Here comes the ang-moh teachers!

Soon, you could be taught English by native English speakers, if the Ministry of Education were to pursue its plan to hire more English language teachers from foreign lands.

This is part of its plan to focus on English language teaching in the coming months. I suppose you would have read about it in the papers.

I once had a British Literature teacher and another one from New Zealand during my secondary school days. The British one was quite forgetable honestly but the New Zealander was memorable, not because he actually had a heart attack a few months into the job (I swore we were good students and were NOT the cause of his heart failure), but really because the first poem he introduced to us was one by a local poet Kirpal Singh. Up till then, no local Literature teacher had told us local poetry or literary works were worth studying about. That was how biased and narrow-minded we were brought up to be. So it was quite refreshing that an ang-moh Literature teacher opened our minds to appreciate a poet in our own backyard.

Last year, when I had the chance to listen to Kirpal Singh in person (now Assoc Prof of Literature in SMU), I could still remember how, at 14 years old, I was introduced to his works and how ironic that it was a foreigner who familiarised me with Kirpal Singh.

So how will the local English language scene change with the introduction of native English language teachers? How will it be like in the classroom to be taught by British, American, Australian or New Zealander teachers? My friend text me this morning, jokingly commenting that foreign talent is going to fight for my rice bowl soon.

Well, I'll like to keep an open mind about this. The diversity in English language teaching will do us (both teachers and students) good I'm sure. I do not think these teachers are necessarily far superior than local teachers. I'm sure good and mediocre teachers are to be found everywhere, regardless of nationality. We can certainly learn from each other. I, for one, welcome more good English teachers to join the teaching fraternity. Not simply because we are severely stretched in resources, but also because it would be very exciting to listen to a crisp British accent in your humble classroom, and that sometimes you need a foreigner to reveal to you the things you take for granted at home.