Applying to English EFL Schools Abroad: Why They Don’t Answer Your Messages

Comic: "Rabbits Against Magic" by Jonathan Lemon


Why They Don’t Answer Your Messages

With increasing frequency, I receive e-mails very similar to the following one which illustrates a growing trend in English language teaching. You write to schools, institutes and companies looking for an overseas English teaching position and after weeks of e-mails to perhaps dozens of locations, you have not received as much as a single reply. “Why?” you ask. Here’s my response to one reader on that very aspect along with my suggested solutions.

An EFL Teaching Help Request Letter

“My name is *Shelley Kelly and I am a recent graduate from *Oxford House College. The purpose for this email is to obtain advice and information concerning teaching English as a foreign language in Colombia. I am on the waiting list of the British Council, but in the meantime have been emailing universities and institutes for information on how to apply. However, none have got back to me. I am currently waiting to arrange an interview with the International House in Bogota, and was wondering if you could provide any details and advice on how to go about the application process.” Sincerely, S. K.

Note: *Some names changed to protect privacy of correspondents and schools

Here is an excerpt of my response:

Dear S.K.,

... International House is an excellent educational institution with offices worldwide. I’ve been to their local offices in Mexico City, Barcelona, Spain and in Bogota, Colombia. They are new to Colombia with an office in Central Bogota. (I passed their new office in the colonial, historic neighborhood of "Candelaria" earlier this month while I was in Bogota.) The main reason that companies, institutes and schools don't answer you is because you're not IN Colombia. This is often true of many schools, institutes and companies in a number of countries. For them, the odds of your never showing up are too great for these places to “waste time” with extensive correspondence and information. Then again, you may arrive in Colombia (or wherever), then quickly decide for whatever reasons, the language, the customs, the culture or living conditions, attitudes of the locals - that you don't want to stay, then just hop the next thing smoking out of the country. Then the school is stuck with a lot of time, trouble and resources invested with no return. It happens so much that schools are leery and won't even answer applicants from out of the country.

For Example:

Some time ago, upon arriving in Cali, Colombia to teach English for a local English language teaching institute, a former classmate of mine, Sarah Zeller, wrote to me complaining of her dislike for the conditions she faced. They had “provided her with housing” which she then described as “being on the noisiest, most crowded and polluted street in the city”. She disliked (polite term) the working conditions, the salary, the local environment, etc. and it was no wonder to me that shortly thereafter, she abruptly left Colombia for another opportunity.

Solutions:

1. Try applying through the school where you were certified. They should have a placement office or someone who handles that.

2. Another idea is to actually GO to the country you are intensely interested in and applying directly to universities, schools, institutes and companies. You'll have instant credibility because you're "on location". They can see you, talk with you directly and do a personal interview on-the-spot. You in turn, can check out their facilities first hand, ask about schedules, salary and cost-of-living, etc.

Also, one of my e-books “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, should provide you with more "practical" information on teaching English as a foreign language abroad.

I hope this initial information helps you some. Please feel free to let me know if you have any other questions or need more specific information.

Sincerely yours,

Prof. Larry M. Lynch
Santiago de Cali University
Cali, Colombia


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

How to plan an ESL/EFL (English as a Second Language) Lesson Plan

http://www.examiner.com/x-6351-Indianapolis-Living-Abroad-Examiner~y2009m6d30-How-to-plan-an-ESLEFL-English-as-a-Second-Language-Lesson-Plan

Author: Wendy Gould is an Examiner from Indianapolis. You can see Wendy's articles on Wendy's Home Page at www.wendygould.com/.


English as a Second Language Lesson Planning

Whether you teach English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults or children, this foolproof lesson plan template is a great base to work from. Add to it and change it as you please, or follow every bit of it (a good idea if you're a new ESL teacher planning your first ESL lesson). This Lesson plan format will also work no matter what country you’re teaching English in, be it Japan, Korea, China or the USA.
To begin, keep this in mind: It’s important that you keep your lessons fun. Remember that learning a new language, especially English, is very difficult and no matter who or where you’re teaching you need to be able to motivate your students. And really, what better way to motivate someone than with the incentive of having a good time?

Another tip for you ESL teachers is this: The less time you lecture your class, the better off you and your students will be. Let your students do most of the talking, after all, that’s what the ultimate goal is, right?
Now on to the simple, yet very practical, lesson plan:

1. Greeting

Always start your English class by saying hello to your students! Encourage them to tell you how they are feeling. Are they hungry? Sleepy? Hot? Cold? Happy? Sad? This is a great way to teach common, useful vocabulary. Every few weeks, feel free to mix it up. Try, “What’s up?” or “How’s it going?” or “How are you doing?”

