Sexual Identities in ESL

This article gives me the time to think sexual identities in teaching for the first time. Particularly the matters about homosexuality and the other sexual identities. To be honest, I’m not familiar with sexual identities because that issue begins to be emerging problem very recently in Korea. But through this article, I came to know the concepts of queer theory and I learned many things.

A few months ago, when I talked about cultural shock with a native teacher from Canada. I was surprised to hear that he thought that my school boys were gays because they held hands and arm in arm sometimes. I have never thought like that because homo sexuality is not common in Korea. And I think boys can touch each other because they are definitely not sexual partners. Though they are gays they never hold hands in public because in Korea there’s not enough social recognition about the issue. So sexual identities are done in different ways in different cultural contexts, and it calls for a close look at social contexts.

After reading this article, I realized that I should try to understand and consider the diverse sexual identities or sexual minorities including. bisexual, transgenderal in my teaching context as an English teacher. Also this article changed my prejudicial attitudes on the sexual minorities and widened my range of thinking

From the Periphery to the Center

George Braine's "From the Periphery to the Cente" made me reflect my career as an English teacher in Korea. In many parts, I can really understand the situation in Sri Lanka, because it's not so different from Korea at that time. According to the article, she was the first trainned teacher of English in the school's 40-year history. I remember one of my English teacher in high school whose major was not English. It was not the rare case. At that time there was not enough qualified English teachers because most young iob seekers prefer to entring big company like Samsung and they could earn much more money than teachers.
But now there's big change and improvement in teachers as well as Korean society. Nowadays new English teachers have English proficiency and almost have at least one year studing experience in native countries. 2 years ago I attended the Seminar provided by the Epik with my native teacher, one of the presenter described Korean English class as passive and teacher-centered, she couldn't finish her presentation because of native teachers' disagreement about that. I think she had too old data.
And I also doubt that only native teacher is the best way in teaching Englsih. It gives English teachers much more works to do. Sometimes he/she doesn't know about the tecahing plan and the basic know-how to treat the students. They can get a job too easy with only Englsh. A few days ago Korea Education department announced that from next year they recruit Enghish assistant teachers from India who are highly qualified as a teacher. But actually native teachers in Korea are assistant teachers, so there is less porblem. It means they can't be a homeroom teacher and teach students alone or independently.
As Canagarajah said, language teaching is an art, science and a skill that requires complex pedagogical preparation and practice. I know that there's no guarnatee that I will be a better teacher after finidhing my MA cousre than before. Preparation porper to the context that I will meet with open mind to changes, maybe it's closer to the better teacher. Teachers and students are always in Center of education.

Native or non-native: who's worth more?

A s the other articles about the native speaker, this article also made me think about native speaker again with problematic wiews, and it's more interesting to me that dichotomay in ELT.
While reading several articles including this, the idea about the native speaker has changed.

Edge's view that all users of English are simultaneously learners of English reduce my burden to English study. However, I really agreed the other's claim that for all thier efforts, non-native speakers can never achieve a native speaker's competence. When one of my daughters asked me dicatate some words from her list for spelling test, there are so many words that I don't knowd the meaning. The words are for elemetary school students in America. So I realized I have learned taught very narrow spectum of English (for International or broadcating English).
I really agreed that one of the most professional duties non-NESTs have to perform is to improve their command of English and it's also true that teacher's learning process is impeded by several kinds of constraints. I have a similar experience in Korea. I want to study English more for my fluency, but I don't have time to do. In high school I had too many classes a day and sometimes we work over 9 pm.

A few years ago, In Korea president Lee said "Egnlish teachers must teach English only in Englsih and Korean edcation department will hire more and more native teachers who will replace the korean English teachers. But I certainly sure that to teach English effeciently to L2 learners, both teachers are needed through my experience with native teachers. And speaking is not the only thing to teach. One of my friends worried me saying "Maybe you may lose your job as an English teacher, and Korean Enghish teachers may disappear in schools. So I answered very firmly, "Don't worry. Non-NESTs also have many constraints in our education system.What you worried will not happen". Until now there's no change in Korean English education system, but to me there's big change "I'm in America for my English study"
It's ideal that we try to find good balance of NESTs and non-NESTs who complement each other in their strengths and weaknesses.