This post was originally published on the chroniclesofhopekorea.wordpress.com.  I'm reprinting it here so other people can read and be inspired by Amanda and the amazing work she does.  Amanda DeCesaro teaches and inspires at Chongshin University.  She is an amazing bundle of energy that truly enjoys Korea and her people.

How did you become involved in Christian English language teaching?

After graduating university with a degree in Animal Science, the last thing I thought I would be doing is teaching. I went on to become a missionary with the formerly named Campus Crusade for Christ in Australia. I had previously attended a missions conference in Busan but it was in Australia where I discovered my love for the Korean people. Many of my students were Chinese or Korean and I even shared a house with two girls from Busan. Following my two -year commitment to serve in campus ministry, I knew God was calling me to Korea.

I began looking into opportunities that would take me to Korea and as most could guess, the only opportunities I came across were teaching positions. If I had still been in college I may have given up; however, Australia also showed me that I had potential for teaching others. I realized guiding others to understanding brought me great joy and also served as a tool to form relationships. Looking back it is evident in how God led me and prepared me to teach English in Korea. I did not want to arrive unprepared, so prior to applying for any positions I completed an SIT TESOL program. The training I received as a missionary combined with my education set me on the path for missional language teaching. And I cannot be more grateful for how God has used my life so far.

How long have you been here?

I have been in Korea for five years. I spent my first year at an English village and the past four years I have been teaching at Chongshin University. It has gone by so fast and I hope to be here for much longer.

What is the most challenging aspect of Korean culture for you?

One challenge that I have often discussed with my students is being the "foreigner" which I have found to be equivalent to “outsider”. On several occasions I have expressed to friends that even if I were to fluently learn Korean, gain citizenship, and assimilate as much as possible I would never be fully accepted into Korean society. It is not that I desire to do so, but the outsider feelings are definitely felt. However, God has been teaching me through this and shown me unique opportunities only a foreigner could have. Most of my students are more open with me because I'm not Korean, and so I am able to offer support and advice they would otherwise not receive. While sharing with some of my North Korean students that this was the most difficult part of living in Korea they expressed a similar notion. North Koreans often try to hide their dialect and accent in fear of being found out that they are from the North. Because many South Koreans view them as separate from the current society, my students have shared that they too feel like outsiders. Having this in common has helped me connect better with the North Koreans I minister to. I have grown to see this challenge as a blessing, sometimes a painful blessing, but a blessing nonetheless.

What aspects of Korean culture do you particularly enjoy? 

This summer I was able to visit my family back in Wisconsin and while reverse culture shock was not as dramatic as I have experienced in the past, I definitely was able to reflect on Korea. I was missing my friends and church as I expected but I also missed some things I had just taken for granted while living in Seoul. Whenever I went to a restaurant people just ordered their own food and would not share. I wanted to order a variety of food and share with everyone, just as I often do in Korea.

Another thing I noticed about the food was that most things tasted very salty or very sweet. Korea had changed my taste buds, but probably for the better especially for my health. For several days I was without a car and my family members were all working. Forced to stay at my parents’ home, I felt stranded and longed for the very convenient transportation of Seoul. Even though my interactions with people were very different, I couldn't exactly put my finger on what it was. Although I knew it, this trip caused me to really feel the fact that Korean culture had changed me; things I had viewed as strange are now normal and I really enjoy many things. The main aspects I enjoy are food, language, fashion, and many relational interactions.

What other ministries are you a part of?

I attend New Harvest Ministry (NHM) which is the English ministry of Sarang Church. It was here that I really got connected. I am currently a small group leader, as well as a team leader. As a leader I am able to see others grow closer to God and with each other. It has several challenges but I love my group members. Team leading has had its own challenges, but coming alongside other leaders and helping them with their struggles and having the opportunity to pray for them is really great. Soon after I started attending NHM I became involved in Sarang's North Korean ministry. The ministry runs a school called Banseok, preparing young North Korean students for university. These students, just like my Chongshin students, have become my kids, brothers and sisters, and friends. I love them all so dearly.

How do you connect your faith to your teaching?

Just as naturally as breathing is how I desire my faith to fuel everything I do in my life. I look for and create teachable moments in each class. Because I teach at a Christian university I have the unique opportunity to be extremely open about my faith. Praying with my students during class and asking for prayer requests for me to pray throughout the week is one of those amazing opportunities. I do not think I would teach much differently in a secular environment, though my speech may not be as overt, I would still seek out times to impress the love and wisdom of God upon my students.  

Do you think there is a Christian way to teach English?
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I believe there is a Christian way of doing everything, not in the sense of morality or in the act itself, however, the very fact that as a Christian we are a new creation. Christ Himself dwells within me and my worldview is very different from someone who doesn't know Christ. I see with an eternal perspective and ideally everything I do is for the glory of God. Though externally many things I do may look similar to a non-Christian, God looks to the heart of a man. When it comes to teaching English I see so many wonderful opportunities to glorify God and love my students as Christ. Because I am entrusted with the responsibility to not only teach a language but also communication and human interaction, I do not view what I do simply as a vocation but as a calling. God has gifted language to us because we are beings of relationship. Because I personally know the creator of us and of language I am even more deeply equipped to teach with a perspective that reflects God's original design. With themes of reconciliation, justice, real love, and so much more English does not simply remain a language that must be learned for various secular reasons, it becomes a means for deeper connection.

The following piece has been inspired by I Corinthians 13.  As you begin your semester, read these words and remind yourself that we put in our best effort, but the fruit of our labor is completely up to God.

If speak many languages through my own hard work, but do not have love, I am only making noise.