2. Warm up/Hook

It’s important that you have your students’ attention right away. This gets your ESL class off to a great start and gets the students' minds thinking in English! One of my favorite activities to do as a warm up is a simple speaking activity. Obtain a soft die or ball and throw it to a random student. Ask a question like "What's your favorite _____?" or "Do you like ____?" Here are a few other examples that you can employ as your warm up/hook.

• TPR: Total physical response. (ie. Have the students do what you say. Simon says is great!)

• YouTube: YouTube is especially great for any age. Find a song that relates to the subject they are learning about. Or a short drama/skit.

3. Introduce the material/new words

It’s necessary that your students have a solid foundation for the rest of the lesson. An effective way of teaching students new words is with a Powerpoint or flash cards. The more visuals you present, the better off you're students will be (and the easier it is to teach).

4. Activity/Game

As I said before, you need to make English a fun learning environment in order to increase your students' motivation. Game and activities are a great way to have fun in the English classroom and also serve as excellent learning tools. The best kind of ESL games are the ones that allow your students to speak English with each other. When you (the teacher) aren’t talking, that means the students are.
**For ideas on games, check out the "Related Articles" portion of this article.

5. Wrap Up – evaluate understanding

After your game it's time to wrap up the lesson. You can review the various expressions and vocabulary words with yoru students with visuals, using your hands, asking questions, giving a quiz or handing out a worksheet. The purpose of a wrap up is to check your students' comprehension of the materials they learned in that lesson. Having a solid idea of what your students picked up will help you with future lessons.

6. Assign homework

If you are teaching a class with a high level of learning, feel free to give homework that requires them to write or read, among other things. It's okay to make homework fun, as well. Try a crossword puzzle or a word search, for example. If you're working with young learners (or students who are just beginning to study English), don’t go overboard, here! Assign something simple, like having them use their English at home. For example, tell them to “Ask your parents what their favorite animal is and write it down for next class!” Or, have them say hello or nice to meet you to a passerby.

For more info: Please visit the personal blog of Wendy Gould at www.wendygould.com for a personal take on living abroad and check out her other articles on Examiner.com for travel advice and other ESL -related articles.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 135 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Michael Jackson's Lesson for You

by Steve Harrison


Where were you when you got the news about
Michael Jackson's passing?

Me?

I was listening to the radio while driving through
rural Pennsylvania on Route 22 to Shartlesville.

I was on my way to a friend's farm for a relaxing
three-day weekend with Laura and the kids.

It's strange, isn't it, that we never forget where
we were when we first heard shocking news. People
will often ask "Where were you when JFK was shot?" Or "Where
were you when the planes hit?"

Death has a way of slapping us across the face and
waking us up in a way we never forget.

When you hear the name "Michael Jackson," you probably
have two different thoughts: "Incredible performer"
and "Very strange person."

For better or worse, that is the legacy he left.

Personally, I tend to dwell more on the legacy of
memorable songs, videos, and dance numbers that he
left behind. Those are the things I continue to enjoy.

I really wish I'd had the chance to see him perform
live when he was at his peak.

How about you? What kind of legacy are you leaving?

Lately, I've been asking myself that question more and
more.

I was thinking about all the things I've failed to do
as a father. But then on Father's Day, my 16-year-old
son gave me a truly priceless gift: a three-page letter
expressing his love and gratitude for me.

Things I thought I'd failed to teach him he'd somehow
learned by observation.

But I still have a big list of unfinished business
personally and professionally that I'm starting to
tend to.

The Jackson story reminds me that the legacy we leave
is a combination of both what we do and how we live our
lives.

Everybody's talking about Jackson, Farrah, Ed McMahon
and Billy Mays.

But very few people are thinking seriously about the
legacy they will leave.

And even fewer are writing down goals and taking
deliberate actions to achieve that end.

As a musician, Michael Jackson was surprisingly
deliberate and proactive.

I learned the other day that while he was a member of
the Jackson 5 he told several close friends that he
wanted to break out on his own and become the biggest
entertainer of all time.

Some will call that ego. But I prefer to think of it
as simply an honest assessment of the gifts he'd been
given and a compelling vision for his life and what he
might be able to do with those gifts.

