Interview with Richard Grant: Teaching, Training, and the beauty of the ENglish Language
“Typically teaching is not a well-paid profession in terms of monetary value, but in terms of richness of experience, it sure is.
Life takes on more significance just because you’re more connected to people in it.”
Show Notes
In this episode, we're talking to Richard Grant. Richard has extensive experience in the TEFL industry, where he's worked as an ESL teacher, a CELTA trainer and assessor, and the director of the first year writing program at his university. Today we're talking about the key differences he's noticed in how native and non-native speakers approach English, and his experience teaching in Indonesia and at the university level in the United States. Richard also has useful advice for anyone considering teaching abroad or taking a CELTA course. And finally, we spend some time just relishing the intricacies of the English language.
In this Episode…
Richard’s discovery of other languages and the significance of that understanding
How he got into the TEFL field: from tutoring to CELTA training
Teaching in Indonesia
Getting into university work
How his ESL background helps him work with non-native speaking university students
The big differences between teaching English and teaching ESL
How he became a CELTA trainer
What he learned about language and teaching in the process of becoming a CELTA trainer
Why he wishes he’d gotten better training before his first teaching job abroad
How CELTA has changed the way he views what goes on in a classroom
Why the standard approach to teaching doesn’t work
Shifting the teaching approach from “the sage on the stage” to a more effective, student-centered methodology
What incoming CELTA candidates should be prepared for before the course
How his life has been enriched by teaching and traveling
“We do language more than anything else! There’s nothing humans do more than language.
It’s a reflection of who we are as a species.”