How can I do to be a English teacher in the USA

[Jamie (K)]

[Lost_Soul]

[Sunhoek]

Hello everyone!
I've been watching you guys' debates.
well as all of you know I am not native speaker.
I also wasn't born in English-speaking country and I am not enough to teach
English to native speaker. but It is assure that I am eager to learn English very hard so that I can teach English to people whether they are non-native speaker.I don't care about it. I know that it is very close to impossible to teach English to native speaker.If I were the one who wants to learn English as native speaker I couldn't decide to get a lesson from me.
I agree with you guys' thought.
even if I am not good at teaching English to people I will live with speaking English through the world.
I do make my dreams come true.

Best regards!!

[Englishuser]

Hi sunhoek,

I would feel very put off if someone told me I shouldn't even think about aiming at becoming native proficient in a foreign language. Like Professor John C. Wells says, it might not be an easy goal to reach. Being an ambitious English student is never wrong, however. I wish you, sunhoek, the best of luck with your English studies. I am convinced that you can become an excellent English teacher to students at all levels if that is your goal.

All the best

EU

[Torsten]

The question at hand is whether or not a language can "be taught". I think you can't teach a language, you can only learn it and you need to communicate with a variety of people in order achieve a high level of success. Of course it is helpful to have access to English language professionals but in addition you need to observe and study all kinds of native speakers. Listen and absorb their language, analyze what they are saying and how they are saying it. Start imitating them. Try to detect grammar rules and language patterns. Ask questions. Record your own voice and listen to it. There are so many things you can without a "teacher", as a matter of fact, if you really want to learn English you have to do most of the work yourself anyway.

TOEFL listening lectures: A university lecture on the history of the English language

[Sunhoek]

[Jamie (K)]

Torsten, as a language teacher, I agree that we don't really teach languages. We expose students to some words, grammar explanations and to some examples of real language, and we make the students try to use that raw material, and in the process the language somehow creates itself in the students' heads. Usually the result of our teaching is much bigger than whatever it was we seeded the students' minds with.

Sunhoek, I think that if you perfect your English enough and get the right training, you will be able to teach English not only to foreigners but also to native English speakers. I have seen people achieve this goal many times, so there's no reason I can think of that you couldn't achieve it. And I'll be at the finish line cheering for you. (The only trouble is that with language they never stop moving the finish line.)

[Stew.t.]

Hi all

And late into the debate.
I think some of the arguments are fair.

A few points to consider, what is a teacher? A teacher can be a lecturer or an enabler. If the former you are simply informed of how a language works and the latter assists you in your discovery of that language: We are ignoring the fact that good trainers should be teaching students how to learn backed up with heightening awareness of the intrices of the language. The "how to learn" has been ignored in the debate here.

Also good and bad trainers can come from any background. But if a client/student wishes to have a certain kind of teacher we can not ignore the power of money or a well voiced opinion. Lets be realistic.

Last and not least if there was no need for teachers, we would have no education system.
What is the role of education?
And how many students have the tools at hand to teach themselves. A good trainer may be able to assist them to the point where they can do it alone. But how much time could be wasted in this process?
_________________
Please meet Stewart Tunncilff

[Jamie (K)]

In the high school where I taught overseas, my very best, most fluent, most articulate English students came from the elementary school across the street, and they were taught by a lady who was almost unable to speak English. She just taught them what she knew, but more than that, she taught them how to teach themselves and get English from authentic sources. If you heard her talk, and then heard the kids talk, you'd have been astounded at how much better the kids were than the lady who taught them. But she was a terrific facilitator.