Being Joe

At first sight, she looks serious and inflexible. Nevertheless, this same woman is capable of dancing in front of all IELTS classes, just to entertain them during the final minutes before a test. Despite being Australian at heart, she likes to remember British songs and also to speak about her childhood. Spontaneous. Emotional. Friendly. Sincere. Happy. There are many adjectives to describe Joe Robertson, a thirty-six-year old teacher, who loves her profession as can be seen in her classes.

Joe can burst into tears if a student has his visa denied. Discovering that a girl is pregnant and is going to get married, she can smile enthusiastically. Returning from holiday, she can as for apologies for not having been there, even though she has had a lot of fun.

Although she is a teetotaller, with her childish ways, sometimes she can look drunk, speaking to herself, smiling, doodling and even singing. Bringing, however, happiness to her students and friends.

A strange virgo. She does not write on the whiteboard a list of the things she has to do, having lots of sheets of notes instead. Nevertheless, it is impossible to find anything on her desk.

With reference to math, she is a marvellous English teacher… Sometimes her class has 10 students, or 13… and independently of how the tries to divide the group, it never works…

Indirectly giving her students an example of how life is, when they make a mistake, she is always offering “one more try”. In addition, sometimes she asks “once more”. Marking the characteristic snappy speed of her class, she can also complain “too slow”. It does not matter how many attempts are made, because you will end up just doing it…

Joe seems to know when her students have not been paying attention in the class, or if they have not done their homework. As a result, she will certainly ask them something. Indeed, she can make them change their handwriting or the way they move their lips to speak. Anything to improve English and IELTS grades!

Gluttony is another curious aspect of Joe’s personality. If you want to attract her attention, you just need to offer any kind of food. Listening to the rustling sound of plastic or any other type of packet, she stops what she is doing, searching for the origin of the sound, with her eyes shining…

It is thought that diversion is one of the best ways of learning. Coincidence or not, naturally this woman teaches with jokes and funny comments. Have you heard about Television-God? Ask her. Additionally, as she says, God is inside ourselves all the time… For instance, whispering “ Joe, you should not eat one more chocolate”.

Yes, she is crazy, funny and friendly, yet competent and strict. If you have classes with mad Joe, be prepared, because you will do a lot of homework! With regard to it, repeating her words, “do not be sad about red-pen corrections, because this is the colour of love”. Moreover, you need to go shopping urgently, so as to buy color highlighter pens to make life pink, blue and green with her…