TEFL Job Alert - Mexico City

A Mexico City private primary/secondary school is looking for a male teacher for an unfilled position for the school year that just started. All boys Catholic school in Santa Fe district.

TEFL Reading List - Globish

Next up on our must read list is Globish - How the English Language Became the World's Language by Robert McCrum.

NY Time review.

and Howard Shapiro's review at philly.com

To anyone who travels beyond the United States, it's not news that, for better or worse, English has become the world's language.

No longer will people abroad automatically let you try out your French or Spanish or Japanese at the start of an everyday transaction in a restaurant, or shop, where your American-tinged tongue is more likely to draw an immediate English response, no questions asked. Sure, there remain places where this rarely happens. They are not the world's cities. And they are likely to be remote.

Well, good for us, you might say, we can be understood, a primary benefit of being human.

Well, bad for the world, you might say; it is becoming less diverse as English becomes the universal lingua franca.

Language not only defines a national culture, it also gives its speakers the tools to turn thoughts into something concrete - and among the beauties of different languages is that they offer different ways of doing so.

Robert McCrum, associate editor of Britain's Observer, is not out to wow us with old news about the ever-progressing global advance of English. Instead, his book is a thoroughly researched, cleverly told big-picture tale of how our language got to be that way - and just what that way means: ungovernable, he says, taken for granted, ever-changing.

English Language Oddities

Some things about English leave you scratching your head. For example:

Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

If you liked those, here's a site that lists several more oddities in English.

Example: The two longest words with only one of the six vowels including y are the 15-letter defenselessness and respectlessness.

TEFL Job Information Resource - ELT World

David's ELT World has been online since 2007 and is one of favorite sites for TEFL job information from around the world, directly from the teachers working out in the field.

Starting with http://www.eltworld.net/ in the format of a blog, site operator David brings fresh news and insights from around the TEFL world.

Move on the country and region specific forums to interact directly with new and veteran teachers, in Korea, Mexico, China, Turkey, Vietnam, and more.

TEFL Job Forums

Get into the forums and ask your questions. Plenty of people there to help!

Teaching Pronunciation - a Discussion

Over to the ESL Cafe Mexico section for a discussion on teaching pronunciation, or avoiding it.

It seems to me that we really don't teach pronunciation and intonation these days. I know that i am guilty of thinking that maybe it's too difficult (for me to get my head round), so I'll just steer clear of pronunciation and more importantly intonation practice.

Do you do the same? Why is this?

In another thread we are talking about how salaries and teachers values haven't increased over the years- maybe we should re-evaluate what we're teaching!

Any student can arguably learn grammar and vocabulary from a book or off the internet, but pronunciation and intonation is a clear point of difference for us native speakers.

I'm going to be incorporating a lot more of it into my classes from now on. Maybe THIS is the future....?

The "sounds of the English Language", in all its complexity, is indeed a challenge to teach if your students are already too old to be good mimics. But, I'm going to attempt it, and hope to see some improvement you can spot.

Working in the SAC and using the program called, Clear Speech from the Start, Cambridge Univ Press, I'll be offering active practice for those who desire it, as a test of its usefulness. I plan to make before and after recordings, and invite native speakers to identify "which is which".

I'm hoping for an eight week commitment to an hour a week, in two half hour sessions. I hope somebody signs up....

Teachers Latin America - Teaching in Mexico

New Words for the Dictionary

From the Buzz Log by Mike Krumboltz

The English language is always evolving. There was a time when words like email, x-ray, and d'oh were nowhere to be found in the dictionary. Today, we add a few more new words to the tome.

The bookworms behind the Oxford Dictionary of English recently released a list of 2,000 or so new words that will be added to their next edition. Some of the new words include staycation, social media, and the groan-inducing chillax.

The list sparked massive interest on the Web and, we can safely assume, a lot of questions from folks who don't know a staycation from a vacation, or a bromance from a romance. (FYI: A staycation is like a vacation, but you stay at home and save money. And a bromance is a "close but non-sexual relationship between two men.")

Perhaps the most high-profile word to be added to the dictionary this year is vuvuzela. For those who slept through the World Cup, a vuvuzela is the one-note plastic horn that creates a horrendously annoying sound. That's our definition. The official one, via the Oxford Dictionary of English, is a bit more balanced: "A long plastic instrument, in the shape of a trumpet, which makes a very loud noise when you blow it and is popular with football fans in South Africa."

Some other popular additions include frenemy ("a person with whom one is friendly despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry"), cheeseball ("lacking taste, style or originality"), and wardrobe malfunction ("an instance of a person accidentally exposing an intimate part of their body as result of an article of clothing slipping out of position.")

Frankly, we're amazed it took so long for that last term to make it into the dictionary. Thanks to Janet Jackson, Paris Hilton, and other Hollywood stars, it's been part of the public discourse for years.

Teaching in Costa Rica - A Discussion

Once again to Dave's ESL Cafe for some good tips on teaching at international schools in Costa Rica, a favorite destination for Teachers Latin America students.

The discussion is at the Cafe, Costa Rica section.

Excerpts:

Hello,
I am planning on moving down to Costa Rica next summer to teach and, because I am a licensed high school Business/Computer teacher who'll have 2 years experience, I'd really like to teach in an international school. I have heard the pay in CR is low compared to other LA countries, but that life is better in other ways, is this true?

Are there a lot of international schools in CR? Do many of them offer visa assistance?

Any additional tips you'd like to pass along?

