Why am I an ELTA member?

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‘Why am I an ELTA member?’ I have never asked myself that, but I had to think about it when my colleagues asked me. It was a difficult question to answer only because it seemed self-explanatory. So I asked some of my ELTA friends to answer it for me.

Lingva Language School – Valjevo

Why am I in ELTA? For several reasons: The first reason is my eagerness for professional development – I’ll never get fed up with it. Secondly, I immediately recognized the immense importance of the organisation that could incorporate all the beautiful qualities of our profession. You can see ELTA as a canvas that needs to be painted all over again, more and more beautifully. Why don't we all put our creativity and boundless energy into this canvas, which will, like all famous works of art, continue to live forever?

Danijela Bojanic,

Regional Coordinator (Kolubara County)

I am writing in the name of whole Charing Cross school since we are all members of ELTA from the very beginning (first called ELTAB). Thanks to a few people who were inspired enough to start a teachers association and full of enthusiasm to keep it going, we today have a professional association which represents all EL teachers in the country. ELTA represents us the way we deserve it, supports us and gives us the opportunity to professionally develop through seminars, workshops and trainings. The information we receive through ELTA is precious because it keeps us informed about new trends in teaching in the region and worldwide, giving us the opportunity to meet colleagues and share experiences within the country and the region. This experience together with ELTA annual conference is something that motivates us and through us, our students.

Vesna Puaca, Coordinator for North Backa

ELTA makes me smile…it is because I’ve found new friends there….and because it is great to belong to a group of people, a kind of a group that has only one wish – to make children happier and more educated.

Ivana, Nis

The main reason why I joined ELTA was to attend seminars and the highlight for me was attending Hornby Summer School in Palić this summer. Spending two weeks in a wonderful resort, exchanging teaching experiences with people from other countries and getting to know other cultures, is something that has greatly enriched my life on both professional and personal level.

Natasa Jonovic,

ELTA regional coordinator, Borski county, Negotin

Why am I an ELTA member? Simply because this is a safe haven for all progressive ideas related to English language teaching. In 2006, thanks to ELTA, I was sent to The Hornby Summer School, held in Palic, where I met outstanding teachers from different countries like Russia, Romania, Hungary, Estonia etc. All those fantastic ideas we shared, fruitful discussions, good jokes and laughs we had together make this Hornby Summer School really unforgettable for me. I am Gordana Klasnja. I work at Anglia School of English in Novi Sad.

My name is Gordana Patarčić. I work as a teacher of English at “Charing Cross” School of English in Subotica. Thanks to ELTA my colleague Ljiljana Tikvicki and I attended the 13^th IATEFL Slovenia Annual Conference in Ljubljana in September 2005. The title of the conference was “Humanising the English Language Classroom” and the first day (Pre-conference Event) was devoted to “Humanising assessment”. My colleague and I had a workshop “How Jack D. helps in teaching vocabulary”.

It was really a wonderful experience for me and I learnt a lot as there were some great speakers that I also had a chance to meet personally. Some of them were Craig Dicker, Annie Polatsek, Rita Baker, David A. Hill, Simon Marshall, Robert Hill and Clive Oxden.

"If it wasn't for ELTA I wouldn't now be a teacher with around 70 hours of professional development, the 3-week teaching practice in London, loads of new skills gained at the seminars and dozens of new fellow-colleagues from all around Serbia. Mind you, all of that in just 1 year of my membership!"

Anica Djokic, Novi Sad

In the very beginning of my professional life I realized that my university degree is just license for teaching to children and nothing more. I wanted something more. And than I was invited to First ELTAB conference in Belgrade in 2002. After the conference I discovered that many things must to be changed and with colleagues of mine this is easier. Meanwhile ELTA was born. Finally, I've got chance to meet all teachers of English, share ideas, exchanging experience and learn from them. Professional development, conferences, seminars, new people from different parts of the world are some of advantages that ELTA gave to me personally. Now ,we as ELTA, spread the idea of being part of the winning team, team that offers so much with so little effort invested in it.

