What student profiles come to mind when you think about teaching English? by Thamily Zardini

2025-08-04 17:28:06 UTC

Middle-class, teens who are there because of their parents, adults who always had "learn english" as a dream

2025-08-04 17:29:11 UTC

People from different scenarios, different social realities, different skin colors, and different political beliefs. Young adults, adults and elderly people.

2025-08-04 17:30:56 UTC

My students profiles are very diverse. Different races, genders, social class… most of them are young… they are usually in their 20s. Most of my students work and really make an effort to finish the course (because they have many things to deal with at the same time).

2025-08-04 17:32:46 UTC

Working opportunities, education opportunities, traveling interest and personal development.

Most part of my students are white, they work in big companies and have a pretty steady financial life.

All of them have a graduation degree or are studying at the moment.

2025-08-04 17:32:46 UTC

Back in my hometown, I used to teach in one private English Course (there was only two). There, 95% of my students were upper-class, white and were part of the same social group (study/work together). Nowadays, that changed a little. I don’t know if that happened because now I work in a more “accessible” course or it is because the city is bigger.

2025-08-04 17:33:30 UTC

My students are usually white, middle-class adults. The book I use shows different nationalities, races, cultures and accents. But considering a Brazilian context, it should include more Brazilian identities so students can relate to the examples and audios.

2025-08-04 17:34:30 UTC

I think of students with different backgrounds and realities: children and teenagers whose parents want them to learn the language, teenagers who want to go on an exchange program, adults who study between daily tasks, and even seniors who see the language as a way to stay active. Each student brings a unique motivation.

2025-08-04 17:35:52 UTC

kids from middle/upper class. generally white. which is different from my reality.

2025-08-04 17:38:23 UTC

Low-class teenagers study in one school, and middle-class teenagers in another. The middle-class teenagers are mostly white and have experiences in other countries, they are there because their parents want them to. The low-class teenagers are of different races and come from very different backgrounds, and most of them want to learn the language to have a better future.

2025-08-04 17:45:55 UTC

I actually have a very mixed class, with different ages and views and opinions . When I think about teaching English, I imagine different student profiles, I also have some students like, that one who have the confident speak, who enjoys participating, and then we have the quiet thinker who we needs to encourage. I also remember to had a student who was a very grammar-focused learner, who valued the rules and structure, what came to surprised me, because most of my students that I actually had, didn't like grammar too much. Well, I think the curious student motivated by global connections, travels, new experiences it's also common, and then that learner struggling with confidence, who we have to also encourage, and we have the multilingual student with strong personality, who brings differents topics, opinions and different perspectives to the class. But the thing is that they share everything between them, experience or opinions or views. But this scared me in the first because I've never had a mixed class before. My own identity also plays a key role in how I teach, because, well, I think I can empathize with my students’ challenges because I'm kind like them. My cultural background shapes the examples I use and how I approach communication, because I use to use my own experiences sometimes, my educational experiences, and this kind influence my teaching style, since I am still improving, but I also have my personal values.