If I have the gift of teaching and understand the intricacies of advanced grammar in those languages, but do not have love, I am only putting time in the classroom.

If I have in communicative theory, task-based teaching, and other current language theory, but have not love, I will be inadequate as a language teacher.

If I give all my time and effort to my students, taxing my body to which I can boast, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love in the classroom is patient and kind.

Love in the classroom does not boast and is not proud of itself outside the classroom with other teachers.

Love in the classroom honors the students.

Love in the classroom is not seeking position elsewhere.

Love in the classroom is not angered easily by laziness and disinterest, but works through it.

Love rejoices with all the little steps taken in language learning.

Love always protects, trusts, and hopes in the educational journey of each student.

Love will not fail.

Communication that does honor those around us will eventually cease.

Knowledge that is not treated with Godly wonder will pass away.

When the language teachers were young, they talked, thought, and reasoned like a child.

When the language teachers became older, they put the childish things away.

Let us mature in our walk of faith and seek God face to face in the classroom.  Let us seek Him in the faces of our students.

I have come to understand that I am fully known as I labor for and with students.

Faith, hope, and love are keys in the successful language classroom, but the greatest of these is love.
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May God bless you as teach!

Shaina Snyder will be presenting "Growth Mindset in EFL" at CELT Seoul 2016.  I have had the pleasure of learning about growth mindset through this interview.
1) What is growth mindset?
Some people believe that ability is innate--great talents are born, not made. This is fixed mindset. At the other end of the spectrum is growth mindset. People with growth mindset believe that you can significantly improve your abilities and intelligence. Growth mindset is related to implicit theories of intelligence in the field of psychology; it was discovered by Carol Dweck and colleagues. Carol Dweck's book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success is a fun read and an excellent summary of the mindsets and related research. Dweck explains that mindset affects how people react to challenges, failures, feedback, and more, and she asserts that it is possible to change your mindset.
2) How did you as a student become interested in growth mindset?
One of my professors or classmates shared a TED Talk related to growth mindset, and I was intrigued. I decided to read Carol Dweck’s book. I recognized my own fixed mindset. Growing up, studying as little as possible and still getting an A on the test was evidence that I was a 'smart' kid. Smarter than the others. Good grades were assurance that I was good and valuable. Failure was evidence of my inadequacy, and it made me want to quit. For example, in my first year of college, I had to take a biology class for my psychology major requirements. However, for the first time in my life, I truly struggled to learn, and I felt I could not possibly get an A or even a B or C. The possibility of failing was an unacceptable threat to my self-worth and future transcript. Rather than working harder to learn biology, I withdrew from the class and changed my major to sociology, which did not require the biology class. These choices were directly connected to my fixed mindset.  I believed that I was not good at science, and that I could not possibly catch up to the class. I quit rather than recognizing my failure as evidence that I needed to change the way I approached studying. That is just one example of how fixed mindset had affected my life. Since learning about growth mindset, I have been making an effort to apply it to my life. I have seen myself become so much more willing to take risks and push through challenges until I learn something and grow.
3) Why should Christian teachers be interested in growth mindset?
Christian teachers should be interested in this because it is in alignment with the word of God, and it can help students reach their potential not only in school, but in all of life. I think growth mindset is important for the Christian life. First of all, we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and God has said we can do all things through him (Philippians 4:13). So it is wonderful to see that he has equipped us with amazing brains that can create new cells and connections and turn things that used to be impossible into things that are now easy for us.
One thing that I found interesting is that students with growth mindset are more likely to seek help and not try to cover up their failures, while students with fixed mindset are more likely to hide their failures. In Christianity, so many people are hiding their sins and weaknesses rather than confessing their sins to one another and growing together. Also, people condemn themselves or others for their failures along the way in their walk with God. But the Bible tells us in Philippians 3:12-14 that we should keep growing and moving, unhindered by the past mistakes and failures. God does not condemn us. Carol Dweck notes in Chapter 8 of her book: “when people drop the good-bad, strong-weak thinking that grows out of the fixed mindset, they’re better able to learn useful strategies that help with self-control. Every lapse doesn’t spell doom.” In life and in school and in faith, growth mindset can help us.
4) What facts about language acquisition support growth mindset?
The exact mechanisms of language acquisition are a bit mysterious. There is controversy about a critical period and other topics like what exact skills or characteristics result in some people having more of an aptitude for language learning than others. While some students may have a greater aptitude for language learning than others at a given point in time, the reality is not so simple. Studies such as those included in the book Lessons from Good Language Learners edited by Carol Griffiths have shown that there are a myriad of roads to language learning success. Good language learners are diverse. Each person has strengths and weaknesses that can be harnessed to grow their language ability; if they happen to have a personality that is less suited to language learning, they can rely on or develop other crucial skills such as increasing their strategy use or learning to analyze language parts. The mental processes or skills that give some people an advantage in language learning can often be taught! Some people argue that working memory is key for successful language acquisition, and brain research such as Dingfelder's (2005) supports the idea that it is possible to exercise one's brain and increase working memory ability. Finally, studies about the brain and language learning are showing more and more the plasticity of the brain and the way it physically grows and makes connections while people of all ages and walks of life are learning a second language (Li, Legault, & Litcofsky, 2014).
5) How can students who feel they have plateaued in their language learning be introduced the possibility of further language development?
Developing growth mindset in the language domain will be helpful. Students can be introduced to the brain's amazing ability to grow and form new connections, leading to increased ability in the language domain. As I mentioned before, neuroscience is finding the brain to be incredibly plastic at any age, and this plasticity includes language acquisition.  Also, students can come to understand that a plateau is common, especially at the intermediate level, but that others have overcome the plateau. They can, too, by taking care of their brains physically and thoughtfully choosing and utilizing as many language learning strategies as they can.
6) What are the better websites that explore growth mindset for language learners or are easily adapted for language learners?
Carol Dweck and colleagues have created a wonderful comprehensive computer program and set of lesson plans to introduce growth mindset. Although it is not specifically for language learners, each lesson includes some alternative activities and options to scaffold for learners of all levels. You must pay to use the program; it is available at mindsetworks.com.
Additionally, I have found this blog to be helpful: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/10/13/the-best-resources-on-helping-our-students-develop-a-growth-mindset/
Finally, I recommend checking out some videos or TED talks such as this one: https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve?language=en
7) What lesson plans, materials, and learning strategies have you developed on growth mindset?
I have developed a set of lesson plans that teachers can use to introduce growth mindset to their EFL or ESL students and help their students start changing their mindsets about language learning. The lessons include some language objectives as well as pictures or comics to help make the concepts comprehensible. They also include surveys to help students understand their current mindsets and learning strategies. I have only included resources that can be used without Internet, so teachers in any type of ESL/EFL environment can use them. I want to make these lessons available for teachers to use as is or to borrow from and adapt as needed.
8) How did you come to study at Messiah College?
I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, where Messiah College is located, so I had occasionally heard of Messiah College over the years. When I decided I wanted to make a career change from social services to education, rather than going back for a second bachelor’s, I thought it might be best to pursue a master’s degree. I wanted to stay out of debt, so I wanted to find a flexible program that would allow me to continue working while attending classes. Messiah’s flexible online program allowed me to do just. The professors are excellent as well!
References
Dingfelder, S.F. (2005). A workout for working memory: New research suggests that mental exercises might enhance one of the brain’s central components for reasoning and problem-solving. Monitor on Psychology, 36(8), 48. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/workout.aspx
Li, P., Legault, J. and Litcofsky, K.A. (2014). Neuroplasticity as a function of second language learning: Anatomical changes in the human brain. Context, 58, 301-324. Retrieved from www.elsevier.com/locate/cortex
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Early Registration for CELT Seoul 2016 is open until the end of April.  

