The TEFL News Network

My New Life Back Home

March 12th, 2008

Freedom to Educate Our Children

The recent California court ruling that attempts to eliminate a parent’s right to home school their children is sure generating a firestorm of controversy. Thankfully, at least one group is leading the fight against this ruling that affects the education of many. Reverse The Ruling - Homeschoolers Unite has put together a website with information on how to fight this anti-education ruling.

My wife and I homeschool our oldest son. In fact, it’s really the only way we can know that our son is getting the education he needs. We looked at the local schools, they are so filled with hate and they instill the wrong values. For us, home schooling is the only option. While we don’t live in California, I’m a little concerned that this kind of ruling could spread to other states.

That’s why I signed the online petition to reverse the ruling and I urge others to do the same thing. We need to keep our freedom to education our children as we see fit, not how some judge sees fit.

Here is one quote that really sums up how I feel about this:

“Homeschooling has been a freedom practiced long before the Constitution captured our inalienable rights, with many of the Declaration of Independence signatures coming from men that were homeschooled. Our opinion is quite clear,” said Mimi Rothschild, leader of ReverseTheRuling.com. “Parents are responsible to train their children to the very best of their ability and to teach them all they believe to be true. Parents are blessed with children, and obligated to care for all aspects of their children’s lives, including who, what, where and how they are educated.”

Let’s fight this ruling against home schooling and get the government out of how we raise and educate our children.

February 29th, 2008

Breaking Free from Slavery

I think some people have started comparing the TEFL profession with a form of slavery. I have to agree with it. It’s not a slavery that binds you to physical shackles, but long term TEFL teachers become so bound to the lifestyle that it is hard to make the break and move onto better things. It’s as if their life revolves around a low paying career that is an intellectual void.

Please don’t get me wrong here. For those involved in a TEFL career path, those who have taken to volunteer teaching, or those using it for extra cash on the side, it can be a very fulfilling career, but as soon as you find yourself on the ground floor of TEFL, it’s too hard to see your way out of the predicament. The wages are so low in many countries that you will never be able to get ahead and you may even fall behind and even lack the money to repatriate yourself. That’s the tough life of a TEFL teacher.

What makes it all worse is that after you break free from TEFL, you can even find it difficult reintegrating into the workforce back home. The only way I could do it was to train in a new career. Now, I am happy and I am so glad that I am no longer a TEFL slave.

February 16th, 2008

Teachers in Korea are Qualified

The Korea Times is reporting that 53% of Foreign teachers in Korean elementary and secondary schools do not have TEFL certificates. That’s what their articles says, but that not what their headline says. Their headlines is 53% of Foreign Tutors Lack Teaching Degrees. Whatever happened to truth in headlines?

Never mind, I am surprised by the figure nonetheless. See the job ads never ask for a TEFL certificate and in many cases all they want or need is a native speaker. Why complain about the quality when you are specifically not looking for it?

December 1st, 2007

Call to Work as TEFL Tentmakers

It appears as though a call is being made for Christians to take TEFL jobs so that they can fulfill a call to work as tentmakers. Since many countries are closed or to missionaries or have restrictions on Christian missionaries but have a need for TEFL teachers, many would be missionaries are jumping into the TEFL profession. They are learning how to be missionaries alongside being English Teachers.
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November 2nd, 2007

Using Video to Promote TEFL Courses

I have noticed an explosion of videos recently on Youtube with the sole purpose of promoting TEFL courses. The videos are another a tool to convince would be students that TEFL is a dream profession where the jobs are perfect, the students are perfect and adventure waits around the corner.
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