Complex of native speaker

Complex of native speaker

“Where did you learn your Mandarin? You speak very well!”
“Oh, because I had a very good teacher who is a native speaker. Come and learn English with native speakers. Only they can give you the best learning experience…”

Such is a radio ad I heard the other day. Funny to say the English “native speaker” spoke OK Mandarin and I couldn’t tell her Chinese was that GREAT at all!

I can’t believe they allowed an ad like that airing many times a day. What’s wrong with studying a language with non-native speakers? Does that really matter? Does native speaker equal the best teaching? I just don’t think so. Many have this complex of native speaker when it comes to studying English in Taiwan; few have actually thought where the issue of the prolonged inefficiency in English learning lies in. Something has been severely wrong in our language education on this island (to the Ministry of Education)!

I’m sure there are a lot of great native English teachers; but I doubt only they can teach well. An excellent teacher is like a talented actor or actress at times; he or she must have great passion and continue pursuing all sorts of knowledge and skills so as to be a real facilitator to students. Suffice it to say that native speakers can bring a diverse culture aspect and mentality to enrich students’ language learning; yet non-native speakers can complement what native speakers can’t do, namely the difficulty of acquiring the same target language non-native teachers have been through.

For those who teach English in Taiwan, how many of you actually love teaching? How many of you really regard language teaching as a long-term or lifelong career? Or is it just some quick money you can make here? Of course, a coin has two sides. People with complex of native speaker have to wake up soon as well…