If you are in Korea, go to this site:
https://koreatesol.org/content/christian-teachers

If you live outside of Korea, please register at celea.net:
http://celea.net/event-2147849

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The creative use of language  is an important aspect of language learning often ignored in second language classrooms.  Teachers and students focus on definite aspects of language learning (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation) that are easily taught but not easily assessed.  The myriad of issues/challenges involved in oral assessment has led me to reconsider and evaluate alternative methods that allow students to be creative with what they are learning. 

Let’s look at the issues involved in oral assessment.  First, students are often not prepared for these kinds of exams.  The reasons are numerous. They are not familiar with these kinds of exams and, therefore, do not know how to prepare.  Also, they are just not motivated.  Second, if they are prepared, nervousness often takes over and the results are not as the students wanted.  Third, students often have memorized responses to questions they think the teacher will ask.  The end result of memorized responses is English production, not communication.   Follow-up questions are usually met with confusion by students.  Fourth, oral assessments are challenging for the professor/teacher.  Listening to similar questions and answers from every student can tax our listening skills as well.   

For the past three years, I have successfully used the famous murder mystery, Death on the Nile, as a final project in conversation classes.  Students write a script that reveals who the murderer is, why the murder was committed, and how it was done and create a 4-7 minute video from their script.  The requirements for the script include (1) asking 4-6 starter questions, (2) answering those questions and writing follow-up questions, (3) using rejoinders, (4) 7-10 vocabulary words or phrases from the movie, and (5) 3-5 modals of certainty.  In addition to writing the script, each student takes on the role of one character from the movie when they make the video.  This offered opportunities for creativity that allowed students to break free from their old language patterns and pushed many to a higher level of language learning.

This project has addressed the motivation issue that many students face.  In Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom, Zoltan Dornyei explains “Human like to be challenged…This means that tasks in which learners need to solve problems, discover something, overcome obstacles…are always welcome.” (p 76 ) “Tasks which concern ambiguous, problematic, controversial, contradictory, or incongruous material stimulate curiosity by creating a conceptual conflict that needs to be resolved.”  (p 76) 

The first key to success for this project was to lead students through the creative process.  Decisions about the murder were made immediately after finishing the movie activities in class.  When the script was first introduced, I had students discuss with a partner who they thought the murderer was.  By the end of class, the students were to write on a piece of paper who they thought did it and why.  This focused students for the next class where they were given time to work on their script.  The next class was a rehearsal where they read through their scripts, and I made suggestions and comments.  The last class, where students watched each others’ videos, has continued to be a highlight for the past three years.   In addition, we watch the final scenes and reveal the real name of the movie (students are told the name of the movie is Love in Cairo to avoid downloading). 

Another key was to pick appropriate material for the age level.  Death on the Nile was chosen because it is a story about a couple who kills an heiress for money.  Students easily related to the concept of a love triangle.

The third  key was to create a rubric to assess the video the students made.  Careful consideration of use of language and pronunciation are as important as the action that highlights it.   

If you have been frustrated with oral assessment, this could be an alternative for your classroom.  The benefits were numerous.  First, students used language that they would use in traditional oral assessment (question formation, answers, grammar, and vocabulary) in a creative, meaningful way.  Second, they worked in groups which simulated real work experience.  Third, students often communicated to each other in English while working on this project.  Fourth, most students were motivated to do this assignment well due to the creativity involved.   