Željko Andrijanić, Raska District

Want to be published? Join ELTA community!

In its July issue, the well-known magazine for teachers of English, the ELT Professional, published “A Minute A Laugh” in its rubric “It Works in Practice”. Nothing strange about it – that is what they do. But this is a contribution by our dear colleague, Maja Hadzic, who works in a primary school in Belgrade ( the school is “Vasa Carapic”, to be precise). Maja is also a very active participant in Elta seminars and workshops, in the British Council, conferences, etc.

She was awarded a book for her contribution, “An A to Z of ELT” by Scott Thornbury, as well as a copy of the magazine. It must be added, not without pride, that we in ELTA editiorial team, have recognized the young colleague’s ideas, and published her contribution in one of our previous newsletter.

Sladjana Sretenovic-Jovanovic

one of Belgrade Coordinators and Editors of MELT

ELTA – my professional identity

You can be a wonderful, enthusiastic, creative, and inspiring teacher of English, but if you display these qualities only in front of your students, you may feel there is something else missing to make you fully satisfied. And that is certainly the approval by your colleagues, by other fellow teachers who are as wonderful, enthusiastic, creative, and inspiring as you are – but in their special way that you can learn from and become even better!

My experience in teaching English is almost twenty years long. Teaching is my profession and I have put a lot of effort and enthusiasm into my professional development. It has not been easy, especially in the years of country’s isolation and few possibilities to travel abroad. Even in those days I managed to find challenges that inspired my development as a teacher. What I missed in those days was support from and cooperation with other English language teachers in my immediate surroundings (a small town in the centre of Serbia). When ELTA and the British Council offered possibilities for professional development in ELT, I grabbed the opportunity in all possible ways: attending their seminars, workshops, conferences. It was then that I realised how important it was in our profession to upgrade our knowledge and skills in order to cater for the changing needs of our students. And I wanted to share my understanding with other teachers. That is how I decided yo apply for the post of a regional ELTA coordinator.

As a teacher I believe in cooperation, team work, lifelong learning, professional development, flexibility, change, reflection, autonomy and action research. I have already lived my beliefs and have valuable experience in each of them. As one of the Pomoravlje District ELTA coordinators I have organised about eight meetings of local EL teachers since December 2005. I did it voluntarily with the aim to help formal professional development of all teachers through monthly seminars and workshops held at Teacher Education Faculty in Jagodina, where I work. In December 2005 I applied for the Finnish sponsorship to organise ELT Mentorship Seminar, and after getting full Finnish support, in May 2006 I managed to have two-day seminar for English language teachers of Pomoravlje District at Teacher Education Faculty in Jagodina (10 distinguished presenters from three state universities, 15 presentations and workshops, about 50 participants). This may sound like showing off, but I am not that kind of a person: I am saying this just to show my young colleagues that where there is a will, there is a way – we can really make our dreams come true! ELTA gathers us together and makes us very powerful for the benefit of all our children. That is the best mission any professional organisation can have.

Vera Savic, Lecturer in English Faculty of Education in Jagodina

So, why am I an ELTA member? For all the same reasons as all these people. And I believe that Wise men learn by other men's mistakes, fools by their own. And I am far too proud to be a fool. Besides, why waste a lifetime trying to become a better teacher on your own if it is quicker (and not to mention, much more fun) in a group of friends?

Being an ELTA member was one of the YETI grant conditions, so, in a way, ELTA made it possible for me to see the UK, observe teaching and teach in a language school there for three weeks. You can read more about my experiences if you click on http://www.britishcouncil.org/serbia-elta-newsletter-september-2006-2.htm . It was the experience of a lifetime, but it would have never happened if I hadn’t found about the grant in the first place. That is why I like being a part of ELTA, being informed.

Marija Kovač, Coordinator for South Banat, Grammar School ,, Branko Radičević“ Kovin