I’m Steve. I teach English as a second or foreign language in the U.S.A. I’m at this forum because I like to answer questions posted by English language learners.
I prefer to say I teach ESL and EFL. I don’t believe that we should always have to distinguish between the two. Even though I teach in the U.S., English is certainly a foreign language as well as a second language for the students I teach.
Also, I prefer to simply say I teach English sometimes. If someone teaches French, for example, we can call him or her a French teacher. So, I don’t believe in reserving the title “English teacher” for those who teach English literature in public schools, for example. I teach people how to speak, read, and write English. This makes me an English teacher.
The words “trainer” and “training” come to mind as well. It’s interesting that we would apply those words to ESL. I am involved in “English language training” as well. However, I’m rather leery of such terminology.
Anyway, I hope I can help the English language learners at this forum. By responding to questions, I also help myself to become a better teacher.
Nice to meet you,Steve!As for me,I have a right for teaching as well and did it,but then after the certain period of time I changed my job to office job.Now I’m trying not to forget English and take practice on this forum. I consider English language as the second one,but I’m willing to speak ENGLISH as a native speaker!It’s my cherished dream!
Whereabouts do you live in the US?
I’m curious, do your students all have the same native language? Or is it varied?
I know what you mean about the word “training” (and “trainer”). But what I’ve found is that companies, for example, seem to place more value on “trainers” than they do on “teachers”. :lol:
I’m in Massachusetts, though I think I prefer to say the New England states, as I’m willing to travel if the price is right. 8)
Yes, companies and corporations like “trainers” and “training”. However, if we place these terms in the hands of course administrators and so-called curriculum writers, the results can be disastrous. The lower the level, the more difficult it is to cover the full range of grammar forms and absolutely essential vocabulary that students need in order to use the language in the first place. Even as we get to more advanced levels, the “one-context” approach, or English for a specific purpose, does not do nearly enough justice to the idea that we are teaching people how to use the language. Workplace English and English for a specific purpose or function is okay as long as the lessons and materials take into account the level of the students and “the rest of language”. We can’t teach people to be parrots, which is what I’ve discovered some administrators and so-called curriculum writers think is possible and even okay.
Now, in certain situations, I’ve focused on very specific language functions for certain jobs, but the circumstances were appropriate, and all those involved knew what to expect. The levels were appropriate to learn specific language functions for particular jobs. If you start teaching hotel workers, for example, how to give instructions and they are beginner level one students, or pre-beginners, it won’t work. And the students will know it doesn’t work. Of course we know what a beginner level one student, or pre-beginner, needs and has to learn first. I’ve taught a couple courses where curriculum writers - who don’t know what curriculum is by the way - and administrators can’t seem to wrap their heads around this idea: Beginners have to start at the beginning. They’re in such a rush for the contract that they just tell their client “yes, of course, not a problem”, which is a laugh seeing as one such place I’ve been involved with calls itself a “nonprofit”. It’s hard to believe that such incompetence gets funding and private donations. :roll: :evil:
Also, I don’t even like the words curriculum and syllabus. In ESL, I think these are just words that glorify the idea of knowing what you are going to do. If you know what to do, you’re all set. And most of the time, it’s tough to know that until you’ve met the students and gotten to know them a little, which brings to mind something else. There’s so much time and money spent on pre-testing that, to me, is pointless. That time and money should be spent on the teacher so that he or she can prepare for the course. Here’s something I think is a fact: A teacher cannot effectively teach if he or she has not had the chance to first learn something about the students. Admistrators sometimes hire “part-timers” who really aren’t ESL teachers. I’m not one of those. And it’s my aim now, having become more experienced, to kindly and politely inform admistrators of this before agreeing to teach any course. I’m about to start a course this month. I pick the book, or books, when I find out their level, and then I can choose supplementary materials and plan after having met the students.
I teach and have taught in different situations. My students come from different countries. So, it’s varied in terms of first language, educational background, reason for being in class (or taking lessons), level, learning style, and aptitude.
But what about the title “I’m Steve”. That was the original one.
Was it somehow deemed inappropriate? Was it too short? Did it have a certain kind of brevity and directness that might have been thought out of line or even monstrous? Was my title monstrous? Did it come swimming up from the depths of the dark and unknown? Was it horrible? :shock:
But the title says “online”. I didn’t post anything about teaching online. Though I do answer questions at online forums, this is not what I wanted to announce. I just wanted to first say “I’m Steve” and that I teach English in the U.S.A. I then went on to say a whole bunch of other stuff, but that was quite unexpected.
Many thanks for joining our community and sharing your experiences with us. As for the title of your first post, we have changed that again – please let us know if that’s OK with you. You see, we want to add some information that summarizes the contents of a thread if the discussion gets interesting and contains lots of messages.
As for sharing my experiences, I don’t know what happened. I guess I just started going on and on - typing and typing. I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself.
From your posting, it is clear that you’ve just having conversations with forum’s moderators. I suggest, is may be better if you have more times for us, learners English, by giving your expreriences and correcting our errors in our postings. Please walk around the forum, visit our postings and you will see that there a many people who need your help. (I’m one from them ). Thank you in anvance !
I agree. I think the most significant difference between ESL students and EFL students is supposed to be that ESL students get to “aquire” (instead of conciously learning) more English than EFL students. But then again, if an EFL student is going to an English-speaking school even though he lives in a non-English-speaking country, the amount of English he is exposed to is about the same as an ESL student who lives in a community where his first language is spoken as the primary language.
Hi. Steve:
nice to know you are a ESL teacher, actually I was studying at ESL for several months, it helped me a lot, where are you teaching, I mean which city are you living, if you are close to me, I may go to join in your class
there is the common tie that we sahre, you and I; it’s that we both teach… ESL teachers.
that’s great, eh?
well… it’s very nice meeting you here in the forum. Am sort of new here… but you’ll all get used to me and this feeling of being new :oops: will unravel itself little by little…
:lol:
hello mr. steve…nice to meet u…m from india and want to improve ma ability to communicate in english…i would feel lucky if u were help me…because to get a teacher like you who is very experinced is very difficult…hope would receive a message from u asap
I consider English language as the second one,but I’m willing to speak ENGLISH as a native speaker!It’s my cherished dream!
:roll: :evil:
8)
). Thank you in anvance !