What makes a good ESL teacher?

[ChewDawg]

White face, blonde hair, and deference to management.

[Pop Fly]

Taiwan's ESL Industry: Putting the mark in marketing.

For Kids: Keep them happy so the marks (parents) don't question the fact that they are being conned. Understand your real role is babysitter. Perpetuate the con and get your cut. Once the class is over, they won't use English again until the next class. So.. Once the rugrats get to highschool they'll stop using English so everything you are doing is moot. They'll have to start all over once they get to Uni. So..... Teach the tests. Pass everyone.

For Adults: Get them talking and listening. Fergit grammar, test prep, and all the other neat little packages they sell to their customers. Build confidence and help them understand that rote learning is not the way to become proficient with a language.

[jdsmith]

White face, blonde hair, and deference to management.

That's bullshit.
The best teacher I ever saw in Taiwan was black and quite surly.

What makes a good teacher? Someone who likes teaching and likes learning even more. Someone who isn't shy or who can overcome their shyness in the classroom and engage the students and make a 45-90 minute block of time fly by. Someone who can manage his or her time and get the job done, leave the class sweaty and worked up.

A good teacher is one that maintains (by any means necessary) the attention and interest of the students upon the subject at hand, no matter how degrading the system or dull the curriculum.

Right fucking there.

Taiwan's ESL Industry: Putting the mark in marketing.

For Kids: Keep them happy so the marks (parents) don't question the fact that they are being conned. Understand your real role is babysitter. Perpetuate the con and get your cut. Once the class is over, they won't use English again until the next class. So.. Once the rugrats get to highschool they'll stop using English so everything you are doing is moot. They'll have to start all over once they get to Uni. So..... Teach the tests. Pass everyone.

This is also bullshit. Many of our students are now kicking the crap out of their insipid high school tests, testing into good universities, studying and traveling abroad, as well as reading novels, newspapers and magazines in English, and not the EFL crapazines.

What you describe is the large problem cram schools owners have to deal with. Punch in punch out yahoos who think teaching Taiwanese children English is a modern form of welfare, where to gets paid, alls you gotta do is show up. Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.

[ChewDawg]

That's bullshit.
The best teacher I ever saw in Taiwan was black and quite surly.

I don't disagree with you. I am saying that is what 99% of Laobans in the industry prefer.

[jdsmith]

That's bullshit.
The best teacher I ever saw in Taiwan was black and quite surly.

I don't disagree with you. I am saying that is what 99% of Laobans in the industry prefer.

Oh? And how many do you know personally?

I know lots. Know what they want? Someone who can teach well and keep the students pleasantly engaged in learning.

[ChewDawg]

That's bullshit.
The best teacher I ever saw in Taiwan was black and quite surly.

I don't disagree with you. I am saying that is what 99% of Laobans in the industry prefer.

Oh? And how many do you know personally?

I know lots. Know what they want? Someone who can teach well and keep the students pleasantly engaged in learning.

Most value $ and cater to the prejudices of parents. This is Taiwan and not the peace corps. They may value what you suggested but the parents mostly don't and they often dictate right?

[jdsmith]

That's bullshit.
The best teacher I ever saw in Taiwan was black and quite surly.

I don't disagree with you. I am saying that is what 99% of Laobans in the industry prefer.

Oh? And how many do you know personally?

I know lots. Know what they want? Someone who can teach well and keep the students pleasantly engaged in learning.

Most value $ and cater to the prejudices of parents. This is Taiwan and not the peace corps.

Right, and when you do not have good teachers who can teach what the kids need to learn, there will be fewer and fewer customers. I can't believe you are coming down on capitalistic entrepreneurs.

Crappy schools fail all the time. The good ones remain, and not normally because the boss is a greedy schmeckel, but because the teachers or the support staff know what they're doing.

As for the parents, they do not dictate classes. How could they? Schools that bend over backwards for every parent rarely do well. Not to say that parents are ignored, but when you cave in once, that makes it easier to do it again and again....

[Puppet]

Crappy schools fail all the time. The good ones remain, and not normally because the boss is a greedy schmeckel, but because the teachers or the support staff know what they're doing.

Um....
http://eng.joy.com.tw/index.php

http://www.giraffe.com.tw/

[jimipresley]

Crappy schools fail all the time. The good ones remain, and not normally because the boss is a greedy schmeckel, but because the teachers or the support staff know what they're doing.

Um....
http://eng.joy.com.tw/index.php

http://www.giraffe.com.tw/

Here's a few more:

http://www.hess.com.tw/

http://www.jordan.com.tw/master/index.htm

http://www.happymarian.com/

[jdsmith]

Oh please. I've worked at several of those places and what, their material is boring? Waaa. The students are mixed levels? Waaa. A good teacher can teach anything.

A LOT of teachers who work for chain schools are quite good, so the point about the bosses being GREEDY businessmen is pointless. What? A business shouldn't make money? gtfooh.

The bosses rarely teach the classes, btw. I used to teach in universities too and you know ho had the best English in those classes? The kids who went to Hess. By far.

Being a good teacher starts with respecting your job and yourself. If you can't do one or the other, the problem has little to do with your boss.

An English teacher is far removed from a person who makes money teaching English.