Thank in advance!

I have been there on vacation and would like to teach also. Basically, I would suggest you save up 12k to supplement and then enjoy!

International schools:

- Country Day School
- Washington School
- Falcon School (?)

There's a couple of others that I can't remember the name of right now, and probably more that I don't know about; small schools around the San Jose area. There are also several, including a Montessori school, in other parts of the country (Jacó, for example).

FYI: My fiance and I both landed jobs teaching at Falcon International School in Herradura. Let me know if you would like any info.

Living and Teaching in Oaxaca, Mexico - a Discussion

One of our favorite websites - Dave's ESL Cafe - features a current discussion on living and teaching in Oaxaca State, southern Mexico.

The general consensus? Oaxaca is a gorgeous place to be but it's quite difficult to find a good job and to make ends meet.

Find the complete discussion at the Cafe - Mexico section.

Excerpts:

Oaxaca seems like an ideal place to live and work but it´s actually a very expensive city and wages are very low.

It sounds like other reasons than choice of work brought you to Oaxaca: I'm concerned about your having put yourself in one of the more difficult markets in Mexico as a first experience after your TEFL course when a big disappointment in work could sour you to the whole enterprise

These forums are full of warnings about the difficulties of finding any kind of work on reasonable terms in Oaxaca: now is the time to reconsider before you've signed a lease and get too deeply committed to what may prove to be a bad situation work-wise should you be relying on working to support yourself in Mexico

It's clear from the hundreds of posts on this forum that there are many perfectly good places to live and work in Mexico and make a start in TEFL: Oaxaca- for a combination of reasons- does not seem to be one of them

Articulated in a nice way. I was lucky to have a great TESOL program behind me and I made friends with a couple of wonderful people but the possibility of ending up with less than you came in with and some bitter experiences is a real possibility in Oaxaca. At this point in time for Oaxaca - not for the new or those with thin bank accounts.

Thank you all for the reply. I appreciate all the time that you have taken to help me. I did indeed find a decent job in Oaxaca. I am now working for Harmon Hall Oaxaca. If anyone has any real bad experiences there it would be good to know. I sign my 40+ hour contract in three weeks.

Also if there are any bad experience or suggestions with immigration here I will be all ears. Thanks again to all of you, especially about the school near Reforma. I nearly applied there.

Job Alert - Mexico City

The American School in Mexico city is looking for a teacher to fill 2 classes a week, mornings from 8:30 to 10:00 AM, ESL for adult learners. Pay is not great at 120 pesos per hour, but it could be a good way to fill in some empty slots if you have them or to get a foot in the door at what is the top school in the country.

How the Internet is Changing Language

From the BBC.

'To Google' has become a universally understood verb and many countries are developing their own internet slang. But is the web changing language and is everyone up to speed?

In April 2010 the informal online banter of the internet-savvy collided with the traditional and austere language of the court room.

Christopher Poole, founder of anarchic image message board 4Chan, had been called to testify during the trial of the man accused of hacking into US politician Sarah Palin's e-mail account.

During the questioning he was asked to define a catalogue of internet slang that would be familiar to many online, but which was seemingly lost on the lawyers.

At one point during the exchange, Mr Poole was asked to define "rickrolling".

"Rickroll is a meme or internet kind of trend that started on 4chan where users - it's basically a bait and switch. Users link you to a video of Rick Astley performing Never Gonna Give You Up," said Mr Poole.

read more of the story at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10971949

August Get Together

Thanks to all that came out, we had a lot of fun!



Salon Corona, Centro Historico, Mexico City



Scary visitor.



New friends.



New connections.

And some video over at Vimeo, Gante Street Mexico City.

http://www.vimeo.com/14147860

Next TEFL Course - August 30th

Next TEFL Course runs August 30th to September 11th. Sign up today at www.innovative-english.com

Philospophy, Spiderman, and EFL

An interesting story on the BBC caught our collective eye, about the use of popular comics such as Spidermaan and Batman at university level philosophy courses. Comics are also widely used by EFL teachers working abroad with children as visually stimulating storyboards make learning both fun and effective. Now, the EFL teacher can bring morality and ethical questions into the mix, but perhaps for a bit older student.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10900068

For years, fans of the Batman comics have puzzled over a mystery at the heart of the series: why doesn't Batman just kill his arch-nemesis, the murderous Joker?

The two have engaged in a prolonged game of cat-and-mouse. The Joker commits a crime, Batman catches him, the Joker is locked up, and then invariably escapes.

Wouldn't all this be much simpler if Batman just killed the Joker? What's stopping him?

Enter philosopher Immanuel Kant and the deontological theory of ethics.

At least, that's how the discussion progresses in a growing number of philosophy classes in the US.

Cultural and media studies have paved the way for universities to incorporate pop culture into their curriculum. These days it is not uncommon to find a television studies class alongside 17th-Century literature in the course listings of an English department.

Now, philosophy professors are finding superheroes and comic books to be exceptionally useful tools in helping students think about the complex moral and ethical debates that have occupied philosophers for centuries.

Read the rest of the story at the link above and remember - with great power comes great responsibility.

Teacher Get together - Mexico City

Teachers Latin America will be proud to welcome new teachers to Mexico City for the 2010/11 school year at a gathering in the Centro Historico. Come meet us at the Salon Corona, at the corner of Gante and Madero streets.

Saturday, August 14th from 3 PM, join on us on the patio for drinks and meet new teachers!