An American college graduate of mixed-race was, according to the article, told by a potential employer “I’m sorry but we only want white people. We want a native speaker that parents approve of”. The article highlights the similar case of a black American teacher who was told by 10 schools that he could not be hired because he was not white.

The owner of one English language school is quoted as saying that the parents are to blame, because they only want their children to be taught by white native speakers. The American teacher mentioned above says that “not only are [the parents and directors] racist, but they lie about it, deny it…”

According to the article, there is no legislation to protect against this discrimination, which means that skin colour often takes precedence over qualifications or experience when it comes to hiring teachers.

So, have you taught in Korea? Is this article a true reflection of the situation, or do you think it exaggerates the problem? Post a comment below…

Have a go and tell us what you think with a comment below…

Well, according to the Jamaica Observer, this type of English is becoming a problem in Jamaican schools, as it creeps into students’ essay writing. One teacher, quoted in the article, blames the problem on a lack of reading: “If you ask students to read a novel, the first thing they ask is ‘how many pages, Miss? Is it long?’ Everything is about instant gratification.”

What do you think? Would students use less chat room slang at school if they read more and watched less TV? Have a look at the article and post a comment below…

It got me thinking about the number of times I’ve taught “regret” as one of those verbs that we use to show how meaning can change if you follow it with a gerund or an infinitive.

The other verbs usually grouped with it in this category are “stop”, “remember” and “try”.

So how can we explain the difference to our students between “I stopped smoking ” and “I stopped to smoke”, or “I regret to tell you” and “I regret telling you”?

Plenty of different examples in different contexts is definitely key. I often use a text, usually a story (it doesn’t take long to come up with one containing a lot of examples contrasting use), and after some initial scene setting and text comprehension, start focusing on form and meaning of the different examples.

And it’s at this point that I find teachers diverge on what’s best – the question being how far to go in to the “first action”, “second action” aspect. For example:

“He stopped to smoke” – we can imagine someone walking down the street, stopping what she is doing and then lighting up. Chronologically, “stop” is clearly the first action” and “smoke” is the second.

“He stopped smoking” – well, here, we can imagine someone smoking a packet a day for 20 years, and then deciding to quit. “Smoke” is the first action chronologically, “stop” the second.

It’s the same thing with “remember” or “regret”…

“I remember buying the flowers” – first you buy them, then you remember the fact that you bought them. “I remembered to buy the flowers” – first you remember that you have to do something, then you do it.

“I regret to tell you that you have failed the exam” – first you have a regret, then you tell the person. “I regret telling him that he failed” – first I told him, then I regretted this action.

…and so on.

The problem is that although this seems to make sense logically (and might therefore appeal to the theorists among your students, who like rules and clear, logical explanations), the contexts in which we set these examples differ quite widely – a man walking along the street and stopping to light up is difficult to contrast with the much more general and long-term context of someone quitting smoking. Similarly, remembering to do something is about reminders; remembering doing something is about memory.

The other problem, of course, is that with “try”, the first action, second action trick doesn’t apply. “I tried to cook the lasagne” suggests that it was difficult, and might be followed by “but I couldn’t do it”, whereas “I tried cooking lasagne” suggests some kind of experiment and might be followed by “but I didn’t enjoy it”.

So, first action, second action, or not? Tell us what you think…

As English teachers we do so much more than help our students learn a new language. Most days we are also caregivers, psychologists, disciplinarians and even comedians. Regardless of their age, nationality, and culture, English students look up to their teachers as people who have achieved their dreams. As you play your starring roles, you cannot underestimate the power of a simple act of kindness. With the sustainability of our world at stake, this includes showing kindness to the earth. Whether at home or abroad, teachers of English have the capacity to make a difference on a global scale.