References:                          
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Dornyei, Zoltan (2014?) Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Jan Dormer once at an international CELT (Christian English Language Teaching) conference.  What a warm, wonderful and fun person who demonstrated the love of Christ.  When the Christian Teachers' Special Interest Group (CT-SIG) started making plans to host the next CELT, asking her to speak was one of the easiest decisions we made.  She will be a plenary speaker for CELT 2016.  

I asked her for the following interview at the beginning of November.  She blessed me personally with her answers and I'm sure she will bless you as well.The following interview will give you a preview of a faithful woman holding true to her call to teach English and train teachers.  I am honored that she is joining us for CELT 2016!
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How did you get connected with English language teaching?

I grew up as the daughter of missionaries in Brazil, and began tutoring Brazilians in English when I was just a teenager. It was natural, then, for me to pursue an M.A. in TESOL right after completing my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education. I married a Canadian pastor, and began my TESOL career teaching adult immigrants in Ontario. After 8 years in Canada we became missionaries, and I taught ESOL in just about every imaginable context during our years in Indonesia, Brazil and Kenya. One thing I love about TESOL is the variety it offers. I have enjoyed teaching to all age groups, at all language levels, in all different types of schools and programs.

Tell our readers about your teaching context.  Where do you teach and how long have you been there?  What kind of courses do you teach?
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I am an Associate Professor of TESOL at Messiah College, where I mostly teach in our graduate level TESOL programs. I have been at Messiah College for four years – ever since we returned from serving overseas. Our graduate program at Messiah College includes four main TESOL courses, which comprise our Graduate TESOL Certificate. Students can then go on to complete our full M.Ed. in TESOL. I mostly teach the topics of Second Language Acquisition, TESOL in Ministry, TESOL Methods, and thesis supervision. I do teach a course focusing on Global TESOL and TESOL Ministry at the undergraduate level as well. I am passionate about helping all of my students discover how they can serve God and others through TESOL!

One of the goals of the Christian Teachers Special Interest group (CT-SIG) is to explore the ways our faith connects to our teaching contexts.  Can you comment on this?  What are some of the ways you connect your faith to your teaching?

My faith saturates my teaching! God has called me to be salt and light for Him, just as he has called all of us, no matter what our professions. TESOL is the vocation He has given me in which to do this. At the same time, He has given me a passion for TESOL, and the exuberance and joy that I have when teaching ESOL or TESOL comes from Him.

On a more concrete level, I have identified four “M’s” that can characterize ESOL teaching as Christian: Methods, Modeling, Materials and Mentoring. How these aspects play out will vary from context to context. In the Christian English school that I developed in Brazil, our program was transparently Christian, and we saw a lot of spiritual growth in our students and staff. When I taught English for three years in a Muslim elementary school in Indonesia, these principles played out very differently. To learn more about these 4 M’s of Christian ESOL and what they might look like in different contexts, come to my plenary at CELT Seoul!

Tell our readers about your book Teaching English in Missions: Effectiveness and Integrity.  

During my years on the mission field I discovered that though there were many people engaged in English ministry, few had training in TESOL. At the same time, criticism against “Teaching English as a Missionary Language” (e.g. Pennycook & Coutand-Marin, 2003) began to emerge from the professional TESOL community. As someone with a foot in both the missionary and the professional TESOL world, I felt God nudging me to explore what characterized teaching English in missions well. I focused in on the need for effectiveness – to have the training needed to truly teach English well, and integrity – to be honest and transparent in our claims and actions.

My book first provides cautions against the use of TESOL ministry without appropriate preparation and understanding, outlining four possible “harms”. It then goes on to explore four distinct types of TESOL ministry, drawn from differing goals and contexts: host evangelism, host discipleship, ambassador evangelism and ambassador discipleship. Finally, my book seeks to show what are the hallmarks of effectiveness and integrity in TESOL Ministry – in what I hope is a reader-friendly tone with lots of anecdotes from real ministry experiences!

The theme for CELT 2016 is collaboration.  How do you address collaboration in your teaching context?  What collaborative projects are you currently working on?

I love this theme, and I am hard pressed to think of any part of my career that has not been marked by collaboration. My doctoral research focused on NEST-NNEST (Native English Speaking Teacher and Nonnative English Speaking Teacher) collaboration and relationships at Christian schools in Indonesia and Brazil. That research resulted in a template that schools can use to ensure positive and mutually edifying relationships, which I call “shared competence”, between NESTs and NNESTs on a school staff (see Dormer, 2012).

Currently, I am part of a team developing an ESL program at our church. Our area has many Somali refugees, who are Muslim. As these individuals have begun coming into our church for ESL classes, we have had many hurdles! However, collaboration, with our shared goal of Christian ministry, is taking us through the bumps in the road. It is exciting to see what God is doing, and none of it would be possible without the work of many people, each carrying out their part contributing to the whole.

What aspects of collaboration do you find particularly challenging?

Working closely with others usually requires compromise, and that is sometimes hard! If our new church-based ESL program is really going to be a team effort, for example, that means that what I think is “best” may not always prevail. Others need opportunities to use their ideas, and to learn from experience. What I try to keep front and center in my thinking is that this is God’s program, not mine. He is fully capable of carrying out His plan despite our human missteps and imperfections. That perspective helps me to extend grace and support instead of insisting on my own ideas.

References

Dormer, J. E. (2012). Shared competence: NEST/NNEST collaboration that benefits all in Honigsfeld and M. Dove (Eds.), Co-teaching and Other Collaborative Practices in the EFL/ESL Classroom: Rationale, Research, Reflections, and Recommendations, Charlotte (pp. 241-250.) NC: Information Age Publishing.

