Job Discussion Forums

[Big_Cannon]

I left another poster aghast after I began to see his/her true colors (and origins) and now I come to the conclusion that in the past, we have been undermining the competence of non-native speaker teachers. Sometimes I unceremoniously caught some of you red-handed showing contempt for those. Others posted remarks unveiling an inferiority complex about the legitimacy of their credentials that often contrast with the non-native's superior education.
I want to express my admiration and support for all those teachers regardless of their origin who have shown great skill and a great deal of patience towards us. For the most part, they are the gatekeepers to the schools which employ us and we cannot discriminate them, or their accent, not even the way they write or speak; because they master two or more languages and you, the average ESL private school teacher, happen to get away with just one.
If you, we, think for a second that we must be better because of the color of our passport, or the tone of our accent, go ahead and post something against this manifesto in defense, long overdue, of the non-native speaker teachers. They've got the upper hand.

[ecocks]

certainly. A "native speaker" teacher has a skill set and so does a "non-native speaker" teacher. Assuming both are competent at what they do, it is well to remember that each is no "better" than the other simply because of their circumstances of birth or even euducation. They are merely different. Both have their place in the esl/efl world.

That said, everyone involved should be careful with regard to blanket generalizations and stereotyping. Assuming you are better than someone else because you speak multiple languages is as dangerous as assuming you are "better" because you attended a certain university or have visited a greater number of countries. Comparatives are always applicable. She is better-traveled than..., he speaks more languages than ..., she knows more about history than... and so on. It is diversity that adds flavor and richness, along with a greater degree of challenge, to our lives.

[Sgt Bilko]

This isn't exactly on topic but it was an interesting article (and responses) by a Polish woman living in England who is upset by the 'dumbed down' language used by the natives.

Worth half an hour of your time. Someone could even exploit it for a lesson???


http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/aleksandra_lojekmagdziarz/2008/01/english_for_dummies.html

[Kymro]

[Big_Cannon]

From my previous post, I must add "We cannot discriminate them from us..."
As we continue to unmask posters like Kymro, and others eager to support his absurd labels, let me go back to the topic pointing at some of the comments shown in Sgt. Bilko's hyperlink that curiously remind us of Kymro's post and why I denounce him as a bigot.

[Kymro]

[Kymro]

[ecocks]

I had also never heard of instrumentalization (or even instrumentalisation). When I looked in my dictionaries, nothing. Online search showed no listings either. It strikes me as an invented word that someone thinks ought to be a word. Many of the comments were amusing as well. My favorite was "something an American cop would say." What a hoot!

Globalization, the World Village, tolerance, recognizing diversity, what a wonderful world this will be when these concepts are realized and not merely words or phrases. Then maybe we will discriminate neither against nor from anyone.

[Kootvela]

To put my 2 cents in, here is a copy of a reply from an employment agency to my inquiry about possible sumemr job positions. I did email them with the information that I have two degrees in English philology and experience but I am not a native speaker.

"The unfortunate reality of the ESL market is that the governments of most countries require that individuals applying for teaching visas are citizens of English speaking countries. These are defined as countries where English is the first language and they are limited to the following: Canada, America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the UK . This has absolutely NOTHING to do with your proficiency in the English language but is simply the government regulation.

There may be some opportunities for you in China . Unfortunately, at this time (company name) does not work with any schools there who are open to this and we suggest you apply directly to the schools."

Even China does not need my degree...