Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Julide (28 years old, living in the Netherlands since 2017)  found a job in a bank here in Amsterdam and a way to fulfil her passion to teach to kids at Taalhuis…

What’s a typical lesson like?

I currently teach Turkish to kids aged between 5 and 6. An age where they easily lose focus so I have to keep them entertained throughout the whole hour! 

I warm them up with some conversation about very simple topic. I ask how the morning went, about their families and make sure each of them speaks and gets excited about the class! In this first part, we learn a lot of vocabulary. I then introduce the theme of the lesson – colours, seasons, numbers – which takes the most part of the hour. I give a short explanation of the theme and I let them interact with me and the other kids. I alternate my talking with small activities and I encourage them to speak their mind. We then enter the final quarter of the class, the toughest as they start to get tired, and that’s where we play games around the topic of the lesson. Sometimes I ask them, for example, to write the alphabet, other times we watch some cartoons!

How do you keep your young students focused for a full hour?

I let them believe they are in the lead – but, practically, every activity is planned and really thought through before. Let’s assume that the theme of the class is the weather. I say a few sentences around the rain, we talk a little and when I notice the kids are starting to lose focus, I bring up the sun. The kids get enthusiastic and start interacting again as the topic ‘sun’ sounds new and they feel we changed the subject. Whereas, in fact, we didn’t.

I also make sure they’re always busy. When I’m addressing one of children, I ask the others to draw something for me, a cloud, to keep the weather example. This also gives me the chance to go back to them once the round is over and challenge them! “Why did you colour the cloud purple?” I’m always amazed by their logic.

What do you like about teaching children?

I consider teaching a hobby, not an easy or relaxing one, but definitely funny!

I like kids and although these types of classes require a lot of effort, I learn, too, while amusing myself very much. I’ve also gained enough experience to understand them and to anticipate their behaviour so that I make sure it’s never too much.

Why should parents bring their kids to Taalhuis? 

I’m fairly new to Taalhuis. But I believe it’s more than a language school. It’s a family who welcomes different languages and personalities. And I believe this is truly beneficial for kids, too.

Final question, do you have any tips for parents?

Our classes are on a weekly basis and it’s not enough for a child to master the language. That’s why I need their help! I tell the parents of my kids’ groups to encourage their children to speak the language outside of class. In some cases, Turkish is not the parent’s native language either, so why not learn together with the kid? If they don’t know a word in the language or the meaning of a sentence, they can search for it together. It’s all about the attitude, after all!

Have a look at the schedule for the children’s courses!