Agency Discount TESOL

Volunteer TeachingGetting education is a huge part of a person’s life. It is about learning and growing. Countless organizations have been providing education in various countries. As education is continually provided, the demand for volunteer teachers has been growing rapidly for several years. For teachers, it is a way of gaining suitable experience for themselves and passing it on to others. The experience, of course, can vary for different persons. Volunteer Teaching has become a common choice on giving back to the community. It gives volunteers the reward and fulfillment that one can only get in serving others. The situation is the same for CNN’s Hero of the Year, Efren Peñaflorida, who “was honored for creating mobile pushcart classrooms--carts stocked with books, chalkboards and other supplies that bring education to poor children in the Philippines. Since 1997, he and more than 12,000 teenage volunteers have taught basic reading and writing skills to more than 1,800 children living on the streets”. “He founded his organization to provide impoverished children an empowering alternative to gang induction”. According to Penaflorida, it gave him and his co-volunteers an affirmation that what they are doing is a worthy cause. For it says on Acts 20:32, “It more blessed to give than to receive”. Some people volunteer out of the goodness of their hearts without expecting anything in return. Volunteer teaching has contributed to cross-cultural connections around the globe. Individuals from developed countries give their time and effort in providing education to individuals of developing countries. “The idea of volunteering away from home seems like a win-win to many travelers: a way to experience and help another community at the same time”. In Thailand, the Globe Aware organization schedules a “week split between teaching english to impoverished schoolchildren and visiting floating markets or trekking through temple ruins”. Within a week, a volunteer can experience the best of both words--helping others while taking on an adventure. As the founder of Voluntourism.org, David Clemmons, said “You don't walk away from the destination only with this snapshot in your mind of 'Oh, my gosh, it's this wretched, horrid poverty” but “You see there are other sides” . One significant side is seeing a “new perspective on your country, on your life, on your choices and how they affect the world, on what it means to live in whatever country that is.” It enables people to be aware of their surroundings--in a worldwide sense. Volunteer teaching has increased the debate of preference of native english speakers teaching english as a subject over non-native speakers. “Since mid-1990s, there has been a strong tilt towards english in business, technology, scholarly journals and publications, international relations and law”. The english language is spreading globally. Some people view that native speakers “know their language perfectly, faultlessly and naturally” . Though others view that non-natives are more “familiar with the students’ language learning process and have a better understanding of the learners’ needs”. In any case, the World Wide Web is bombarded with job placements in almost every corner of the world--especially in teaching english as a second/foreign language. It is a great opportunity for both native and non-native english speakers to either start or continue on with their career paths. Education has always been a necessity for all of us. What we have learned in the past, learning in the present and will learn in the future are all significant factors to our growth. We have the choice to keep it to ourselves or share it to other people. Whether it is for serving others, experiencing other cultures or getting hired for work, whatever the reason is, volunteer teaching is helping both the teacher and student. Eric A. Anchimbe. “The native-speaker fever in english language teaching (ELT): Pitting pedagogical competence against historical origin”. Linguistik Online. January 2006. Danielle Berger and Leslie Askew. “Filipinos embrace Hero of the Year, 'pushcart classrooms' for poor”. CNN. September 16, 2010. Svenja Christen. “Native or Non-native speakers”. GRIN Publish and Find knowledge. 2008. Laura Fitzpatrick. “Vacationing like Brangelina”. TIME Magazine. Jul. 26, 2007.