Testimonianze Insegnanti HDEE

"Tutti sappiamo quanto sia fondamentale oggi giorno poter comunicare in inglese!  Quante volte rimaniamo estasiati, con  una punta di invidia, quando sentiamo parlare di bambini o persone che sono bilingue, trilingue, ecc  fin dalla più tenera infanzia.   Allo stesso modo,  sappiamo purtroppo quanto, ancora oggi,  i nostri figli partano svantaggiati rispetto alla realtà esistente in molti altri paesi per quanto riguarda l’insegnamento della lingua inglese come lingua straniera.

Ho sentito parlare per la prima volta del metodo Helen Doron nel 2005, quando il Learning Centre di Arezzo, il primo in Italia, decise di organizzare dei corsi di inglese per bambini in “communities” della stessa provincia.  Decise di cogliere al volo quest’occasione per iscrivervi mia figlia che, a 12 anni oggi, continua tuttora il percorso iniziato con lo stesso metodo.   Già allora, avevo avuto la possibilità, in qualità di mamma, di valutare ed approvare il metodo apprezzato dai bambini stessi che si ritrovavano ogni settimana con voglia e gioia per imparare l’inglese “giocando”.  I risultati ottenuti rispetto ai coetanei sono evidenti, in particolar modo nell’espressione orale.  I bambini vengono portati naturalmente a comunicare in una lingua straniera in modo spontaneo, giocoso e divertente ma soprattutto senza fatica! 

Questo primo impatto, positivo come genitore, mi ha in seguito portato nel 2006 ad iscrivermi ad un Training (Teacher Training Course) intensivo di una settimana per diventare un insegnante HDEE:  un esperienza interessante e stimolante che da un lato mi ha insegnato il metodo, unico nel suo genere e dall’altro, ha risvegliato o fatto scoprire doti dimenticate che non sapevo nemmeno di avere.  Ricordo ancora come la nostra Teacher Monika, di nazionalità polacca,  ci fece capire come fosse possibile e semplice insegnare una lingua sconosciuta in modo naturale:   semplicemente,  proponendoci una lezione dimostrativa in polacco !

Attualmente, sono responsabile di vari gruppi di bambini dai 6 mesi ai 12 anni.  Ogni fascia di età richiede un'approccio diverso, materiali diversi, idee diverse... Tutti aspetti che richiedono un rinnovamento continuo.  Un requisito fondamentale è senza alcun dubbio l’amore per i bambini che unito alla creatività di ogni insegnante rendono questo lavoro gratificante. Abbiamo la fortuna di poter contribuire alla loro crescita con la nostra energia ed il nostro insegnamento. Il metodo HDEE non è un semplice corso di inglese ma è molto di più! Non insegniamo soltanto a l'inglese ai bambini  ma gli aiutiamo a convivere tra coetanei, gli aiutiamo a stimolare la loro immaginazione… gli aiutiamo a crescere."

Pilar Puertolas Garcia  (Arezzo - Italy)

"Essere una Helen Doron teacher è sicuramente un privilegio per me. Mi ha cresciuta tantissimo ed è incredibile come ti faccia vivere la quotidianità con una luce diversa. Ogni sera, quando torno a casa, non ho mai abbastanza tempo per poter raccontare tutti i progressi che fanno i bimbi, le loro splendide "performance" e la gioia che ti donano.Posso di certo affermare che mi sento pienamente gratificata da questo lavoro."

Valentina Gepponi  (Arezzo - Italy)

"Dopo aver insegnato inglese agli adulti stavo cercando un nuovo stimolo per continuare la mia professione d’insegnante di lingua. Quando sono venuta a conoscenza che anche nella mia citta’ esiste una scuola HD ho subito preso contatti per entrare a fare parte di questa eccezionale realta’, fiduciosa che questa sarebbe stata la strada da intraprendere.

Dopo un training intensivo ed altrettanto interessante sono entrata e far parte di questo validissimo team, cosa di cui sono molto orgogliosa. Ci sono molti aspetti che amo del metodo HD. Gli insegnanti sono molto preparati e sempre pronti a dispensare consigli e scambiare pareri sulle attivita’ da proporre ai nostri studenti.

Ci unisce la nostra passione per i bambini e l’obiettivo  di trasmettere loro la nostra conoscenza della lingua nel modo piu’ efficace. La nostra e’ una vera e propria  vocazione. Lavorare con questo metodo e’ un’esperienza stimolante che ci sprona a migliorarci costantemente.  I bambini apprendono in modo molto spontaneo e ogni lezione viene percepita come momento giocoso. Vedere il loro progresso così rapido e percepire quali saranno le loro potenzialita’ future sono le soddisfazioni piu’grandi. Crescere la generazione del domani e’ una cosa meravigliosa, parola d’insegnante!"

"Before Helen Doron Early English, I had a good job - high salary, only worked until 2 pm. Sounds great? Well maybe, but I wasn't satisfied. I wanted more and I needed a change. I've always been good with children and they seemed to like me. I'd heard of Helen Doron Early English (HDEE) and it sounded like a good idea. It was just never the right time to do the course. I'd be starting a new job or pregnant...

Finally, I did the course in March '98. I really enjoyed the course and I received SO MUCH from Henrietta (my teacher trainer!). By the end of that week, not only had I a new profession, I'd made some very nice new friends. I finished the course on Friday and already on Sunday evening I was at my daughter's kindergarten's Parents Evening talking about HDEE like a real professional! The parents were impressed.

One telephone call led to another and one recommendation to the next; in no time at all I had 4 groups going. Soon a kindergarten teacher called asking if I'd be interested in doing English lessons at her kindergarten. From there, I decided to send out information packs to several Kindergartens in Holon. I got a good response. I've also been contacted by a nearby Community Centre and next week, I start there too!

