Abstract:

Being a teacher, and especially being a language teacher can be quite a challenging job in Turkey. Educational policies may change frequently and/or quite unexpectedly. Appointments to positions may be postponed several times. Administrative staff may be replaced with overnight decisions. Independent of where a teacher is employed (primary, middle, tertiary levels, or others), problems and sources of stress can be numerous in these contexts. So how are teachers to overcome these difficulties and not only survive but also lead a professional life where they find themselves teaching with zest? In this talk, I will first elaborate on causes for lack of zest in the profession according to certain teacher profiles as mentioned in the literature, and then propose some mechanisms to cope with such adversities in an effort to pave the way for teaching with zest. I will conclude by highlighting the interconnectedness between teaching with zest and living with zest.

Keywords:

Language teaching, challenges, higher education, teaching with zest.