I hold a Teaching English Foreign Language (TEFL) Level 5 certification from The TEFL Academy.
Learning
In the course of my work, I get several informal teaching opportunities. I have noticed that when clients internalise my comments explaining content and grammar changes, their following documents generally show improvement. I have also attended a myriad conferences and meetings. I have repeatedly seen that regardless of our noble views on not judging a book by its cover, people make split-second value decisions about people based on how they use language – whether written or spoken.
Henry Higgins
(Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw) said it best, “Remember that you are a human
being with a soul and the divine gift of articulate speech…”
He continues to say to the poor Eliza Doolittle that her native language is the language of Shakespeare and Milton and The Bible. If this is true for native English speakers, where do second- and even third-language English speakers fit in?
Does ‘good English’ mean we all speak with a British accent (as beautiful as that is)? No, I will until the end of my days speak with an Afrikaans accent and bewailing such an unfortunate lot is futile.
Of more value is ensuring that the sentences I utter – on paper/screen or in the ether – are meaningful (eloquent), understandable (enunciated), and correctly constructed (i.e. not making others’ eyes/ears bleed).
And that can be learnt.
This is one reason why I opted to pursue a TEFL Level 5 certificate – to learn the best ways to teach more formally, using the latest techniques in best practice for teaching a language without lecturing (bo-o-oring) and with sufficient fun and student participation in the mix.
Expressing
oneself well in another language, especially if it is the international
business language, is a privilege, an image booster, and a communication
imperative.
Contact me
for an English second-language course tailor-made to suit your needs.