Native vs Non-Native Teachers of English

Welcome bear. I don't think we can assume that natives are better at teaching english..I've never seen any statistics to corroberate that fact, but in HS all the language teachers were non native...does that prove your point? LOL

You are right, of course, and that is exactly what I have been thinking about the HS language courses. The assumption is incorrect, but does it cause discrimination against non-native speakers of English (a loaded term in itself)?

Non-native speakers generally teach people at basic levels better than do native ones. This depends, of course, on their students having the same native language as them.

The reason for this is their own learning process being closer to that of the student than a native English speaker's would be. The non-native ESL teacher did not learn merely by rote as a chile and had to adapt the same way the student will have to.

In terms of pronnunciation the non-native teacher will also pronnounce English words with a bit of pull toward their native language and if the teacher and student share this language the initial comprehension barrier will be easier to overcome.

But once past the initial phases the native English speaker is often the better teacher because of the native pronunciation and the vocabulary (especially with idioms).

The native speaker will also have much better sense of collocation, something non-native speaker will take years to master.

You make several valid points and I agree that if the teacher and student share a first language they will be able to relate to each other better, but what about a non-native speaker of English that desires to teach in a "regular" English class, lets say a freshman English class in a university, where she/he will be teaching native speakers, will their experience be a positive one, or will she/he be treated as inferior even though she/he has an advanced degree in English?

It depends on the fuency of the teacher. If the teacher has resided in an English-speaking country for a significant amount of time there might be no perceptible difference.

In my experience I've found that it usually takes at least 5 years for it to be nearly impossible to tell whether the speaker is native (of course, this varies, I know some who've thought in English and used English as a first language for over 20 years who are very obvious ESLers).

Since a freshman class would consist of Literature or Creative Writing I think 18 year olds would accept someone with an accent.

While I would like to agree with you, as someone who teaches freshman English, I can't tell you how many times my students have come to class complaining about their math or science instructors who they can, as they say, "barely understand." They are not very accepting of those instructors, so I can only surmise that they may also be less than accepting of an English teacher who they would have to make an effort to understand. I find people here in the US in general to be less willing to make the effort to engage in a mutual give and take with those who speak English with any type of accent.

Since English is my second language I assure you I rushed to get rid of my accent. This is an insulated society, probably because of geographical reasons. And yet it has managed to absorb an influx of immigrants like the world has never seen. Things that make you go huh?

Wouldn't the level of discrimination be directly proportional to the views of the individual? I love to listen to my clients who hail from Zimbabwe. English is their native language, though their pronunciation is markedly different from my own. To a lesser degree I appreciate the gentle lilt of Trinidadians. My least favourite is a heavy Jamaican accent, until I have become accustomed to it, because I have to try harder to understand. All of us share English as our native language. I don't agree that ?'murricans "are less willing to engage in mutual give and take," though if students complaining is the measure for your comment, I guess I understand.

As for what method is best, isn't this too subjective?

I've made scores of ESL referrals over the years and note the feedback I received from my clients most resembles Craven's comments. Same language tutoring was helpful in the beginning stages, but once the rudiments were mastered, motivated students believed they needed the challenge of ?'English only' instruction to improve. I found that result counterintuitive, but there you have it.

I find it interesting that panzade rushed to get rid on an accent, while Joe doesn't find 'murricans' to be relatively accepting of accents. I also base my over-generalized comment on the lack of give and take of others who I am aquainted with who complain if they call a customer service line and have to speak to a, as they say, 'foreigner' Maybe, also as panzade points out, it is a geographical issue.

Having lived in Spain, more specifically the Mediterranean coast that abuts France, I can tell you that most of the people I came in contact with spoke Spanish, French and English. Admittedly they were all in college or graduated but Geography has a lot to do with exposure to other languages. Even in South Texas and South Florida 'murricans are quite familiar with Spanish.