C&T 598 RR4 Hazara Leon

Dr. Cho & Annette

June 12, 2017

English as an international language

We dont have a knowledge of all the Englishes out there. We dont always know the
backgrounds students come from and the norms and values they bring with them. We
cannot fully prepare them for the unpredictable communicative contexts they will
encounter based on our own limited knowledge (Canagarajah 775)

This brings me back to that second weeks discussion about what type of English we as
teachers are meant to be teaching. From our discussion we never really came to a
conclusion about what English variety is the best. Although some believed that the best
one to teach was the one we knew best, it was also mentioned that selectively picking
American English only because it is the one we are the most proficient in is not fair to the
students. In the end, we all came to the conclusion that it would be best if we try to
expose the students to various English varieties. This is best done by letting it be known
that American English for example, is not the only type of English, and showing them
forms from other types of Englishes. This acknowledgement of the English varieties is
the best that we can do. It is true that we cannot always prepare them for all
communicative contexts they will encounter with only the knowledge we possess. Apart
from our limited knowledge, there is also the fact that every student is different and they
all have different values and beliefs that will affect the way they produce and utilize the
language. All these variables make it difficult to fully prepare the students. As teachers,
we try our best to prepare students for real-life situations. I remember from foreign
language classes that the basics always include the alphabet, numbers, food, directions,
clothing, etc. These units are always meant to prepare us for small tasks like ordering
food, going shopping, asking for directions and other similar activities. Nevertheless,
after learning Korean for a year I realized that my Korean courses never truly prepared
me for what I encountered during my year abroad. As a student, I complained about the
lack of preparation my early Korean courses gave me for the real-life situations, but now
as a teaching I see how difficult it is to be able to prepare students for any event in life.
As I am teaching English I try to answer all my students questions and expose them to
the idea that there are other varieties of English. As a student it is simple to point out the
flaws of my language teachers, but as a teacher I now see the difficulty in preparing
students for the real world. Even if we try our hardest to expose them to as much
information and varieties, it is impossible to prepare them for everything. All we can do
is try our best to prepare them for the real world the best that we can and show they that
languages are living, breathing and always changing.

Question: What can we as teachers do to prepare students for the real world to the best of
our abilities?

Non-native teachers
Native teachers and nonnative teachers should maintain a symbiotic relationship in
which native teachers respect nonnative teachers for having experienced the reality of
English for people learning it and nonnative teachers in turn respect native teachers for
having the ownership of the language (Yoo 85)
C&T 598 RR4 Hazara Leon
Dr. Cho & Annette
June 12, 2017

Last week I had a chance to meet one of my study abroad friends who decided to return
to Korea as an English teacher for EPIK. During our conversation she made a comment
that did not sit well with me. As we talked about the difficulties of being teachers and
about the wonderful things our students do, she also commented on her co-teachers. In
particular she had one male co-teacher who had undermined her as a teacher in front of
the class. According to her, she had been reprimanded for not teaching the correct way
and for not knowing her own language. Although I sympathized with her for being
looked down upon for being a new teacher and a woman, I still did not agree with my
friends comment about the co-teacher. She believed that the male co-teacher had no right
to question her, a native speaker; about her own language and that his advice would not
be needed. As a second language learner of English I know that my English may not
always be the best, but because I had to learn it, there are things that I am able to pick up
on better than a native teacher. Native speakers are sometimes unable to view things from
the perspective of a learner or cannot fully explain why a part of their language works the
way it does. As a learner, we are sometimes more knowledgeable about those little details
about the language, therefore our feedback can sometimes be useful. The fact that my
friend made that type of comment made me feel like her view on non-native speakers is
less than that of a native speaker. Of course she might have had other issues with her co-
teacher that made her disregard him completely, but that just made me realize that there
are people (even teachers!) that view non-native teachers as lesser. As I progress in this
practicum, I realize that my own personal experience as a second language learner is just
as valuable as my fellow EB teachers. I respect and value the fact that we all have
different backgrounds and experiences in learning a new language. It makes it possible
for us to question one another, challenge our way of thinking, and apply that to our
interactions with the students.

Question: How can we improve our prejudices against non-native teachers? How can we
build that symbiotic relationship when our negative misconceptions have made non-
native teachers lesser than native teachers?