So he decided to anger his brothers and leave the
Jackson 5. He began working with Quincy Jones. And of
course the result was "Thriller," the biggest-selling
album of all time!

As a singer, dancer, and songwriter, Jackson gave us
all an incredible gift worthy of the endless replays
that have been taking place on television and radio.

But here's my question: "What if he had never decided
to pursue his dream? What if he had never left the
Jackson 5?"

What if he had listened to his family, friends, and
even all the well-intentioned logical voices that said,
"Don't be so risky. Don't be so selfish. Who are you
to think you can be phenomenally successful on your
own?"

What kind of legacy would he have left then?

We'd probably barely remember him.

More importantly, what kind of legacy will you leave if
you don't take action to make your dreams come true?

As we hear about Farrah, Ed McMahon, Billy Mays, and
even those closer to us who have passed away recently,
we're reminded that life is short.

Oliver Wendall Holmes said, "Most people go to their
graves with their music still inside them."

What is the thing you know deep down you should do, but
you've been too busy, lazy or scared to do?

Whatever it is, get started today.

It might be writing a new book, taking a trip, or doing
some kind of community service. It might be mentoring
someone, launching a new business, or healing a broken
relationship.

Whatever it is, get started today.

It's painfully obvious that tomorrow may be too late.


All the Best,

Steve Harrison
Radio-TV Interview Report (RTIR)
& Million Dollar Author Club
Bradley Communications Corp.
390 Reed Road, First Floor
PO Box 360
Broomall PA 19008
484-477-4235 (Cust Svc Voice Mail)

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 135 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

How to Become an Accidental Linguist, in Three Strange Lessons

How to Become an Accidental Linguist, in Three Strange Lessons

By Glynnis Burrough
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/5436926/How-to-become-an-accidental-linguist-in-three-strange-lessons.html

Learning the local language is essential.

However, one expat tells of the frustrations of studying French in Bahrain, Spanish in Argentina and German in Switzerland

I studied French in Bahrain, Spanish in Argentina and German in Switzerland. Can I say I can speak all three languages? Well yes, but unfortunately all of them, at the same time, in the same sentence.

My first experience of language learning was pure terror. French was compulsory in the first year of grammar school. The teacher was a fierce old dragon who believed the best way to teach French was to terrorise and ridicule. Every day, pale teary-eyed girls lined up in the corridor outside the classroom, praying for some terrible disaster to befall them so that they could avoid the French lesson. But God wasn't listening.

We translated yards of English into French, learned our irregular verbs by rote and even sang a French carol at Christmas; but French conversation only came along for five minutes a year, when a French teaching student paid a brief visit to each class in the school. After three years of terror I was told I would have to choose between French and Physics, as they would clash on next year's timetable. Not the hardest choice I've ever made.

It was not until 20 years later that a real necessity to speak French arose. When the Gulf war broke out I was living in Bahrain with my husband. Having experienced numerous weeks of trembling earth as Patriot missiles were launched and the US military crashed into various objects in Bahrain (including themselves), we decided it was perhaps time we had a bolt hole closer to home.

While spending a pleasant but very wet holiday with friends in France we ended up looking at houses and on the last day of our holiday we fell in love with an old stone cottage. We rapidly needed to acquire a good French vocabulary in bathroom and kitchen renovation. We also needed to be able to translate the seemingly strange fare offered by some restaurant menus.

For example, salade chaude au crottin de chèvre translates directly as: "warm salad of goats' droppings." However, this is in fact a delicious salad of warm goats' cheese. "Ah, yes," they explained, "one has to use the imagination." Well I did use my imagination and I still saw goat manure!

Luckily, back in Bahrain there was a well-established branch of L'Alliance Française, where French citizens who wished to avoid military service could still show the braveness of their heart by teaching French to English people who wanted to order goat manure in restaurants. Our teacher was Monsieur Petit, teacher extraordinaire and master of the art of colour co-ordinated clothing. I remember well our final exam day.

Whilst pondering the correct spelling of the word chaussettes (socks), I happened to glance at Monsieur Petit's chaussettes, which were in full view as he stretched back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head. I was totally fascinated, as his canary-yellow cashmere chaussettes perfectly matched his canary-yellow spectacle frames – did they have shops in France that went to such extraordinary lengths in colour co-ordinated accessories and just how would they spell chaussettes? Despite the distraction I managed to pass.
My husband's work then took us to Buenos Aires in Argentina. Before departure we were required to attend an intensive Spanish course in Salamanca, Spain. To supposedly assist our rapid assimilation into the Spanish language we were to be placed with a Spanish family. We had dreams of a crisp, white, bougainvillea-draped villa, shimmering on a sun-drenched hillside. Unfortunately, the family lived above a bar on one of the noisiest streets in Spain.

