Ten Reasons Why I Love to Teach English as a Second Language - and Why That Should Matter to You
Author: Lisa J. Lehr
< P > W h y d o I l o v e t o t e a c h E n g l i s h a s a S e c o n d L a n g u a g e ? L e t m e g i v e y o u t e n r e a s o n s ( a n d t e n p a r a g r a p h s a b o u t w h y t h i s s h o u l d m a t t e r t o y o u ) : < / P > < P > O n e : I l o v e t o t e a c h . < / P > < P > T w o : I l o v e E n g l i s h . < / P > < P > T h r e e : I l o v e l a n g u a g e i n g e n e r a l ; d i s c o v e r i n g t h e c o n n e c t i o n s b e t w e e n E n g l i s h a n d o t h e r l a n g u a g e s i s a b o n u s . < / P > < P > F o u r : I l o v e t o h e a r o t h e r p e o p l e s p e a k t h e i r n a t i v e l a n g u a g e s f l u e n t l y , e a s i l y , a n d b e a u t i f u l l y . < / P > < P > F i v e : I m v e r y p a t i e n t a n d a g o o d l i s t e n e r , a n d I l o v e t o p r a c t i c e t h i n g s I m g o o d a t . < / P > < P > S i x : I l o v e t o t r a v e l n o , t h a t s w r o n g . I d o n t t r a v e l . B u t s p e n d i n g t i m e w i t h p e o p l e f r o m o t h e r c u l t u r e s e n a b l e s m e t o i m a g i n e t h a t I t r a v e l . < / P > < P > S e v e n : I l o v e t o f e e l l i k e a n a m b a s s a d o r t o w h a t e v e r c o u n t r y m y s t u d e n t i s f r o m . < / P > < P > E i g h t : I l o v e l e a r n i n g a b o u t h i s t o r y , a n d m o s t o t h e r c o u n t r i e s o n t h e p l a n e t h a v e m o r e h i s t o r y t h a n m i n e . < / P > < P > N i n e : I m a w r i t e r ; w r i t i n g i s m y p r i m a r y s o u r c e o f i n c o m e , a n d I l o v e t o w r i t e . B u t w r i t i n g i s a s o l i t a r y a c t i v i t y ; t e a c h i n g a l l o w s m e t o i n t e r a c t w i t h p e o p l e a n d a d d s a n o t h e r l a y e r o f r i c h n e s s t o m y l i f e . < / P > < P > T e n : I t g i v e s m e s o m e t h i n g w o n d e r f u l t o d r e a m a b o u t . P l e a s e c o n t i n u e r e a d i n g . < / P > < P > W h y s h o u l d y o u c a r e t h a t I l o v e t o t e a c h E S L ? < / P > < P > H e r e , i n t e n b r i e f p a r a g r a p h s , i s m y a n s w e r . < / P > < P > I t e l l m y s t u d e n t s , r a t h e r a p o l o g e t i c a l l y , t h a t A m e r i c a n s g e n e r a l l y d o n t r e s p e c t p e o p l e w h o d o n t s p e a k E n g l i s h . ( B y t h e w a y , I d o n t s a y t h i s u n t i l I s e n s e t h e y a r e t h i n k i n g i t . ) W h y d o n t w e ? T r u e , t h e w o r l d i s q u i c k l y b e c o m i n g a g l o b a l s o c i e t y , a n d E n g l i s h i s b e c o m i n g t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l l a n g u a g e . A n d p e r h a p s s o m e d a y s o o n e v e r y e d u c a t e d p e r s o n i n t h e w o r l d w i l l h a v e a w o r k i n g k n o w l e d g e o f E n g l i s h . < / P > < P > B u t h o w d i d w e , a s a n a t i o n , b e c o m e s o p r o v i n c i a l s o a r r o g a n t s o s m u g ? E v e n i f y o u r a n c e s t o r s c a m e h e r e o n t h e M a y f l o w e r a s m i n e d i d o r e v e n i f t h e y a r e N a t i v e A m e r i c a n s , y o u r p e o p l e o r i g i n a l l y s p o k e s o m e o t h e r l a n g u a g e . M o d e r n E n g l i s h h a s b e e n a r o u n d o n l y a f e w h u n d r e d y e a r s . < / P > < P > A n d w h a t a t r a g e d y i t w o u l d b e i f t h o s e o t h e r l a n g u a g e s d i s a p p e a r e d , o r b e c a m e a n c i e n t r e l i c s o f l o s t c i v i l i z a t i o n s , t o b e s t u d i e d o n l y b y a c a d e m i c i a n s a n d n e v e r u s e d i n e v e r y d a y l i f e . T h i n k o f l i v i n g i n a w o r l d w h e r e e v e r y o n e h a d t h e s a m e f a v o r i t e c o l o r , o r t h e s a m e h o b b y w h e r e e v e r y r a d i o s t a t i o n p l a y e d t h e s a m e m u s i c o r e v e r y r e s t a u r a n t s e r v e d t h e s a m e f o o d . H o w b o r i n g ! H e r e s a n e a s y ( a n d f u n ) w a y f o r e a c h o f u s t o d o o u r s m a l l p a r t f o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l r e l a t i o n s : b e p a t i e n t w i t h s o m e o n e w h o i s l e a r n i n g E n g l i s h , a n d w h i l e w e r e a t i t , s h o w a n i n t e r e s t i n t h e i r n a t i v e l a n g u a g e . W e r e g u a r a n t e e d t o l e a r n s o m e t h i n g f a s c i n a t i n g . < / P > < P > W h e r e v e r w e l i v e , w h e r e v e r o u r a n c e s t o r s c a m e f r o m , o u r l a n g u a g e i s i n t i m a t e l y i n t e r t w i n e d w i t h o u r h i s t o r y , o u r c u l t u r e , o u r s o c i o l o g y e v e n o u r b i o l o g y . C o n s i d e r t h a t w h a t e v e r s o u n d s a r e a b