Pennycook, A (with Sophie Coutand-Marin). (2003). Teaching English as a missionary language (TEML). Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education. 24/3, 337-353.

I have been reflecting on punctuation and faith in my writing classes as of late.  I have come to think of the period, the exclamation point, the question mark, the ellipsis, quotation marks, and the comma.  How does punctuation mark your own story?
 
Period (.) End of sentence. Factual. True. When God speaks, it’s usually a simple, declarative sentence. Go. Stop. Trust. Follow me. Our culture has tried to make us believe that our faith isn’t strong enough unless we reside in a place of certainty. And sure, that’s a great place to be. Sometimes our beliefs are absolute and sure, and we’re strongly rooted in our faith. We simply know what we know. But do you know what else I know? It’s OK to not remain here all the time.

Exclamation point (!) Wow! God is amazing! I see Him! I want you to know Him! The best way to approach God is with thanksgiving—by noticing all that He does, all that He is, and letting ourselves feel the awe and wonder He inspires. And the best way to get someone else excited is to express yourself genuinely and enthusiastically. It’s hard to maintain this level of excitement over the long term, though—we get tired, other worries crowd their way in, and so on. It takes sustained effort to remain here and it’s a wonderful place to be, but I spend more time with the next one…

The question mark (?) When Jesus asked questions, He was trying to help people uncover truths: Who do YOU say that I am? Questions aren’t bad, even in our faith. It really all comes down to intent. Are you asking questions in the hopes of arriving at a stronger, more accurate belief of who God is? Or are you looking for excuses not to commit to Him? Think of Thomas—he may have been labeled a doubter, but isn’t he the only one who got to touch the resurrected Jesus? His questions demanded a direct, tangible answer. Do yours? If you’re hungry for more of God, if you want to find more and go deeper, please—ask away!

The ellipsis (…) This mark indicates when something is missing, showing a place where words or thoughts have been removed. It also shows where a conversation fades to nothingness. I think, if we’re honest, we can all see a few of these ellipses over the course of our faith—someone hurt you, or God didn’t answer your prayer as you’d expected. Maybe you simply stopped seeing God and wandered away unintentionally. Those dots are a normal part of our stories. If you find yourself here, take heart—for something to be missing in the middle, there has to be something both before and after the gap. Keep looking for God, and before long, you’ll find yourself on the other side of the dots.

Quotation marks (“ ”) Most of what I know about God I’ve learned from others—pastors and teachers, yes, but also friends, acquaintances, writers, musicians, and celebrities. (Occasionally, we learn the most from seeing what we don’t want to do.) When we get excited about something, it’s natural to share it--she said this, he taught me that. This is where quotation marks come in handy. Don’t just mimic what you hear, though. Evaluate it, use wisdom, and verify its accuracy. And remember that you don’t always have to look far away—trust in the truth of your own experiences, too. They often make the most moving testimonies.

The comma (,) This is a good place to be—in the middle. Seeing all the things God is doing. Collecting lessons and gathering knowledge. Experiencing the different names and faces of our God, one after another. Understanding that even when one thing happens (good or bad), it’s followed almost immediately by something else. The good news that commas bring is the fact that your story isn’t over yet.

All of these marks are useful and necessary. No value judgment is implied in any of them—they’re part of your own personal story, your natural expression of God’s involvement in your life. So will you take a minute and think about your faith life? Which punctuation mark is your default? Is your life expressing what you want to say? Don’t feel bad if you’re not there yet (or ever). As any English teacher will tell you, it’s important to vary sentence structure. Straightforward sentences are fine. But not if there are no other kinds. And other times, don’t you think questions are best? Some days, all we can do is exclaim about the goodness of God! On others, we may sit in silence, reveling in His mercy and His grace, His kindness, His gentleness, His variety, and His great love for us. Through it all, though, we can know one thing. However we express ourselves, we can rest assured that God will lead us through all of these different phases. And oh, what a story we will have to tell!

Period (.) Here is a little bit about my story.  I got married and came to Korea in 1998.  I have taught many university students, but I did teach some talented high school girls at Ewha Foreign Language High School.  My teaching has expanded because I now have a family I adore.

Exclamation point (!) God has been very good to me over these seventeen years in Korea!  I have a beautiful family, including three boys that are slowly turning into godly men, a loving husband, a nice home, and a teaching position I enjoy.  I also enjoy writing and teaching for KNU International English Church and the Christian Teachers Special Interest Group (CT-SIG).

The question mark (?) My most growth filled times are filled with questions.  How do I connect my faith to my teaching?  How do I connect my faith with daily interactions with my children?  Why are art projects, plants, and books so good for my soul?

​The ellipsis (...) My life continues to have its challenges ... raising children in a Confucianist culture ... understanding my Korean husband when I really don't understand ... trying to understand administrative decisions at my job ... There is a lot to living cross-culturally that I do not understand ... I need to listen deeply, pray, and collaborate with others in the confusion.

Quotations marks (" ") Quotes from so many people have informed my faith.  This one from the book of John has kept going and pondering for years.  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10) Jesus, Paul, Mother Theresa, Dorothy Day, Derek Liebenberg, Brian Roller, Ann Voskamp, Corrie ten Boom, Beth Moore, Max Lucado, and so many others.  

The comma (,) This is a good place to be - in the middle.  Seeing all that God is doing, collecting lessons and gathering knowledge. Experiencing the different names and faces of God one after another.  Understanding that even when one thing happens (good or bad), it is followed almost immediately by something else.  The good news that commas bring is the fact that your story isn't over yet.  

