Job Discussion Forums

jwbhomer · Joined: 14 Dec 2003 Posts: 876 Location: CANADA

Here's one for the book. Perhaps some of you patient people could give this newbie some advice before he gets himself into trouble.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=55031

merlin · Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:26 pm Post subject:

I think the word cherry should be somewhere in the title.

Seriously, though.

I'm sure there are at least 100 people who have a "great idea" for a book. There's a lot of meterial on this site. If you've got the time, the book's basically written for you all you have to do is organize it and put it in a presentable format.

misterkodak · Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 12:27 am Post subject:

Most of the questions asked are things people with common sense could find with a little bit of research, I think. If I were to write a book about ESL and some of the people I've dealt with and experiences I had nobody would probably believe it. Some people in this career field need psychological help more than a CELTA or TEFL.

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

Well, there are naive people everywhere, and when you travel crosscultural ignorance is more noticeable as your sense of what's shared knowledge is seriously challenged and remade.

Of course, some people seem to be lazy or they just don't consider at all how different the rest of the world is from where they are living or have grown up. I suppose it seems easier that way, we all want to simplify complex things at times to try to understand them, but that's the general problem with generalizing too much.

Serious_Fun · Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 1171 Location: terra incognita

livinginkorea · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 22 Location: South Korea

I think that we have to be very realistic. Before I came to Korea I knew that there was a possibility that I could hate it and would want to move to another place. I knew a good bit about the culture beforehand but I wasn't stupid enough to this that everything would be all roses. I quit my first two jobs here because they were terrible and ended up teaching company students and adults and really got into teaching. Now I'm very happy teaching and will teach for life. I didn't know that at the start but I found that out later.

I think many newbies have such high expectations before they go to a place that it's difficult for them to adjust. You have to be very informed and take a place for what it is. Take the good with the bad and be realistic.

Personally I would love to see more books by teachers and their experiences. These can serve as valuable guides for the new and upcoming teachers.

- lik