I'm very enthusiastic about HDEE and this comes across in the demo lessons and parent evenings. Also, parents are becoming aware of how important it is to introduce a second language at such an early age.

I put a lot of thought into each lesson. There's a lot of planning, and some of our greatest ideas are a flunk with the kids. We learn from them too. My children are small; my baby will be 12 months soon, so I can choose the hours I want to work for now and spend more time with them. Presently, I work 3 days a week: I have 6 groups at home, 6 kindergartens, and a Community Centre - about 13 hours total. Soon I hope to add a little more. I really enjoy my work. I get a lot of satisfaction, especially from the small children, and I earn good money whilst I'm at it!! Double my previous 'high salary' and less than half the hours! Thank you Helen Doron."

Marie Biton - Holon, Israel

"The necessity of learning the English language is becoming important for the future. This is especially true for our children who will live in a more interconnected and globalised world where English will a key language for international communication. Many times, it is difficult to find appropriate language learning programs for children in foreign countries where they can get a head start on mastering the English language. I joined the network of Helen Doron Teachers initially in search of a unique, easy and successful method that "really" works for teaching English to infants and children. I am an English native speaker living in Germany married to a German man. Our son is growing up in a bilingual environment so I became interested in early language development for this simple fact. I too also grow up overseas in Panama and was exposed at an early age to Spanish. Therefore, I am a strong believer in training children a second language as their mother tongue.

Working as a HDEE teacher is only advantageous as the HDEE courses continue to expand across the globe. As a teacher, one can virtually work anywhere in the world where English is in demand. It offers the opportunity to have a flexible job where one can really excel, undertake a another career path or combine teaching HDEE with a career, reaching out to the local community, and meeting international parents and children. I highly recommend the HDEE method and am delighted to be part of a professional, motivated and innovative group of teachers."

Eileen Petzold-Bradley - Berlin, Germany

"At the age of nine I suffered under boring, uninteresting and non-motivating English lessons at school. Luckily my parents sent me to England where I experienced a completely different way of learning the language. I lost my heart not only to the country but years later to a nice young English gentleman who became my husband.

It was clear to us that when we had children, we would bring them up bilingually. This worked extremely well and, although neither of them has ever lived in England, they never show hesitation or even fear in using the language.

When I was introduced to the HDEE method I found that, after comparing it to other new ways of teaching the language, it is definitely the nearest you can get to learning the language as mother-tongue: it is fun, hands-on, motivating, quick with results, rewarding for children and parents likewise and yet so easy to handle!

Thank you!"

Claudia Schöneich-Argent, Ratingen, Germany

"I've been teaching with Helen Doron Early English (HDEE) for seven years now. I started when my own children were 3, 5 and 8 years old. I loved being a full-time mom but was ready for something else to do where I could use the skills I already had. I definitely wanted to stay home with my boys so a full-time employment was out of the question. I love children, love to sing and, being married to an American, my English is fluent. A friend introduced me to HDEE - the prayer for the perfect job seemed to have been answered! Looking back I must say I have not regretted a single moment of teaching children of all ages. I love the variety - not having to decide on only kindergarten - or only schoolchildren! I love teaching English but what I love especially is the way I can encourage children, uplift them and instil a joy for learning within them that I hope will last them a long time if not forever! As far as my own children are concerned I am grateful I can be home almost every afternoon (I teach at home, only on some mornings I go to kindergartens) so I have a pretty good overview of what they are doing, who they spend their time with, how much they study, etc. I never wanted to neglect my children in order to pursue a career - and with the HDEE-method of teaching I don't have to. Thank you for this opportunity!"

Sabine Hayes - Vienna, Austria

In August 2004, my colleagues and I came prepared for five days of intensive training with Helen Doron Early English. We expected that the training would be fun and exciting, as we had to work with many new friends on a variety of creative prop assignments for the children. What we didn't come prepared for was the energy and vitality, of our lovely trainer from Israel, exuded in everything she touched, said and did. As we sat together in class, all of us pretended we were little children while the demos were carried on one by one. Each day of training sped by when the room was filled with laughter and joy. And amidst all that play and fun, I was full of dreams and hopes and anything that I had ever wanted to do - to be - was possible because I was five all over again. Helen Doron was not just about learning English after all. In fact, I came to learn that Helen Doron was about an organizational culture, integrity and a value, the essence in which many teachers and trainers in many countries believed. So much that the reason so many students have successfully been able to learn English is because of the teachers who have the utmost faith and confidence that they can. I was aware that Helen Doron was an English language school for children, but what I wasn't aware of at the time, was how different. By the end of the five days training, I realized that it is not just Helen's approach of total immersion and daily repetition that helps the children to learn English as their native languages, it is this faith and the active encouragement of the teachers and the parents that lie in the very central core of Helen Doron's success. English is not forced or taught by rote, it is natural, fun and it is everywhere. The children are able to pick up the positive vibes from Helen Doron schools and that translates into motivation and thirst for knowledge, extending beyond English and extending beyond the classroom for all years ahead. What I and my six other fellow teachers who attended the training received by the end of the Training, was a chance to remember what it was like to be young, to be full of hopes and dreams. I completed the training and felt that there is still a whole world ahead of me, that there is so much yet to be learnt and to be seen, that with the right encouragement, there is no need to ever give up.

To everyone sharing and working under these very same beliefs and principals - thank you for welcoming us into the Helen Doron family. We have been touched by the Helen Doron's core alues and teaching approaches and like all the other teachers and trainers around the world, we hope that we, too, will be able to leave a mark on the lives we come across.

We look forward to seeing you all in Israel one day!"

Weerada P. Sucharitkul - Bangkok, Thailand