The question mark (?) Aren't you excited that your story isn't over yet? 

Dear Lord, speak to us in sentences we can understand. Help us express our love and gratitude, build a deeper trust in You, and never run out of words to say. You have so much to offer us… whether we’re asking, quoting, listing your traits or hungering for more. Put Your mark in our lives, never to be removed, never to be erased. Amen.

On the eighth day God said, I need someone with a strong heart to teach English to all those who are interested and even those who are not.

So, God made an English teacher.

God needed someone who would explain present tense agreement, past and future tense, articles, and prepositions repeatedly until students understand.

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone who knows that students don’t always learn and understand because of things that are going on in their homes and are willing to listen, put the puzzle pieces of life together, and care for those who aren’t doing well in classes.

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone who will put in countless hours of planning preparation outside of their workday, in the early mornings and late into the evenings, and then spend the day teaching beautiful faces to listen, speak, read, and write in English and help them believe in their ability to do so.

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone to bring a student into the classroom and show them love they may or may not be receiving at home while teaching and educating about their worth to the world.  Someone who is able to communicate the value of a life.

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone who understands the value of lesson planning but is also aware of the work the Holy Spirit does in students with a keen eye on when to focus classroom work or soul work.

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone who can plant seeds of wisdom that will bloom in the future. 

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone who can have a plan B, C, and D and even a Z depending on the needs of a student.

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone who is willing to give up evenings, weekends, even summers in order to gain personal and professional development.

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone who understands the value of family, who takes their cares home each night because of the students whose lives they affect daily, and then smiles with pride and fear when their own son or daughter says they are going to spend their life “doing what Dad or Mom does”. 

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone who understands the value of memorization in the learning process but is able to find innovative ways or repeating words, concepts, and grammar until students get it.

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone who is patient, kind, not easily deterred, firm, consistent, loving, and steadfast.

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone who is passionate and unafraid to love unconditionally.

So, God made an English teacher.

Someone who was filling to follow the Master Teacher, Jesus Christ.

So, God made an English teacher.

_________

May God bless you as you continue to follow the Master Teacher’s leading this term. 

 

When I heard this question the first time, I laughed to myself.  It sounded a little ridiculous until someone related this question to teaching English.  Is there a Christian way to boil eggs?  Yes.  Is there a Christian way to teach English?  Yes.  Whether you are boiling eggs or teaching English, you should pray about the process, pay a fair price, prepare everything well before you start, and praise God regardless on the result.  Let's look at each of these in turn.

First, you should pray.  Just as prayer is important in the kitchen and before a meal, prayer is important for class.  You should pray as you prepare for class.  A short prayer before class is also appropriate.  Pray for your students to live well, learn well, and grow into thoughtful individuals.  

Second, you should be aware of the price you are paying for your teaching. Time preparing for class could be time away from other important aspects of life that you want to participate in.  For me, teaching and class preparation is time away from my family.  I do enjoy teaching, but I do pay a price for it.

Third, prepare for class.  This is one of the mantras I remember from graduate school.  Prepare, prepare, prepare!  Class preparation, more than any other aspect of teaching, is the biggest witness of one's faith in Christ to students. As students imagine themselves effective English speakers as a result of excellent teaching and effort, they grow and change as people. Some of them will come back and say thank you for the hard work you put into class and they may ask you why.  It is then that you can share your faith. We need to strive to be excellent in order to be an effective teacher and an effective evangelist.  

Fourth, praise God.  I have started with prayer and I am ending with praise. Praise God for your opportunities to teach.  Praise God for your students, even the difficult ones.  Praise God for your opportunities to grow and change as a teacher.  The way of teaching is not always positive but praise allows us to reflect on its meaning.  You might be shaking your head because something went wrong in class or with your teaching.  God is in charge of it all.

The Christian way of boiling eggs may not be a silly question after all.  It prepares our hearts and minds to enjoy something simple, a boiled egg.  As you pray, pay a fair price, prepare for class, and praise God, the classroom will become a simpler place where you enjoy relationships with your students.  

The last time I posted I was personally exploring motivation in the classroom. Motivation comes in many forms.  My dear friend, Lisa, has motivated me time and time again with her great laugh and her questions about God. She is one of a myriad of amazing people in South Korea doing amazing things for God.   I would like to introduce Lisa Weathersby.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.  How did you get connected with English language teaching in Korea?

In April of 1998, I had decided NOT to go to Korea to teach for a year.  In August of that same year, I reaffirmed my decision to my persistent high school friend that I would not accompany her to Korea.  Three times the charm applies here.  By her third invitation, I was singing a different tune. 

Why? There was an FBI raid at the company I worked for in the U.S., and I did not stick around long enough to find out why.  I stepped off the plane on January 4, 1999. 

How long have you been here?

16 years.  A one year contract easily turned into a second year.  After that I thought another year would be fine.  I kept resigning contracts each year because I was enjoying my life and my work so much. 

What do you enjoy most about Korean culture? 

Based on my preoccupation with fruit, it’s no wonder that one thing that I love about Korea is its food culture.  Of course, much of the food is quite delicious and suits my palate well, but what I truly find fascinating is Koreans’ view of food as more than just something we put in our mouths to keep our stomachs from rumbling.  Here, food is health.  It’s medicine.  It is pride, and it’s nationalism.  Each food has a particular benefit to the body. I love how a slight cough and a scratchy throat in my 9 am class leads to a box of pears outside my office door by the end of the day, a gift from a concerned co-worker.  In the States, someone might have offered me a cough drop!

