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Why do I love to teach English as a Second Language? Let me give you ten reasons (and ten paragraphs about why this should matter to you):

One: I love to teach.

Two: I love English.

Three: I love language in general; discovering the connections between English and other languages is a bonus.

Four: I love to hear other people speak their native languages fluently, easily, and beautifully.

Five: I’m very patient and a good listener, and I love to practice things I’m good at.

Six: I love to travelno, that’s wrong. I don’t travel. But spending time with people from other cultures enables me to imagine that I travel.

Seven: I love to feel like an ambassador to…whatever country my student is from.

Eight: I love learning about history, and most other countries on the planet have more history than mine.

Nine: I’m a writer; writing is my primary source of income, and I love to write. But writing is a solitary activity; teaching allows me to interact with people and adds another layer of richness to my life.

Ten: It gives me something wonderful to dream about. Please continue reading….

Why should you care that I love to teach ESL?

Here, in ten brief paragraphs, is my answer.

I tell my students, rather apologetically, that Americans generally don’t respect people who don’t speak English. (By the way, I don’t say this until I sense they are thinking it.) Why don’t we? True, the world is quickly becoming a global society, and English is becoming “the” international language. And perhaps someday soon every educated person in the world will have a working knowledge of English.

But how did we, as a nation, become so provincial…so arrogant…so smug? Even if your ancestors came here on the Mayfloweras mine didor even if they are Native Americans, your people originally spoke some other language. Modern English has been around only a few hundred years.

And what a tragedy it would be if those other languages disappeared, or became ancient relics of lost civilizations, to be studied only by academicians and never used in everyday life. Think of living in a world where everyone had the same favorite color, or the same hobby…where every radio station played the same music…or every restaurant served the same food. How boring! Here’s an easy (and fun) way for each of us to do our small part for international relations: be patient with someone who is learning English, and while we’re at it, show an interest in their native language. We’re guaranteed to learn something fascinating.

Wherever we live, wherever our ancestors came from, our language is intimately intertwined with our history, our culture, our sociology…even our biology. Consider that whatever sounds are absent from our native language, unless we somehow learn them as young children, will be lost to us forever. We lose a big piece of our cultural identity if we pretend that Modern English is the only language that counts.

Now, my dream…for many years, I’ve wanted to travel to England, Ireland, Scotland, and Walesthe lands of my ancestors. A few years ago, I began to study Italian, and became enamored of not only the language, but the food, the art, the architecture, and of course the history. Now I want to go to Italy.

More recently, as I worked with a student from Switzerland, I was soon awed by what I learned of the rich cultural history, the variety of natural scenery…the castles and cathedrals and trains…the large number of language groups for so small a country…and now I want to go to Switzerland. Given enough time and experience, maybe eventually I’ll want to go just about everywhere. But for starters…western Europe.

So I dream that some day I’ll be invited to stay with a family…perhaps a non-English-speaking family in an English-speaking country, or perhaps a family in Italy or Switzerland…and be a tutor and companion to the adults and/or the children in the family. While they learn English, I’ll learn about their culture…and travel! And I will be a goodwill ambassador, an example of the generous spirit of America.

I hope all my fellow Americans will find it in themselves to appreciate the languages of the world and the people who speak them. If you do travel, please make an effort to say a few words in your host country’s language. You probably won’t have to say much, for the people you meet will probably want to take the opportunity to practice English. But I believe they will appreciate the effort. If you don’t travel, just look at the people around you and notice the diversity of backgrounds.

Can we believe that something good can come out of every bad thing that happens? The Old Testament story of the Tower of Babel describes God’s punishment of mankind for their pride in thinking they could reach heaven by building and climbing upon this great tower. Suddenly speaking many different languages, they could no longer communicate and were unable to finish the project. The good that has come to all of us because of it is this: we have the immeasurable treasure of thousands of languages, and the social, cultural, and natural diversity that go with them.

Go out of your way to spend some time with someone who doesn’t speak fluent English. The joy of communication that transcends language barriers will be yours.

About The Author Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance writer with a specialty in business and marketing communications. She holds a biology degree and has worked in a variety of fields, including the pharmaceutical industry and teaching, and is a certified ESL instructor. She is also a graduate of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI), America’s leading course on copywriting. Contact Lisa J. Lehr Copywriting www.ljlcopywriting.com, for help with your writing and/or ESL needs. This article © Lisa J. Lehr 2005. lisa@ljlcopywriting.com

The I Ching is the oldest known classic Chinese text and is one of the most important philosphical books of all time and one of the most popular having been read by billion of people

Why is the book so important? Simply, it helps us understand ourselves better and derive more from life.

The I Ching focuses on the idea of the dynamic balance of opposites ( a fundmaental cornerstone of Chinese philosophy) seeing the evolution of events as a process, and an acceptance of the inevitability of change.

The oldest parts of the book were written around 5,000 years ago and parts of it and parts of it are attrubuted to the legendary safe Fu His, but the book itself has had many authors and has changed over time.

In Western cultures, the I Ching is regarded by many as a system of divination; others believe that it sets out a general guide to Chinese philosphy and wisdom.

The inevitability of change and how to adapt to it

In Chinese, “ching” means book. “I” translates as change, or changelessness.

The symbols are written using characters derived from the ancient Chinese symbols for the moon and the sun. They represent the change from day to night and polarity. The change from day to night can be seen as an unchanging state which is in equilibrium

The Book of Changes views all of the changes that we and the world go through as an unfolding of the immutable laws and principles of existence.

By explaining our present situation in terms of the natural laws that have given rise to it, we can decide and immediate course of action and see what the future holds of for us

The I Ching View Of The Universe

The I Ching views the universe as a natural and well-coordinated system in which the process of change never ceases.

It presents human nature and destiny as based on principle and order. Study of the I Ching makes it possible for us to see individual human activities and situations within the larger context of harmonious interactions between man, nature, and the cosmos.

Giving us strength to confront everyday life

The I Ching is a practical guide to helping us cope with the changes we all confront in our daily lives. It roots our actions, experiences and expressions in the fundamental ground of our existence. It’s beautiful and moving commentaries help to give us moral strength to pursue our individual pasts in life. The imagery helps study our lives and contemplate the future.

I Ching Imagery

The heart of the book is in its images. There are sixty-four in all. Any reader can learn the particular meaning of each image, as well as the ways in which one image relates to, and may change into, another image in the course of time, helping the reader to gain a better perspective on life.

The I Ching Cosult it on anything to do with life

The book started by being consulted by 49 stalks of yarrow, now it is more common to throw coins, attributing an unbroken line to one side of the coin and a broken line to the other side.

You can ask the book any question you wish and it will give you the answer. Broken lines are considered ying and unbroken lines are considered yang. The answer appears as a hexagram you drew with the coins.

Learning from one of the most important books in history

The book is based on an ever changing life, in an ever changing world, there is no one rule only change is at work and it is this concept that has made it so useful for many people for over thousands of years.

The I Ching can be consulted for a psychic reading on virtually any subject of concern to us.

The I Ching had proved of value to the billions of people who have read it throughout history making it one of the most important and influential books of all time.

For more information on the I Ching and other alternative philosophies visit:

http://www.net-planet.org/newage.html