The supplemental English language industry has many names, ESL, EFL, ELL, ESOL, and as the industry grows new acronyms continuously pop up. As educators, we have fallen into a trap. Because the industry has grown so much; over a billion language learners worldwide, educators have tailored their lessons so their products scale. Good for business,
bad for development. You now have levels and restrictions put on a language, and the students have become accustomed to relying on the educators or programs to ‘level up.’ English teachers need to understand that language is developed and acquired.
A good teacher embraces this and to prevent stultification they have to be flexible- if they make promises or guarantees about results- I would stay away. The only thing that is guaranteed is that learning any language takes an extraordinary amount of effort.
Here are some questions you can ask to help you choose your next teacher.
- How do I improve my vocabulary? Don’t be shy. Put them on the spot. In my humble opinion, the answer is simple, read more. I would be wary of the teacher who relies on long vocabulary lists, especially those teachers that are using primary language translations on said lists.
- Can you recommend an easy novel for me to read? Any teacher worth their salt has compiled a reading list for their students. These are books that hold a special place in their hearts. If your teacher answers with, ‘Harry Potter’-it is time to move on.
- Do you think pronunciation is important? I love this question. This is not a make or break question. You are now beginning to peer into the teacher’s soul. What do they value? Those who really value pronunciation lean heavily on memorizing phrases and constant repetition. Those who are more relaxed tend to value content and ideas. Try to understand yourself and which teacher will fit you. Are you worried about your pronunciation?
- What kind of students do you primarily teach? This question is aimed to expose the personality of the teacher. If they claim to teach accomplished secondary students and flaunt test scores and accolades; chances are this teacher cares more about validating themselves. If they teach adults and drop company names, titles, and positions; they lack the awareness and any semblance of a filter. That type of behavior is unbecoming and there is one person that the teacher cares about- and you guessed it- themselves. An appropriate answer would not divulge too much information about their students.
- Why do you teach? This is as straightforward as it gets. You are looking for honesty. I hate to be cynical, but the truth is; very few people have dreams of becoming supplementary English teachers- the types of tutors and freelancers you encounter. I think you will be able to gauge the sincerity of their answers.I could never have predicted that I would be teaching English for a living. The truth is undefeated and honesty is always the best policy.
