Taming Wild Animals
Teaching English is like capturing wild animals. You think you have captured them but you are not sure where they are. Ask students why they want to study English, they will tell you why. Ask teachers why they want to teach English, they will tell you why. Ask policymakers why they want to train people for English skills, they will tell you why. So, you teach students how to speak, read, write, and even listen to English.
- Nicky Sekino
Teaching English is like capturing wild animals. You think you have captured them but you are not sure where they are. Ask students why they want to study English, they will tell you why. Ask teachers why they want to teach English, they will tell you why. Ask policymakers why they want to train people for English skills, they will tell you why. So, you teach students how to speak, read, write, and even listen to English.
Interestingly, wild animals may run but will not go very far, so they will be captured again - as if they are waiting for the moment. Some of you do not want to play this game and create artificial intelligence that translates languages. But AI languages today include errors in syntax, semantics, and pragmatics that you sometimes wonder what is said. As a dedicated teacher of English, I prefer the old school ways: to capture wild animals, tame them, and have them work for you.
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