When the noise finally died down at around 4.30am, the refuse collectors started and they had obviously decided that if they were going to be awake at that time then so was everyone else. Our host suggested earplugs so that we could sleep – the vocabulary floating up from the street below wasn't the kind that would be useful in negotiation contracts or arranging visas in Argentina.

Being a beautiful university city, Salamanca attracts young people from all over the world – most of them party animals. But they still seemed to have no problem in hoovering up the verbos irregulars and spitting them out in perfectly formed sentences without a bat of a drowsy eyelid.

What was their secret? Their party animal lifestyle became quite infectious and we 'mature students' were soon joining in. That's how I discovered their secret – they spent the whole night talking to the locals!

But when we got to Argentina we discovered that the Spanish there was not quite the same as the Spanish we had been taught. In English we would say "llama'" in Spain they would say "eeyama", but in Argentina they would say "shama"! Fortunately assistance was at hand; the company arranged lessons for us with a fantastic teacher Vero (Veronica).

I had her all to myself, and together we explored the eccentricities of each other's language and culture and my confidence to speak Spanish slowly grew. Vero became a very good friend and we're still in touch with her to this day.

A year later we were back in Spain, this time in Barcelona the capital of Catalonia where Catalan is spoken! Ah yes, it was only after my first lesson in "Spanish" that I discovered there was more than one language in Spain. What we usually refer to as Spanish is the lisping Castilian Spanish, but there is also Catalan, Galician, Asturian and Basque (and probably a few more), all languages in their own right.
But most of the people in Barcelona also spoke Castilian and there was even a Castilian language school. So back to school again – where they tried to knock "that Argentine accent" out of my Castilian (they didn't seem to be bothered by my English accent).

Then just as I was finally gaining confidence in Spanish, we were moved to Switzerland where German, French, Italian or Romansh are spoken. I would have been a gift if we had been placed in the French-speaking canton but we went to live in the German-speaking canton around Zurich. I then discovered that the Swiss don't actually speak German; they speak Swiss German, a specialised dialect, which the Germans claim they don't understand.

I got by for a few years speaking French, English and the little German I had picked up but I knew that one day I would have to start learning another language.
I was advised to learn High German as it was would be more useful worldwide than Swiss German. My first teacher was a very large lady of Swiss Italian origin who held conversations from the balcony window of the class room with members of her family in the street below, in very loud Italian. Meanwhile we, her class, set about untangling the mysteries of the German language through the exciting activity of filling in gaps in hundreds of meaningless sentences.

I was about to give up, when along came Dagmar, a native German speaker who knew how to make learning fun. Her humour was electric and infectious; everyone in the school adored her. I started to speak German. She too remains a good friend to this day.
One of the greatest pleasures of language learning is getting to meet and talk with people from all over the world. This was especially true in Switzerland where many well-educated asylum-seekers find refuge.

They are automatically provided with free language lessons to help them integrate. I would never normally have had the opportunity to speak with young women from Kazakhstan or have got to know what everyday life was like for ordinary people in Colombia. They all had their stories to tell and I would not have heard any of them had we not all been able to communicate in German.

We now live in France – back to the beginning. But my French had been wrestled to the ground by years of trying to speak Spanish and German, and was now making a brave attempt to get back on top with the result that all three were fighting it out every time I opened my mouth.

But I'm taking a rest from language schools – no matter how good the school, I can guarantee that a very noisy building site or road works will appear within a few feet upon my arrival. If not there is sure to be a busy road nearby where small furry creatures meet their maker with a great screeching of tyres, followed by verbal abuse and wailing sirens – all a little distracting.

I'm now opting for what is called "total immersion". I've become a member of the local village choir, my husband and I are members of an Argentine Tango dance association and I attend weekly Tai Chi classes – all solidly French. I watch the French news and I chat with my French neighbours. It's good fun and it's much cheaper! I've never before stayed anywhere long enough to get to this stage – so I think that, at last, I'm home.