How did you decide to start teaching in an orphanage?

11 years ago, a coworker at Kongju National University High School invited me to accompany him to an orphanage.  He already was volunteering.  I politely declined.  I had good reasons.  I had this idea that it would be irresponsible to visit an orphanage, teach a lesson for a couple of visits, and then go back to my carefree life and never return.  I imagined that the kids had had their fair share of good intentioned volunteers who disappeared when it was no longer convenient to go there.  I didn’t want to be that person.

My co-worker was very persistent, at times, annoyingly so.  He just didn’t give up.  It took nearly a year, but I finally acquiesced.  My first visit was part of a Christmas event for the kids.  In a couple of hours, the kids made an impression on me.  I knew that if I was going to volunteer, I would have to commit for the long run.  I have been volunteering for over 10 years.

What has been your biggest challenge in adapting to Korean culture?

My biggest challenge, and also my greatest reward, is teaching in Korea.  The educational culture is strikingly different to what I have been accustomed to. My enthusiasm for education, learning, and self-improvement is in stark contract to that of most of my students.  For many, education is strictly a means to an end and not a joy in itself.  If I want them to value an end result, I have to make them ‘suffer’ through the process.  The rewards at the end of a tough climb seem to have more weight with my students than the same rewards at the end of a longer, leisurely stroll. 

How do you connect your faith to the classroom?

I am a teacher.  I am a Christian.  I can’t turn off being a Christian when I teach.  Over the years, I had students ask me what makes me different from other teachers.  My life goals, teaching style, attitude, and interactions are different.  To me, it is all natural.  I am myself conscientiously teaching for the glory of God.

The theme for Christian Teacher’s Annual Symposium is building community.  How do you create community in your classroom?

For one of my classes, I have students read Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet In Heaven.  I read this as an undergrad at Yale.  It challenges the reader to consider his/her role in society and to value the roles of others.  Through discussion, students see how we are connected as one part of a whole, a community.  Each person has a part to play, a task, or a duty.  I like to think I help plant the seeds of community in their minds as they go out to teach children, sewing seeds of their own.

(This was originally posted in the first Christian Teachers' Special Interest Group's Newsletter of KOTESOL, September 2014.)

 

As a child, I was enamored by the idea of writing.  It was one way I could make sense of what was in my head.  It was my own little version of therapy. 

I recall writing about a rather inspired piece about starlight and the moon that never sorted itself out until a motivational moment changed me. Sometimes teachers notice the areas of life that need speaking into and are honored to be that voice.

My teacher in high school was returning papers, and mine landed on my desk like all the others had, with marks indicating that I had done the work.  Basically, I had remembered my capital letters and ending punctuated, so I received the coveted 2-word acceptance phrase: “Well done.”

I didn’t think anything more of it, but as she walked past me again, she paused, knelt down by my desk, eye to eye.  She tapped my paper with her finger and smiled, quietly making a declaration that breathed purpose into me.

“You, my dear, were born to be a writer.”

She gave my hand a little squeeze and continued returning papers like nothing had happened.  She had whispered it so that nobody else could hear, and as I watched her move around the classroom, it felt like a delicious secret. 

What did she see that day? I won’t ever know for sure. 

It was still the same messy, half-filled, imperfect page I had turned in a few days earlier, but there  was a sudden seed of potential that felt worthy of growing. 

That’s what great teachers do.  They remind you that what you’ve done is nothing in comparison to what you are called to do, and they plant a seed that will grow in spite of it.

What would have been subtle to most people wasn’t lost on her.  It was beautiful and praiseworthy, not because I had performed a task, but rather because I let it pour out of the deepest sense of truth I could grasp at that point.  It was work inspired by love, not by report cards and the admiration of others.

Motivation.  It matters.

I didn’t leave school and write my debut novella that day.  I can’t even tell you the name of the teacher for certain.  I do know this.  That sentence has played over in my mind on days when I’m staring at a blank screen and on days when I am staring at my own students reflecting on how to motivate them.

She made me want to be writer.  If, for no other reason than that, I should thank her for the gift she gave me.  She told me I was born to write and that was the beginning of a journey for me.  A seed was watered that day.  She inspired greater vision in me.  I went from seeing myself as a child to seeing myself as a future writer.  I picked up a pen and opened a journal.  I noticed I was holding the pen a little differently than I ever had before.

______

I love the way the Gospel of Luke describes the scene at Jesus calls out to Simon Peter a short time after their first encounter.  Jesus climbs into Simon Peter’s boat and tells him to his nets down for a catch.  Before he obeys the Lord, Peter explains that they have been working all night to no avail, but quickly finishes, his thought with the words, “But at your word I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5). 

Like you, he probably considered himself an expert in his own life and experiences, and he was stating what he believed to be a reality.  These were nets he had used many times and water he had studied closely. He knew that dropping them during the day as Jesus was asking is not likely to be successful, because any good fisherman will tell you that nets are supposed to be dropped at night.  It’s how it’s done.  It’s also not an easy process physically, and these men were already exhausted from being out working all night, so obedience isn’t without cost.

The reward is swift.  As the nets filled, the fisherman realized they weren’t going to be able to manage the haul by themselves.  They called for others to help them. It was the catch of a lifetime.

This is the moment that the fisherman waits his life for.  Chaos dominates at the shore as the men pull the nets in.  There are shouts of exertion and awe filling the air.  It’s a hustling, bustling mess of celebration and shock, but in the midst of it is the one man who steps away from the masses.

