a role that allowed me to do the things that I wanted to do. I have absolutely loved meeting people from all around the world, and finding out how similar and/or different our cultures are. It has been extremely rewarding to be someone who makes a difference for them as they make their own adventures in English.
Where have you taught?
I have been all across Austria, from Vienna to the Tyrol, teaching in local secondary schools. However, I started teaching EFL in Greenwich, London, where our schools and courses attracted students of various ages from all around the world: Chinese, Russian, Georgian, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Chilean, Brazilian, Polish, to name a few.
What qualifications do you hold?
CELTA
Full Driving Licence
100m Swimming Certificate
Colonel's Club Discount (KFC)
Which subjects do you teach?
Creative Writing – I do it all the time
Drama – I grew up in local theatre and studied it at university
English Literature – books are great
English Language – can't do anything else without it
Film – a passion and again I studied it at university
History – where the best lessons are learned
Philosophy – not enough people are able to use basic logic. Let's change that!
Religious Studies – it's like history and philosophy in one package!
Theology and Apologetics – I was in Ministry Training for over a year
What do you find most fulfilling about teaching?
When students learn something new, they really appreciate it, they love to use it, and they are extremely appreciative. That's magic.
It's fantastic to be someone who can help someone improve their ability.
What is your personal teaching philosophy?
If you can't explain it to a ten year old, you probably haven't understood it yourself.
What’s your top teaching tip?
Keep it stupid, simple. Or something like that.
What's the best way to motivate learners?
Students do best when they care about their subject. If they want to know more, they will get involved, if they're being made to study things they have no interest in, motivation will be low. So if there is a dry topic that simply has to be covered, it's best to find a way to connect it to something more engaging.
What's the most common mistake learners make?
Depends on where they are from. But usually it's not bringing a pen.
What should learners focus on in the classroom?
Students should hopefully know where they have weaknesses and be ready to ask for help to focus on those. It's easy to do the things you're already good at. Learning requires you to get out of your comfort zone for a bit.
What couldn't you live without in the classroom?
Air.
What the best thing about FoL?
Too hard to choose, so I'll bundle some together so they look like one thing: Diverse, passionate teachers who have talent and interest in various important and fascinating subjects.
