Welcome to Teaching ESL

This blog has the specific purpose of introducing you to the world of teaching English as a second language and in no way attempts to explain all facets of applied linguistics. Esl Teacher will give the new or soon-to-be teacher the tools in order to become good teachers. Teachers, just as much as students, are in a constant state of development. There is no prescribed period of time or number of hours that could define one teacher as being better than another. As a matter of fact, many teachers that have accumulated hours of experience over the years are more likely to stick to old habits and ignore new advances in this ever- advancing field. Our goal here is to direct those self motivated people to where they may find the quality resources in order to fashion themselves as teachers defined by their own personal make-up.

There are so many different types of teachers. We've all had them. The strict ones, the unfair ones, the fun ones, the boring ones and the interesting ones. The list can go on. When we enter a classroom for the first time it can be overwhelming. It is not uncommon to resort to role-play and act like a teacher as opposed to being one's self. This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, without training or professional development we will often imitate one or more of the teachers we've had in the past. We teach best how we were best taught. This can be a dangerous situation. Simply because our age and the changes in pedagogical theory in the time since we received our own formal education may cause us to approach learning in an out-dated or even ineffective way. Then how does a new teacher avoid the teachers of the past and develop their own 'teacher role'? We will see many ways throughout this blog, but primarily, it is to be curious, ask questions, investigate and experiment.

The English language learning industry is an enormous one. From publishers making millions of new editions of language books to private enterprises peddling new methodologies to the unsuspecting, the business of selling English is a multi-billion dollar affair. As English teachers we can enjoy the security of traveling the world and know that there will always be a demand for us. We will always have work (more lucrative in some countries than in others). But for us to really understand what it is to teach a second language to someone is something different altogether. In fact, it's the difference between teaching as a job and being an educator. Once we become aware of this distinction, we can become more effective educators, and this will not only make our working life much more enjoyable, there will be many more opportunities for growth (academic, professional, and economical).