Instead of reveling in the gift, he acknowledges the Giver.  Falling to his knees, he utters these words: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8).  His heart is bowed in reverence, not bent in obligation.

Motivation matters.

Christ was swift in responding to Simon.  “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” (v10). 

In other words, “You aren’t wrong about your sinfulness, but that isn’t the whole story.  There is work to be done for my sake and through My power, so stand up.  I have plans for you.”

This lowering is interesting.  It is the right and natural response to His holiness.  But the beauty is, and has always been, in the act of rising again.  A true understanding of our own depravity isn’t a punishment – It’s an opportunity to understand the value of the gift of a new life. 

There is new life, life that wasn’t expected or deserved.  Simon Peter dropped everything and followed Christ.  Christ watered a seed.  Simon Peter went from seeing himself as a fisherman to seeing himself a fisher of men, a new vision of how to live in the world.

----

How do we as teachers sow seeds? How do we change the way students see themselves?  What can we as language teachers do that will help propel students to see themselves differently?  Zoltan Dornyei offers many motivational gems in his book, Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom.  It is full of methods and techniques that work to generate and maintain the learners’ motivation.  I offer only a handful here of what Dornyei describes as in the second section, creating the basic motivational conditions.  

First, demonstrate your own enthusiasm for the course material.  (Dornyei, p137) Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, an American psychologist addressed this in an article (1997).  Enthusiastic teachers are the ones who make a difference in people’s lives.  The ones who love their subject matter and who show their dedication and passion are the ones who influence others.  There are, of course, the ‘nutcases’ whose involvement in their area of expertise borders on being crazy.  Even those ‘nutcases’ are admired by their students for their passion.  Commitment toward the subject matters becomes ‘infectious’, instilling or motivating students toward a similar willingness to purpose knowledge.

Projecting enthusiasm is related to the more general process of modeling.  This, of course, is a very effective teaching method where the teacher is setting an example.  Be willing to share your own joys and frustrations with language learning.  Show students that language learning is a meaningful experience that can enrich your life. Carefully craft your words. 

Second, take their learning seriously. It is important that everybody in the classroom should be aware that you care; that you are not there just for the salary; that it is important for you that your students succeed and that you are ready to work just as hard as the students towards this success.  These phrases do sound contrite but my own experience is that teacher behavior cannot be overemphasized.  Students are extremely sensitive to the cues coming from the teacher.  Some ways of expressing this include: (1) offering concrete assistance, (2) offering to meet students individually to explain things, (3) responding immediately when help is requested, (3) correcting tests and papers promptly, (4) sending learners copies of relevant/interesting articles, (5) encouraging extra assignments and offering to assist, (6) showing concern when things aren’t going well, (7) allowing students to call you when they have a problem (Hmmm…), (8) being available for overtime (Hmmmm…).

Jere Brophy (1998) argues “To the extent that you treat students as if they are already eager learners, they are eager learners, they are more likely to become eager learners.  Let them know they are expected to be curious…” (p. 170).  Our communication with students should take for granted that the students share our enthusiasm for learning. 

The need to expect learners to show interest in order for this to happened leads directly into teacher expectations, a third piece to the motivation puzzle.  Teachers need to have sufficiently high expectations of what the students can achieve.  For example, in one of the most famous experiments in educational psychology, Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) administered an intelligence test to primary school children at the start of the academic year.  Teachers were told that the purpose of the test was to predict which students would ‘bloom’ intellectually during the year.  The researchers, however, deceived the teachers because instead of providing them with true test scores, they identified 20 % of the sample as potentially ‘intellectual bloomers’ randomly.  By the end of the year there were significant differences between the ‘bloomers’ and the control students whereas at the beginning of the year they were similar in every respect except in the way they were labeled by the researchers.

Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) explained the emerging difference by arguing that the (false) information about the students created differential teacher expectations concerning them and these expectations acted as self-fulfilling prophecies in that students lived up to them.  In other words, if you believe that your students can reach high levels of achievement, there is a good chance that they will.

Another piece to the motivation puzzle lies in developing personal relationships with your students.  Show students that you accept and care about them.  Pay attention and listen to them.  Ask questions about things they are interested in. Be available. Teachers who share warm, personal interactions with their students, who respond to their concerns in an emphatic manner and who succeed in establishing relationships of mutual trust and respect with the learners, are more likely to inspire them in academic matters than those who have no personal ties with the learner.

____

Motivation is something both teachers and students recognize.  Teachers recognize it in students and students recognize it in teachers.  Initial motivation can get a student started on his/her language learning journey. Water the seeds of greater vision in your classroom.  Create the basic motivational conditions.  First, be enthusiastic about the courses you are teaching.  Second, let the students know you are willing to work hard for them.  Third, expect students to do well.  Fourth, develop good relationships.  Accept, listen, pay attention and be available. 

If you have been teaching for a while, this motivation thing is not easy.  You can be doing everything else right and still not feel that you are not reaching the student. But, sometimes it’s not so hard.  It’s just you listening to the Holy Spirit, and saying something encouraging to the student.  “You were born to be a writer.” “Come follow me and I will make you a fisher of men.”

Be prepared, but be willing to listen to God.  Have a great semester.

References

Brophy, J.E. (1998). Motivating Students to Learn.  Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Intrinsic Motivation and effective teaching: A flow analysis. In J.L. Bess (Ed.) Teaching Well and Liking It: Motivating Faculty to Teach Effectively. Baltimore:  John Hopkins University press, 72-89.

Dornyei, Zoltan (2001). Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom.  Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Rosenthal, R. and L. Jacobson (1968). Pygmalion in the Classroom. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.