You cend your submissions about life as an expat (up to 1,000 words) to the Weekly Telegraph newspaper (UK)at weeklyt@telegraph.co.uk.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 135 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Michael Jackson: An EFL Teaching and Learning Tribute to a Musical Genius

Michael Jackson’s Sudden Death a Shock

The sudden death of Michael Jackson has been a shock to almost everyone. Tributes and condolences to the family have poured in from around the globe from the White House to the Vatican. Few performermers have touched so many from so many walks of life and so many countries, languages and cultures. His presence will surely be missed.

His legacy though, will live on. His contributions to the field of entertainment are profound, affecting global cultures and age groups from youth to the elderly. Many English language learners remember several of his many songs. These can continue to be useful in EFL language practice at any level of language learning. Students will be especially attracted to his songs now with their increased available and accessibility. Learners worldwide can also recall seeing a concert or televised special in many cases too. Likely a number of your EFL or foreign language learners have his songs and albums on CDs.

Perhaps even you have special memories or anecdotes you can relate of one of the world’s most well-known and at times, controvertial entertainers.

Try asking your learners to talk about:

What is your favorite Michael Jackson song?

Mine are “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “ABC” from the Jackson Five’s earlier years. (See video clip below)

Which Michael Jackson album is your favorite?

Why “Bad”, of course, for me. Yes, “Thriller” is excellent, but not my favorite.

Do you have a favorite Michael Jackson music video?

For me, “Remember the Time” gets the vote. The music video “Black and White” also gets a hearty vote from me with its introduction of “image morphing” which was a new technique at that time. Sometimes I used “The Way You Make Me Feel” in classes too.


Making Practical Use of Music by Michael Jackson

Don’t pass up the chance to play a few of your learners’ favorite Michael Jackson songs in class, but don’t “veg-out” at just that. Do some of these exercise or activity types to add increased language learning and practice value to the songs:

• re-ordering activities,
• cloze exercises or whip up
• some short, quick, true-or-false exercises based on the song lyrics
• why not stage a “performance” or presentation competition?

It’s almost certain that I’ll offer my EFL classes the opportunity to incorporate one or more of Michael Jackson’s hits into a couple of language learning lessons or so. The English as a foreign language learners might also choose to:

• write an essay related to his music or his life
• try a “Concentration”-type series of class room activities
• demonstrate songs or videos as a short “performance”

Michael Jackson Will Continue to Live on in Our Hearts and Minds

Certainly, many of us will miss this great entertainer’s contributions to the industry, but he will continue to live on in our hearts, minds and ears as we continue to enjoy his many musical creations. Musical entertainment genius Michael Jackson will undoubtedly continue to live on in our hearts and minds for many years to come.

How about you? How will you incorporate the legacy of this great performer into your EFL teaching and learning scenarios?





Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 135 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Is There an Age Limit to Learning New Languages?

Is There an Age Limit to Learning New Languages?

by Jonathan Golob
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/dear-science/Content?oid=1740852&hp

Dear Science,

"Is there an age limit to learning new languages? If so, does it apply only to spoken languages, as opposed to ancient or programming languages?"

Aspiring Native Speaker

Science consulted his friendly local linguist and was introduced to the Critical Period Theory of language acquisition—and poor Genie. Genie spent the first 13 years of her life locked inside of a room—without any sort of human contact. When eventually discovered by Los Angeles–area child welfare people in 1970, it became apparent, to their horror, that she could not speak any language. Despite years of attempts, Genie was only able to eventually offer short verbal answers like a two-and-a-half-year-old; her nonverbal communication improved far more so.

Linguists loved Genie. The critical period theory claims that primary-language acquisition has to occur before puberty; Genie was living evidence that the hypothesis was true. The theory claims that if you start learning a verbal language before puberty, you can become a native speaker. If you learn after that, your writing and grammar can be exemplary but you'll always sound a little off. The parts of the brain responsible for recognizing and categorizing different sounds start to lock down. Children raised with Asian languages lacking a distinction between R and L sounds, for example, who are not seriously exposed to English before puberty struggle later when learning to speak like native English speakers. Pat Kuhl, a scientist at the University of Washington, has done some cool work with babies around these questions.

Children learn language in ways that go far beyond mere imitation of their parents and others. Children create their own grammar rules—testing them with their parents and other people. Over time, these rules are tuned and pruned into fluency. Feeding into this is a genetically pre-programmed "universal grammar," an instinctual set of rules for verbal communication between people.

The critical period theory has been around for quite a while, since the 1960s, when proposed by Eric Lenneberg, and it's why exasperated linguists keep asking for foreign languages to be introduced to American schoolchildren before middle school. While most linguists today would agree the critical period theory is correct for the acquisition of a first language, there is far more controversy about the puberty timeline as a limit for proper learning of a second language. Everyone seems to agree earlier is better; the age boundary seems blurrier, however, when struggling through your second language.

