Stereotypes Of Non-Native English Speakers
Stereotypes Of Non-Native English Speakers
What is a 'native English speaker' exactly? Well according to the dictionary definition, a native speaker is basically a person who speaks in his/her first language also known as their mother tongue. No one's nationality or race should determine their status as a native English speaker however this precise criterion is taken into consideration by oversea schools when recruiting teachers. Due to the mentality of these people who still think there is no problem with being intolerant over the way people speak is why many experienced and qualified teachers find themselves discriminated.
It's fine when 'native English-speaking teachers have a better model of English' is just an opinion but once that turns into an action, a policy, that's when discrimination transpires. It becomes entrenched within the teaching industry that native speakers are more creativity with language, have no foreign accents, and are more aware of the languages' culture than non-native speakers, but because of this outlook people tend to put native speaking teachers on a higher pedestal allowing them to have more advantages, opportunities, and an increase in pay compared to non-native speaking teachers. For example, a study that looks at higher educational institutes in the UK said it was found that almost 70% of them had made hiring decisions based on them being native or non-native speakers which doesn't surprise me at all. If the key factor is the methodology, then why are native English-speaking teachers not getting judged when they make mistakes when teaching or if they use a phrase that he/she uses with their family that no one else understands. The only difference between them is that one grew up with English and one learnt it once they got older.
Not only does the teaching institute think in such a manner but so do parents and children. Looking upon a survey done by teachers, students, parents, and service staff to see what they require of a teacher, it was established that in people's preference not being a native speaker ranks as a number three priority. This goes to show that the teaching industry requirements not only negatively affect non-native teachers but also has a great impact on parents and student's judgement. You hear parents say they want their child to grow up learning the standard English but is there such a thing anymore? The English language as a whole is changing as different dialects are introduced, it's bound to mix together and create a new form of English. Discrimination is a choice, collusion with inequality is a choice. A realistic goal would be to change the markets' demand, make them perceive things differently. How many times have you, have we changed our minds in the last 10 years? It's the same thing with the teaching industry, ideas can change and so can views.
At the end of the day the thing that matters the most is how well a teacher can connect with you in a classroom, the way they engage with you to show they care, how they motivate you to achieve your goals and how they do the best they possibly can to ensure you become the best version of yourself in the future, because those qualities make up a great teacher not the way they speak.
Your opinion column was very enjoyable! One of the opinion conventions that I can see you followed was including hard facts. Beginning with a dictionary definition was very smart as it put down a basis right at the start, of the term 'native English speaker'. This can make the rest of your writing be interpreted from a similar viewpoint by the audience, where they can establish the definition you have selected to be the closest to your own personal definition of the term. Also, the statistics and survey results were useful in supporting your opinion and overall allowing the audience to hear your voice. Your voice and standpoints on this issue could be understood and followed from the first paragraph where you stated, "No one's nationality or race should determine their status as a native English speaker however this precise criterion is taken into consideration by oversea schools when recruiting teachers." An improvement I would make is to acknowledge the counter argument in a clearer manner. Overall, well done on being successful in sending your message across to your readers and having comprehendible sentences and points.
ReplyDeleteGreat Job! You generally followed the conventions of an opinion column; you had hard facts when covering the statistics regarding educational institutions, you use good logos in each of the statements you claim, you give a context for your opinion that is newsworthy, and finally you established a voice in your writing that follows the conventions of an opinion column. It appears that you have a good understanding of the theme you are trying to convey through your opinion column. The improvements that I suggest are the following: You need to organize your ideas better make them flow with one another, as right now it seems that the paragraphs are not connecting to one another smoothly. Also it is key to point out that you should try to focus on having a more effective/critical thesis and concluding statement. All improvements aside you did a good job for this being your first opinion column.
ReplyDeleteSomething that really stands out about your response is how well you replicated the conventions of the text type. This response really read like an opinion column. The content you selected was relevant and supported you in developing an argument. Beyond that, you effectively avoided overly academic writing, and achieved some good sense of character. Moving forward, more attention to writer’s craft and achieving a unique voice would enhance the quality of your language and style. By including more subject specific terminology from our previous lessons could have also allowed you to show a more comprehensive understanding of the topic. Well done.
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