Teaching is helping

First off, here are the definitions according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

Teach: to guide the studies of

Help: give assistance or support

Now, it makes sense when I say that teaching is helping, right? One cannot “guide” someone without “assisting”  them so that is why helping is probably the most important component in successfully teaching another language. The point here is when students need aid or have questions, the teachers’ obligation is to be there to answer them wholeheartedly. They should be honestly interested in how their students are thinking to figure out how they can correct them. They have the power to contribute to their long-term knowledge rather than talking at them and hoping they get it all. This kind of wishful thinking is lazy and any teacher who has this mindset should rethink their career.

Without help, there is no true learning going on in the classroom. The communication is necessary or else everything seems robotic and uniform when education should be versatile and spontaneous. It also makes it more difficult for people to grow together and learn about each other. There are, indeed, places that are like this where students are so programmed that they take tests based solely on the lecture of the day, but what is the benefit of that? Sure, maybe a good grade here and there, but in the long run, grades do not matter. What you take from the classroom to the real world is what’s important.

It is assumed that most of us have encountered a situation where we have sat in a class in which the instructor has droned on and on or has sped through a lecture and expected everyone to fully understand what he had said. The frustration builds and the lack of discussion drives us crazy since there were questions that popped into our head from the very beginning. This type of method is not very beneficial, is it? Especially when it’s in a foreign country. By providing an environment where questions are encouraged, teachers can be helpful and relieve the stress and worries that learners don’t even need in the first place.

Teachers, especially ESL teachers, must help; it’s so obvious that there’s nothing much more to say about it. All of this may have been nothing new to you, but to some, it doesn’t seem as straight-forward as it is.

(For simple yet effective ideas on how to help ESL click here.)

Purpose

This blog is dedicated to discussing and researching the subject of English Language Education abroad, or also known as English as a Second Language. The main focus is the lifestyle and experiences that teachers have in South Korea and how it has affected them and their students.

Being a high school junior, I’m about to gain my real independence and have the ability to choose what I desire to learn in a college. Teaching English to non-native speakers is a rewarding and sometimes a life-changing experience according to various people who have blogged about their personal experiences in this subject. The different culture, history, and way of life ultimately affects the teachers and gives them a wider understanding and appreciativeness of the world.

I believe that teaching English is connecting countries together (not just South Korea) by providing a common language and way to relate. It also gives people the knowledge that benefits them and others. This is why I chose this subject.

But what, in specific, are these experiences? How do you even get to this point? This blog provides information on this wide topic for the author’s personal sake and possibly the benefit to readers who have the similar desire. The process of obtaining a job, inventing new teaching methods, the high demand for these instructors and why, and much more will be discussed on a regular basis. I hope you find my blurbs interesting and helpful in educating you about this fast-growing area.