"After all is said and done, much is said than done." Old cliché yet still remains applicable to this day. Do you agree with this?

            Quite a number of Filipino teachers keep themselves busy spinning around the issue on teaching English effectively. While a few others are proclaiming that they got the "American English." Wow, that's nice!

            While these bunch are in to a showcase of what they got, there are others, Filipinos and native speakers alike, who don't even join this kind of talk, yet produce prizes, commendations that laud not only the school's name where they work but also the students and the parents as well.

            Need I say about the efficacy of their teaching techniques? It is no wonder then that these are the Filipinos that last through the test of time. Five up to twenty years of teaching...

            How does this sound? Simply amazing, isn’t it?

So as far as effective English teaching is concerned, it should be noted that listening is the basic among the four fundamental skills in English. It should be the foremost thing in handling English as a Second language.

                One can never teach anybody to speak if the teacher doesn't produce the ideal sound or just the plain standard sound the students have to copy on.

                In this regard, it is just but natural to imagine that the English teacher must be adept in the using the language orally.

                Thais know this fact. And this is the reason why they normally opt for "farang" over us. Not because of the "package" they get when they hire a naive speaker but the "accent."

                On the other hand, however, if a Filipino has the fluency and the sound of good English (neither American nor British) coupled with other skills, Thai school administrators rather prefer to have Filipinos.

Not to mention other things like teaching techniques and methodologies that Pinoys have.

                Every Filipino should believe in himself that he has what it takes to be a teacher (unless he is not) because the fact that he is able to use the language clearly and get his messages across when communicating shows that his former teachers used effective techniques.

                There's the rub, this is the English 101. It's in our blood to teach if you graduated with this course because you saw it and you knew how Pinoys learn the language though English is just our second language.

Try translating this idea to how to teach English in your classroom and you are well on your way to getting positive feedbacks.

                But this is not all dear folks. Be your own critic. Assess yourself. Strive to further yourself continuously.

Bear in mind that only your negative ideas stand in your way to your teaching success. Self limiting beliefs make you unable to do things and continue to justify unproductive habits.

                Aside from your good vocabulary, how is your grammar? Do you have it in your heart? How does the preparation of lesson plans and doing the visual aids and the likes sound to you? Do you really love teaching?

                If you do have these things, you'll become passionate about your job. You would cease to look at the flaws and frailties of others.

Instead, you would feel sympathetic of those guys who are on their way to acquiring mastery. You would begin to be more creative and resourceful.

So… do yourself a favor… go back to the English 101 with the good values enclosed in it.

You would be surprised by many rewards you will get if you do.