By Dee MacGibbon
Contributing Writer
Although I live in Canada, was born in Canada of white Anglo-Saxon parents, have lived my entire life in Canada, have never traveled to Korea, nor had the opportunity to be friends with any Koreans living in Canada, I do read the English version of the Korea Times newspaper every day. You may be wondering why I am so interested in the affairs of South Korea. I am continually intrigued by the vast number of articles and opinion columns that focus on the public and private education systems in Korea and in particular, the teaching of English language skills to young Koreans.
Most of these articles reflect negative attitudes and opinions about the effectiveness of English language teaching and learning in Korea. Students have been described as unmotivated and unresponsive, teachers have been labeled as unqualified, unhappy and bitter, and parents have been stereotyped as stressed and crazed. I am shocked and saddened by these accusations and would like to challenge your columnists and readers to look further and deeper to an alternative that avoids these pitfalls. I believe that the teaching/learning environment in which I work is the ideal alternative for both Korean students and Canadian teachers.
I am an ESL teacher, well-educated at two prestigious Canadian universities and professionally certified by the Ministry of Education to teach in the public schools of British Columbia. I am not interested in teaching English to fund my world travels, nor am I teaching English because I am unable to find employment elsewhere. I teach English language skills to Koreans because I love it and I am able to teach my students in a classroom that is ideal for both of us. My students are at home in Korea with their family members and friends and I am at home in Canada with my family and friends. Both of us are working in a comfortable, familiar environment that has been proven to enhance the learning process and improve learning outcomes exponentially. In my opinion, this is nothing short of the very best situation for ESL learning.
Many Koreans exhibit high levels of understanding in the areas of English grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension which are obviously well addressed by the Korean education system. However, there is a need for ongoing study and practice of conversational English language skills with well-qualified, native English speaking teachers. The virtual classroom environment in which I work addresses this need perfectly. Because I am teaching my students one-on-one I am able to create learning materials that are culturally relevant and personally meaningful to my students. Most ESL materials used in public schools and private institutions are created and published in the west for mass distribution and profit, therefore it should come as no surprise that students are unmotivated and uninterested in learning English. Once again, research has proven that language skills develop from experience and the need to communicate and share these experiences with others.
I love my students and my life is greatly enriched because of our relationship as ongoing partners in the learning process. I am continually amazed at the potential of all people to learn new skills and to develop competence and confidence in areas that they never imagined possible. My students are not only learners, they are also teachers and I am often the student. In my virtual classroom I am learning that Koreans are extremely intelligent, well-informed, well-educated and hard working people. Korea is a nation for the future and I am grateful to have this small but significant opportunity to be a part of Korea's success as an emerging world leader.
I believe that it is time for Korean parents and educators to address the current dissatisfaction with stressful and sometimes inadequate English-language learning environments. There are healthy and successful alternatives and one of these is the online virtual classroom where students are able to establish long-term relationships with highly qualified and motivated educators.
These individuals are not teaching because it is the only available job or to earn enough money to fund their ongoing world travels, but because they truly believe in the sharing of language and culture so that we can all be equal members of our global community. We are able to develop relationships with our students that extend beyond the virtual classroom. We are building lifelong friendships. Many of my students plan to travel to western countries where English is the language of business and life. Whether they choose to stay and study or work in the west or return to their homes and families in Korea, they will benefit greatly from the information and guidance that I can offer by way of our virtual classroom. Also, I have been invited by many of my students to visit them in Korea, which is a trip that I never would have taken before getting to know these wonderful individuals.
In closing, I want to express my gratitude to my employer, Paul Lee. He is a Korean-Canadian and the owner of the company, Online ESL Teachers, for whom I work. He is a brilliant technical design and support person and he has created a classroom that is able to bridge the miles of ocean that separate Canada from Korea. Without his continued support and dedication to his fellow Koreans and fellow Canadians I would not be able to do this work that I love. This is a golden alternative for Koreans who want to continue living in Korea with their families but also want to learn to speak the English language and learn about western culture from the comfort of their own home. I encourage you to embrace this opportunity.
Dee MacGibbon is a graduate of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, with a B.A. in Economics and a graduate of the Professional Development Program, Department of Education, Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C.