| !---- End Ad Box ---> | | | | guaranteed to learn something fascinating. |
| Why do I love to teach English as a Second | | | | Wherever we live, wherever our ancestors came |
| Language? Let me give you ten reasons (and ten | | | | from, our language is intimately intertwined with our |
| paragraphs about why this should matter to you): | | | | history, our culture, our sociology
even our biology. |
| One: I love to teach. | | | | Consider that whatever sounds are absent from our |
| Two: I love English. | | | | native language, unless we somehow learn them as |
| Three: I love language in general; discovering the | | | | young children, will be lost to us forever. We lose a big |
| connections between English and other languages is a | | | | piece of our cultural identity if we pretend that Modern |
| bonus. | | | | English is the only language that counts. |
| Four: I love to hear other people speak their native | | | | Now, my dream
for many years, I’ve wanted |
| languages fluently, easily, and beautifully. | | | | to travel to England, Ireland, Scotland, and Walesthe |
| Five: I’m very patient and a good listener, and I | | | | lands of my ancestors. A few years ago, I began to |
| love to practice things I’m good at. | | | | study Italian, and became enamored of not only the |
| Six: I love to travelno, that’s wrong. I | | | | language, but the food, the art, the architecture, and of |
| don’t travel. But spending time with people from | | | | course the history. Now I want to go to Italy. |
| other cultures enables me to imagine that I travel. | | | | More recently, as I worked with a student from |
| Seven: I love to feel like an ambassador | | | | Switzerland, I was soon awed by what I learned of the |
| to
whatever country my student is from. | | | | rich cultural history, the variety of natural scenery
the |
| Eight: I love learning about history, and most other | | | | castles and cathedrals and trains
the large number |
| countries on the planet have more history than mine. | | | | of language groups for so small a country
and now I |
| Nine: I’m a writer; writing is my primary source | | | | want to go to Switzerland. Given enough time and |
| of income, and I love to write. But writing is a solitary | | | | experience, maybe eventually I’ll want to go just |
| activity; teaching allows me to interact with people and | | | | about everywhere. But for starters
western Europe. |
| adds another layer of richness to my life. | | | | So I dream that some day I’ll be invited to stay |
| Ten: It gives me something wonderful to dream about. | | | | with a family
perhaps a non-English-speaking family |
| Please continue reading
. | | | | in an English-speaking country, or perhaps a family in |
| Why should you care that I love to teach ESL? | | | | Italy or Switzerland
and be a tutor and companion to |
| Here, in ten brief paragraphs, is my answer. | | | | the adults and/or the children in the family. While they |
| I tell my students, rather apologetically, that Americans | | | | learn English, I’ll learn about their culture...and |
| generally don’t respect people who don’t | | | | travel! And I will be a goodwill ambassador, an |
| speak English. (By the way, I don’t say this until I | | | | example of the generous spirit of America. |
| sense they are thinking it.) Why don’t we? True, | | | | I hope all my fellow Americans will find it in themselves |
| the world is quickly becoming a global society, and | | | | to appreciate the languages of the world and the |
| English is becoming the international language. | | | | people who speak them. If you do travel, please make |
| And perhaps someday soon every educated person | | | | an effort to say a few words in your host |
| in the world will have a working knowledge of English. | | | | country’s language. You probably won’t |
| But how did we, as a nation, become so | | | | have to say much, for the people you meet will |
| provincial
so arrogant
so smug? Even if your | | | | probably want to take the opportunity to practice |
| ancestors came here on the Mayfloweras mine | | | | English. But I believe they will appreciate the effort. If |
| didor even if they are Native Americans, your | | | | you don’t travel, just look at the people around |
| people originally spoke some other language. Modern | | | | you and notice the diversity of backgrounds. |
| English has been around only a few hundred years. | | | | Can we believe that something good can come out of |
| And what a tragedy it would be if those other | | | | every bad thing that happens? The Old Testament |
| languages disappeared, or became ancient relics of | | | | story of the Tower of Babel describes God’s |
| lost civilizations, to be studied only by academicians | | | | punishment of mankind for their pride in thinking they |
| and never used in everyday life. Think of living in a | | | | could reach heaven by building and climbing upon this |
| world where everyone had the same favorite color, or | | | | great tower. Suddenly speaking many different |
| the same hobby
where every radio station played | | | | languages, they could no longer communicate and |
| the same music
or every restaurant served the | | | | were unable to finish the project. The good that has |
| same food. How boring! Here’s an easy (and | | | | come to all of us because of it is this: we have the |
| fun) way for each of us to do our small part for | | | | immeasurable treasure of thousands of languages, and |
| international relations: be patient with someone who is | | | | the social, cultural, and natural diversity that go with |
| learning English, and while we’re at it, show an | | | | them. |
| interest in their native language. We’re | | | | |