March 17, 2006
China Notes 16
Dear Friends,
Much of my time and energy this past semester has gone into working
on the steering committee of the “Christians in English
Language Teaching” conference, held this past January 23-25
at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and attracting approximately
150 participants from over 20 countries. The theme of the conference
was “Heart, Mind, and Spirit: Faith-Filled Professionalism
in the Classroom,” and presentations covered a wide range
of topics. While some presentations addressed practical topics
such as “Increasing Student Talking Time in the EFL Classroom”
and “Responding Graciously to Cultural Differences as an
EFL Teacher,” others explored more complex issues of what
it means to serve God as an English teacher, for example:
- English Teaching and Development
- Values in Language Teaching
- Incarnation or Imperialism: Lessons from the Past for Today's
English Teachers
- Teaching Grammar with Compassion
- English Teaching as Christian Mission
- Christianity and ELT: Political, Pedagogical, and Professional
Tensions
Allowing myself a brief moment of denominational pride, I can't
refrain from pointing out that Presbyterians were rather well
represented—there were three of us on the steering committee,
the host university has Presbyterian roots, and many of the speakers
and attendees had Presbyterian ties of one kind of another, including
all three of the plenary speakers.
This conference illustrates is the growing importance of English
teaching as a form of mission, especially as a form of mission
engaged in by Western Christians. While there have long been English
teachers among the ranks of missionaries, recent decades have
seen a substantial increase both in the total number and the percentage
of Western missionaries who work as English teachers. This trend
is driven by the growing international role of English. It is
no exaggeration to say that English has become the world’s
predominant international language, and this means that there
is a great need for the services of English teachers in many countries.
As a case in point, more PC(USA) overseas mission personnel work
in education than in any other form of mission service, and many
of them teach English.
A second point relates to the sense some people have that teaching
English isn't quite as profound a form of mission as, say, being
a missionary nurse, doctor or pastor. However, as the list of
topics above hints, English teaching can be Christian mission
and service in ways that are quite significant. Take, for example,
the issue of English teaching and development. Westerners, especially
those whose first language is English, often tend to think of
learning a foreign language as a rather optional kind of activity—something
that would be nice to do if the opportunity presented itself,
but not a particularly high priority. However, the growing international
role of English means that for people (communities, nations) whose
first language is not English, learning English is often necessary
for access to jobs, educational opportunities, business contacts,
or important technical or health information. Knowledge of English—or
lack of such knowledge—often significantly impacts what
opportunities are open to people around the world. One effective
way that Western Christians can help people develop the skills
to meet their own needs is by teaching English.
A final point: the marriage of English teaching and Christian
mission is not as simple as one might think. While a great deal
of good can be done through English teaching, there are also potential
problems. When many nations feel that their cultures and languages
are threatened by the dominance of the West—often transmitted
through the medium of English—there is a fine line between
teaching English as a useful language and seeming to promote or
even impose an alien culture in ways that seem more threatening
than empowering. Command of English is one way elites maintain
a privileged access to opportunity, and if English teachers primarily
serve those who are in a position to pay well for that service,
there is the danger that Western English teachers sustain inequalities
rather than expanding the opportunities open to the disadvantaged.
These issues suggest that English teaching is a form of mission
that Westerners need to engage in reflectively, considering carefully
how it can best be of service to God, how it can be done in ways
that show respect and concern for the people in whose countries
it is being taught, and how it can have a positive impact on behalf
of the disadvantaged.
The reality is that many Westerners who go abroad as ambassadors
of God will be teachers of English, so as a community of senders
and sendees it is important that we think missiologically about
how best to carry out this form of mission. We need to be sure
that we are listening not only for the call of people who want
English teachers, but also God’s call of vocation. Our little
conference didn’t ask or answer all the questions that are
out there, but we certainly did our best to consider them seriously
and prayerfully, and to seek God’s guidance together as
a community.
God’s peace,
Don and Wei Hong Snow
The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
246 |