s e n t f r o m o u r n a t i v e l a n g u a g e , u n l e s s w e s o m e h o w l e a r n t h e m a s y o u n g c h i l d r e n , w i l l b e l o s t t o u s f o r e v e r . W e l o s e a b i g p i e c e o f o u r c u l t u r a l i d e n t i t y i f w e p r e t e n d t h a t M o d e r n E n g l i s h i s t h e o n l y l a n g u a g e t h a t c o u n t s . < / P > < P > N o w , m y d r e a m f o r m a n y y e a r s , I v e w a n t e d t o t r a v e l t o E n g l a n d , I r e l a n d , S c o t l a n d , a n d W a l e s t h e l a n d s o f m y a n c e s t o r s . A f e w y e a r s a g o , I b e g a n t o s t u d y I t a l i a n , a n d b e c a m e e n a m o r e d o f n o t o n l y t h e l a n g u a g e , b u t t h e f o o d , t h e a r t , t h e a r c h i t e c t u r e , a n d o f c o u r s e t h e h i s t o r y . N o w I w a n t t o g o t o I t a l y . < / P > < P > M o r e r e c e n t l y , a s I w o r k e d w i t h a s t u d e n t f r o m S w i t z e r l a n d , I w a s s o o n a w e d b y w h a t I l e a r n e d o f t h e r i c h c u l t u r a l h i s t o r y , t h e v a r i e t y o f n a t u r a l s c e n e r y t h e c a s t l e s a n d c a t h e d r a l s a n d t r a i n s t h e l a r g e n u m b e r o f l a n g u a g e g r o u p s f o r s o s m a l l a c o u n t r y a n d n o w I w a n t t o g o t o S w i t z e r l a n d . G i v e n e n o u g h t i m e a n d e x p e r i e n c e , m a y b e e v e n t u a l l y I l l w a n t t o g o j u s t a b o u t e v e r y w h e r e . B u t f o r s t a r t e r s w e s t e r n E u r o p e . < / P > < P > S o I d r e a m t h a t s o m e d a y I l l b e i n v i t e d t o s t a y w i t h a f a m i l y p e r h a p s a n o n - E n g l i s h - s p e a k i n g f a m i l y i n a n E n g l i s h - s p e a k i n g c o u n t r y , o r p e r h a p s a f a m i l y i n I t a l y o r S w i t z e r l a n d a n d b e a t u t o r a n d c o m p a n i o n t o t h e a d u l t s a n d / o r t h e c h i l d r e n i n t h e f a m i l y . W h i l e t h e y l e a r n E n g l i s h , I l l l e a r n a b o u t t h e i r c u l t u r e . . . a n d t r a v e l ! A n d I w i l l b e a g o o d w i l l a m b a s s a d o r , a n e x a m p l e o f t h e g e n e r o u s s p i r i t o f A m e r i c a . < / P > < P > I h o p e a l l m y f e l l o w A m e r i c a n s w i l l f i n d i t i n t h e m s e l v e s t o a p p r e c i a t e t h e l a n g u a g e s o f t h e w o r l d a n d t h e p e o p l e w h o s p e a k t h e m . I f y o u d o t r a v e l , p l e a s e m a k e a n e f f o r t t o s a y a f e w w o r d s i n y o u r h o s t c o u n t r y s l a n g u a g e . Y o u p r o b a b l y w o n t h a v e t o s a y m u c h , f o r t h e p e o p l e y o u m e e t w i l l p r o b a b l y w a n t t o t a k e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o p r a c t i c e E n g l i s h . B u t I b e l i e v e t h e y w i l l a p p r e c i a t e t h e e f f o r t . I f y o u d o n t t r a v e l , j u s t l o o k a t t h e p e o p l e a r o u n d y o u a n d n o t i c e t h e d i v e r s i t y o f b a c k g r o u n d s . < / P > < P > C a n w e b e l i e v e t h a t s o m e t h i n g g o o d c a n c o m e o u t o f e v e r y b a d t h i n g t h a t h a p p e n s ? T h e O l d T e s t a m e n t s t o r y o f t h e T o w e r o f B a b e l d e s c r i b e s G o d s p u n i s h m e n t o f m a n k i n d f o r t h e i r p r i d e i n t h i n k i n g t h e y c o u l d r e a c h h e a v e n b y b u i l d i n g a n d c l i m b i n g u p o n t h i s g r e a t t o w e r . S u d d e n l y s p e a k i n g m a n y d i f f e r e n t l a n g u a g e s , t h e y c o u l d n o l o n g e r c o m m u n i c a t e a n d w e r e u n a b l e t o f i n i s h t h e p r o j e c t . T h e g o o d t h a t h a s c o m e t o a l l o f u s b e c a u s e o f i t i s t h i s : w e h a v e t h e i m m e a s u r a b l e t r e a s u r e o f t h o u s a n d s o f l a n g u a g e s , a n d t h e s o c i a l , c u l t u r a l , a n d n a t u r a l d i v e r s i t y t h a t g o w i t h t h e m . < / P > < P > G o o u t o f y o u r w a y t o s p e n d s o m e t i m e w i t h s o m e o n e w h o d o e s n t s p e a k f l u e n t E n g l i s h . T h e j o y o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n t h a t t r a n s c e n d s l a n g u a g e b a r r i e r s w i l l b e y o u r s . < / P >
Author Bio:
Lisa J. Lehr
Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance writer, teacher, and Internet marketer with a particular interest in health, pets, and conservative issues. She has recently finished a novel that is currently available as an e-book, soon to be released as a paperback. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, art, music, outdoor exercise, and all things Celtic and Renaissance.
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