Another way that I have volunteered my time for TESOL is by becoming a TESOL/Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Reviewer. I have enjoyed this tremendously as it has allowed me to learn more about what other programs are doing to raise the quality of English language teachers. I have continued to try to give back to the field in order to support better practices for TESOLers around the world.
Connie Mitchell
Prince Sultan University
Kate started volunteering with the TESOL International Association in 1998 as a conference volunteer. She assisted in the employment clearinghouse and met other educators and employers. She learned about the qualifications and expectations for finding positions in Asia, North and South America, and the Middle East. She learned about the employers’ qualities, benefits, and negotiating contracts. At roughly this timeframe, Kate volunteered as the text review column editor for the Ohio TESOL Newsletter. She obtained desk copies from publishers and provided them to individuals who would review and evaluate them. She worked with authors by providing feedback on their reviews so they could craft reviews that were informative and useful for practice. Kate developed her writing and editorial skills while developing relationships with peers and learning about the texts and materials being published. This knowledge helped her in choosing her own textbooks and collaborating with colleagues in the future. These voluntary roles served as a springboard for more opportunities on the Professional Development Committee and Convention Planning Chair for 2013 for TESOL International.
Kate continues her voluntary activities with her regional affiliate of TESOL; currently she is on the Board of Washington State English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and with TESOL International Association as the Teacher Educator Interest Section, Chair Elect. She learns more about the language learners of Washington State and the resources developed by educators in Washington. In her work in the TEIS, she has the opportunity to work with colleagues to develop convention proposals, webinars, and newsletters for teacher educators. Each year, working with these experts on the proposals and eventual convention sessions keeps Kate current in the developments in research and teaching, so she can use this information in her teaching.
Steve was a “trailing spouse” in Ukraine, and began teaching for Cambridge English on a volunteer basis. He worked with Ukrainian nationals who were employed by large international companies, teaching them both conversational and business English. Eventually, this grew into a paid position with the school. Steve also taught English at a state university in Uzbekistan, earning the same wages as the university’s other professors (approximately US$30 per month). While in Uzbekistan, Steve volunteered in local organizations for teaching English.
Through these examples, we hope you can see the benefits of volunteering in terms of developing your professional network, building your knowledge and practices of teaching and assessment, and extending other professional skill sets (e.g., writing, editing, evaluating).
Some emerging professionals are often concerned about how to get involved or the amount of time volunteering requires. Getting involved is simpler than it may appear at the outset. When joining a professional organization, opportunities are announced to members for volunteering in the organization’s activities. Individuals volunteering at conferences do not necessarily need to have many skill sets, so it is possible to begin with tasks that are comfortable and familiar; other opportunities require individuals to write a paragraph-long biographical statement of professional experience or qualifications; still others require a more thorough application process. It is important to start in a comfortable place.
The amount of time for volunteering is directly related to the role or task. Some tasks require only a couple of hours, while other tasks take a couple hours over weeks. Since these are voluntary roles, others in the organizations understand that volunteers may hold a full-time job and have other life obligations. Above all, we need to keep in mind that the time committed yields positive outcomes for our professional lives and for the field. We gain much more than we contribute.
Professional Recognition and Advocacy
Perhaps it is due to the comparative youth of the field of TESOL or perhaps it is based on misconceptions about second language teaching and learning, but educators in the field often encounter a lack of understanding of second language learners, learning, and teaching. This lack of understanding is both within the society and in pre-K–16 education systems. TESOL professionals engage with the public and other educators through advocacy on issues related to our learners, their learning, and teaching ESL/EFL/ELT.
Advocacy about ELLs and remedial coursework for language study
The lack of understanding affects the experience and treatment of ESL/EFL/ELT learners. For instance, at universities worldwide, ELLs are often placed in English composition courses at lower levels than their peers, which are considered remedial. Coursework for ELLs in English composition courses in these instances is at lower levels (English 098 or 099), because some university educators believe that ELLs should have the English language skills of a native speaker prior to participating in first-year English composition or English 101. In this scenario, the perception is that ELLs need to fix an issue before they can proceed into regular coursework. Learning in two languages should be considered additive, meaning ELLs are working in two languages, which is a more complex intellectual process. A growing perception in college-level teaching is that ELLs should be taught first-year English courses modified for them, so they can proceed academically alongside their peers. In other areas, ELLs must take community college or foundation program English courses before they can proceed into their academic study. When ELLs need to take lower-level or additional courses prior to other study, this adds an additional course to their education, which makes their degree longer and more costly.
Advocacy about ELLs and submersion/immersion
In many K–12 settings, general educators and administrators make decisions about the education of ELLs based on misconceptions about second language learning and teaching. A pervasive belief persists that second language learners only need to be immersed in the language in the classroom to develop language skills. TESOL educators often share resources and research to illuminate the experiences of so-called immersion for ELLs. Submersion is used by TESOL professionals instead of immersion to describe how linguistically and academically overwhelming and incomprehensible the experience is when instruction is unmodified. Immersion, to a TESOL professional, means engaging ELLs with language and possible content (depending on program) at their proficiency level while supporting them in the second language acquisition process. TESOL professionals also discuss with general educator colleagues the inequity of not engaging ELLs with the language at their proficiency level and the rates at which they fall behind their peers in academic learning if instruction is unmodified. Advocacy in one’s profession can be one-on-one discussions with colleagues.
Advocacy about ELLs and academic learning
Other pervasive myths that affect ELLs and which TESOL professionals strive to clarify and remedy through advocacy and research are (a) instruction strategies for including ELLs in general education courses is simply good teaching, and (b) ELLs can acquire English in 1–2 years of study. First, appropriate inclusive instruction for ELLs recognizes the language demands and expectations of learning both social and academic language. Social language is the oral and written language we use to establish, maintain, and conclude interpersonal relationships. For example, we may greet someone in passing in the office by saying, “Hey! How are you? Haven’t seen you around in a while.” Alternatively, you could say, “Long time, no see.” At a library, we might inquire about the availability of a book