Job Discussion Forums

[stillnosheep]

[mesmerod]

stillnobrain,

your "virtual" threats are so very becoming as an educator. do you cane your students when they misplace a comma....or do you go right for the iron poker?

[dmb]

[stillnosheep]

[mesmerod]

my oh my....such ignorance always seeps from the most righteous.


i'd really like for you to show me where i had attempted to pass myself off as an english teacher!

in fact, sheepy, in this very thread i had explaind to moonraven my situation.


your choice to lambaste everyone in regards to diction only illustrates the narrowmindedness of your discourse.



you should resolve your personal issues that people without a BA in English can, and often do, succeed in this industry.

good luck in your quest!

[phis]

Mesmerod, if you sent me an application letter without capitals and with a total disregard for 'normal' punctuation you wouldn't get the job. I'm not talking about the occasional misspelling, or missed comma (the placing of commas is open to wide interpretation anyway!), but demonstrating that you don't have the ability to use standardized English, (because that is what you will have to teach your students), would immediately exclude you from the hiring procedure.

Moonraven, I follow your posts because, although I don't always agree with what you post, I enjoy reading the posts of a highly intelligent person who is still out there challenging the 'orthodox' view of doing things. However, I am really surprised and disappointed to see you have supported Mesmerod on this occasion.

There is a time and place for challenging the accepted way of doing things! Making widesweeping statements that you can overturn all the rules because it is now acceptable on the Internet is setting up newcomers to ESL for a big fall, or even worse, guiding them to the unscrupulous schools who will employ just about anyone, with all the ensuing consequences: low pay, bad conditions etc.

And back to Mesmerod: There are no grammar snobs here! Just people who want to point out that you need to know the basics - or are willing to learn the basics. Many of us come to ESL teaching with a good instinctive awareness of what is good English, without having the ability to explain that to students. You can learn that on the job - but only if you are willing to accept that your actual knowledge of the English language is not perfect, and that you have to be as much of a student as your students are!

[stillnosheep]

[mesmerod]

phis,
i will respond to your post because you are able to ask questions in a non-threatening way and with some air of civility.

i'm not certain how this assumption arose that i am unable or unwilling to use correct punctuation. perhaps it's a generation gap?....or maybe it has to due with stricter "rules" that folks with BA-English degrees are used to using? simply put, it is a personal decision.....out of ease and any lack of concern. my purpose here was to gain knowledge about the industry...not to get in some pissing matches about whose english is more appropriate. i type like this in informal settings because i honestly dont care how it appears. in this setting i am not applying for a job....i am not trying to impress anyone with my english acumen....and i am not battling people for grammar superiority. i didnt come here to be judged, yet that seems to be how others find their glory

now i know that the motto is: "dont worry about context....worry about punctuation! "

it seems like a lot of people are die-hard grammar freaks who get upset and unraveled if someone chooses to "challenge the accepted way of doing things". in my mind, i try to understand the context of a statement and not embellish on possible grammatical errors. yet others seem to thrive on this and use it as some sort of weapon to prove their superiority, or somehow expose the "guily" person as an unfit ESL instructor.

anyone can develop correct grammar skills from repetitive useage, rote memorization and a mild interest....but that isnt the main objective. i am more interested in teaching others how to learn the language. i think your final paragraph pretty much sums up how i feel.

[mesmerod]

lol sheepy you are off on so many of your "points"!

i only need to expose ONE of them!!



stillnosheep wrote:

[mesmerod]

ah what the hell...

how about another one of your false attempts:

[stillnosheep]

Mesmerod.

The reason that others are coming down a bit hard on you is that you have been exceedingly offensive to many posters here (eg. calling Moonraven a 'feminazi' for disagreeing with your politics).

You have come out with such choice comments as

"your pompous attitude in every single forum trumps any statements i've mad"

"you must be one of the pompous holier-than-thou grammar snobs. i've noticed that your kind tend to infiltrate every subject with ill-humored attempts at berating and humiliating everyone"

and

"i certainly hope this forum is not a true indication of what the EFL world is like...because i would hate to encounter a work environment where 50% of my coworkers are pompous, inconsiderate, uptight ..."

(these examples are all culled from the first two lines of your posts, before you get into your stride, so to speak).

Then after accusing just about everybody to the left of Genghis Khan of being some kind of mad tree-hugging card carrying communist terrorist you follow people across to the Brazil forum and declare that

"it's sad to see the political vultures now ruin this thread. what an unfortunate, yet common theme i have seen on this website".

Now if on top of this behaviour you attempt to belittle English Teachers on an English Teachers' website for caring about English you can reasonably expect some of us to see you as figure of fun. God knows we all need a litle fun in our lives.

I'll readily concede you the point about 'diction' (though I still insist that it is more often used to refer to speech rather than to writing.)

[stillnosheep]

[mesmerod]

i still think i am right

[stillnosheep]

Why do I have no trouble believing that...?

[mesmerod]

i see no reason why my statement does not contain a dependant clause.