Learning how to read and write a new language (as opposed to speaking it) seems to be easier on those of us who are long past puberty. So if spoken Mandarin is giving you too much grief, perhaps it's time to pick up some Python programming.

Send your science questions to dearscience@thestranger.com






Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 135 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Getting Dear Ole Dad into Foreign Language Learning

Happy Father’s Day – Feliz Dia del Padre

If you’re a Dad, then “Happy Father’s Day”.

Speaking of Father’s Day, where does your Father or Grandfather stand in regards to foreign language learning and fluency? Too many people think, “My Dad’s to old or set in his ways or “old fashioned” and wouldn’t be interested in learning another language.

Oh, really?

That’s not what I keep hearing from some surprisingly elderly dads. Unless father dear is incapacitated for some reason, you might just be surprised at his response – if you ask, that is.

So what ever in the world could my dad ever do with a foreign language, anyway?

“Sometimes he hardly wants to leave the house nowadays”

But Baby, It’s COLD Outside

I’ll a lot of times he says that the weather out is abysmal. You don’t to go out in it either, now do you? What’s the weather like in Acapulco, though? (One of my favoreite elderly-friendly towns) What about the sights in Spring-all-year-round Quito, another favored haunt of mine that I’ll be visiting very soon, by the way. Barcelona is nice too at this time of the year, but by August you’ll be able to “fry an egg on the sidewalk”. (Yes you can actually watch them do it on the local TV news during August)

Foreign Language Travel Abroad for Dad (or Mom)

Dad travel abroad? Sure, why not? Especially if he’s not THAT old. Certainly he’d enjoy the local environment a lot more by mastering a few phrases in the local lingo. Okay, so maybe he’ll never address congress in a foreign tongue, but then that’s really not the point, now is it?

Why not try a foreign language phrase book with an accompanying CD or cassette tapes as a truly different Father’s Day gift?

“What language”, you ask?

Well, he’s YOUR dad, isn’t he? If you have no idea ask where he’s “dreamed” of traveling to. An Irish Pub? A South American fishing trip? A French Canadian wilderness fly-in? Lolling on a beach in Puerto Rico or Martinique? Shopping for antiques in Quito? (A great place to do just that, by the way) A gentle prod in the right direction by gifting dad with a foreign language primer that will take him at least that much closer to his dream getaway might just be the thing to get some of the ole juices flowing and exercise his mind to greater mental acuity. That certainly beats just sitting in a lounge chair and watching fishing shows filmed in exotic locations every week.

Eating in a Foreign Language

How about dad’s tastes in food? How about some freshly-prepared Chinese food – in China? Or a Mediterranean Diet starting off in Barcelona? (In case you haven’t guessed, I happen to like Barcelona) Do you think” dear ole dad” would like to try a cup of deliciously mild Colombian coffee – in Bogota, tropical Cali or perhaps Cartagena? How about some great manicottipanetoni or rigatoni, but in Rome? The possibilities are almost literally endless: Roti in Trinidad, Pepper Pot in Guyana, Conch salad in the Caribbean, Fufu and soup in West Africa (you can throw in a glass of Palm wine with that too), a nice steaming bowl of Ajiaco in Colombia or a plate of Guatita in Ecuador, Kimchee in Korea, Ratatouille or Boulliabaise in France and so on, etc.

Hey, it would definitely work for me!

How Dad Can Learn ANY Foreign Language

So what’s a good way for dad to get started with a foreign language that would be interesting, fun and easy for him to sink his teeth into? There are several quick starts that might prove to be useful which include:

• An internet online language learning website
• A phrase book with CDs or cassettes
• A short course at a local community college or language institute
• A personal foreign language tutor each week once or twice weekly
• Watching a TV program or two each week in the target foreign language
• A televised foreign language TV program or videocassette series
• A combination of two, three or more of these methods

Unique, Special Father’s Day Gifts

So if you find the typical Father’s Day gifts boring, reppetitious or contrite, especially for the man who’s seen and done so much so far, consider a real change in your thinking this year and next year too. It’s a safe bet you’ll likely be surprised at your Father’s reaction to the whole concept. Try it and see.

And by the way, be sure to give your Dad my best Father’s Day wishes too while you’re at it.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker (also a Dad). He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.