TEFL Alumni - Cynthia Huntington

My True Experience of Life as an English Teacher

I appreciate what you do, and all the students you help to become teachers.
I am always amazed at the confidence of University graduates teaching a language, usually their own, English, from USA, with poor grammar and pronunciation. But they have the confidence of the 'innocent' (that is a nicer word for 'ignorance').

On Sunday I listened to a professor from Arizona U. talking about Philosophy of Life. During the speech he said..."I should have WENT"....surely he meant "I should have GONE", but he was totally unaware of his type of English, confident and ignorant of his mother tongue, English. The Dutchman, who sat next to me, commented on it. He said his people in Holland knew English grammar better than the University graduates of good old brazen Americans"...sad state of affairs, isn't it?

I suppose teaching 'bad English' is better than 'no English'. I am not trying to be unkind, or rude - just stating the facts that we who speak English normally, feel when hearing it abused.

I live in Mexico, there are the do-gooders from US here, some with the most awful accents, and lack of correct English, but they are happily and confidently teaching their 'kinda' speech to the poor children.

But it is better than nothing, I suppose!
When I took the course, the class had 50 American U grads, none of whom could spell without their "spell-check", it was amazing that they were wanting to teach something they could neither pronounce nor spell.

......where angels fear to tread! They had not heard of that expression.
Bruce, I hope you are well, and I remember your dear wife's terrific pizzas with great pleasure. Happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year to you and your family, sincerely, Cynthia B Huntington.

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