A Preview of CETC in Action at TESOL 2006 in Tampa

One of our goals this year is to have broad representation from CET'ers at events at TESOL 2006 in Tampa. CET'ers are presenting colloquia and sessions. There is still time for CET'ers to present Energy Breaks or volunteer in governance, on committees, and at the conference. CET'ers can also participate in sessions and at the CETC General Meeting. Here's what has been scheduled to date! If your presentation has been accepted, please let us know so we can let others know.

CETC Events

Wednesday, March 15, 9:30-11:15 am

All Caucus Colloquium: Caucus Strategies for Leading TESOL Internationally

Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel/Grand Salon A

Richard Kappra, Jose Francisco Castillo, Lucie Moussu, Eleanor Pease, Rosemary Schmid, Marinus Stephan, Tomas Wallis

This colloquium focuses on how language educators from different backgrounds interconnect with the topic of leading within an international context. Speakers discuss their experiences and perspectives and suggest how these could affect ESL/EFL instructors, students, and materials designers worldwide.

Eleanor Pease (CETC incoming chair), as a part of the panel, focuses on international CELT professionals as they lead and work alongside nationals in countries throughout the world, and will discuss leadership experiences and strategies for supporting English language training and professional development in a variety of educational settings worldwide.

Thursday, March 16, 9:30-11:15 am

CETC Colloquium: Professional Integrity and the Christian ELT Leader

Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel/Room 9

Karen Asenavage, Thomas Scovel, Rich Robison, Darla Cuppery, Karen Burroughs, Jeff Stebbins

Christian TESOL leaders discuss how they struggle with, develop, and maintain professional integrity. Speakers representing a variety of contexts including the classroom, administration, research, and the community discuss their leadership experiences and offer suggestions for establishing and maintaining professional integrity.

Thursday, March 16, 5:00 - 6:30 pm

CETC Caucus Open Meeting

Tampa Convention Center Room 30 B

CETC Members

Thursday, March 16th, 6:30 - 7:30 pm

All Caucus Social event

Marriott Waterside Hotel Grand Salon C

Energy Breaks

We also hope to offer some Energy Breaks, so if you have a topic that would fit this format well, please contact Karen Asenavage at kasenavage@hct.ac.ae.

CETC on the Town

One suggestion from last year was to have more opportunities to meet other CETC'ers. One way of accomplishing this goal is to have CETC lunches or dinners. We can meet for dinner on Wednesday evening and also at various venues throughout Tampa for lunch during the conference.

If you'd like to help organize this event, please contact Karen Asenavage at kasenavage@hct.ac.ae.

SLW & CALL is published by TESOL and supported by your active membership. Contents copyright by authors except where otherwise noted.

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Reflections on Culture and Faith

Martha Iancu, miancu@georgefox.edu 

Is there a distinction between culture and faith? Where can the line be drawn?

During the month of November 2005, this was the discussion topic for the CETC e-mail list (http://lists.tesol.org/read/?forum=cetc-l). (Note: A summary of the e-list discussion can be found at the end of this article.)

This discussion inspired me to further explore the relationship of culture and faith to clarify this issue in my own mind. In this article I address the following questions.

·          What is culture?

·          What is the relationship between culture and faith?

·          What should I consider when encountering people of other cultures?

·          What is the importance of worldview change?

·          What transformations should I expect in connection with faith and culture?

What is culture?

Before I tackle the question of the relationship between culture and faith, it will be helpful to review the nature of culture.

Culture is often compared to an iceberg. A small part of culture is visible, but the greater part is hidden, invisible. The visible part consists of artifacts and behavior, including language performance. The visible aspects of culture are rooted in the invisible part, which includes basic assumptions, beliefs, values, and norms. The invisible aspects of culture cannot be directly observed and are like the water in which a fish swims—invisible, taken for granted, and even unnoticed (until a fish is removed from the water or a person enters a different culture). At the same time, the invisible aspects of culture are the lens through which people perceive reality.

These aspects of culture are located in each member of a cultural group. They are also expressed and elaborated through social institutions: family, economy, government, religion, and education.

In studying the rich diversity of human cultures, anthropologists have identified a variety of ways that they may differ.

Seven Dimensions of Culture[i]

Worldviews: Ways of Perceiving the World

Time Orientation: Importance of the past vs. the present vs. the future

Time: Linear or cyclic

Identity: Definition of the self vs. the other

Nature: Humans are subjugated to, dominate, or are in harmony with nature

Place: Connection to a particular location

Supernatural: Role of the supernatural in human life

Causality: What is the source of life and human experience?

Human Nature: Humans are born good, bad, mixed, or neutral and can or cannot change

Cognitive Processes: Ways of Thinking

Cognition: Analytical or holistic thinking

Classification: The mental organization of all aspects of the world

Linguistic Forms: Ways of Expressing Ideas

Language: Language represents cognitive patterns

Behavioral Patterns: Ways of Acting

Time: Emphasis on clock time vs. events

Rules: Societal rules apply universally or selectively

Human Nature: Aggressive vs. nurturing behavior patterns

Living: The focus of human life: being, being-in-becoming, or doing

Priorities: The goal of activity: completing a task or relating to people

Social Structures: Ways of Interacting

Status: Ascribed or achieved status

Group: The individual serves the group or the group serves the individual (communitarianism vs. individualism)

Hierarchy: Hierarchical or collateral relationships

Diversity: Specific cultural expectations in relation to age, race, and gender

Communication Patterns: Ways of Communicating

Directness: High context (indirect) vs. low context (direct)

Affect: People express emotions openly or communicate neutral affect

Proxemics: Interpersonal distances considered intimate, private, or public

Motivational Resources: Ways of Deciding

Problem Solving: Choose from a variety of possible solutions vs. an authority establishes one right way

It is possible to characterize the culture of a particular people group by identifying its positions in each dimension.[ii]

It would be interesting to characterize the cultures of early Christians (the Jewish Christians and the various cultural groups of gentile Christians) and our own cultures. I’m sure we would discover some dramatic cultural differences even though all the groups share the same faith.

What is the relationship between culture and faith?

In Hebrews 11:1, faith is defined as “an assurance of what is hoped for, a conviction of unseen realities.”

I have found three conceptualizations of the relation of faith to culture.

1.    Faith is separate from—though rooted in—worldview. For example, James H. Olthuis (1985) saw worldview as a mediator between faith and life experience.

2.    If culture is seen as an onion[iii] with basic assumptions (what is real) at its core and surrounding layers of beliefs (what is true), values (what is good), norms (what is acceptable), behavior (what people do), and artifacts (what people make), faith might be located in the belief layer. The beliefs spring from the basic assumptions at the core.

3.    Faith is a complex of basic assumptions within the core of the cultural onion. Van Rheenen (2003a) gave several examples of underlying assumptions—that spirits control people or come back to life in another body, for instance—that are integrated into the worldview of different cultures and “implicitly validated by their cultures” (The Use of Kuhn's Concept of Paradigm in Missiology section, ¶ 1). Citing Hiebert, Van Rheenen contrasted the Judeo-Christian and Asiatic worldview assumptions:

There are also worldview assumptions inherent to Judeo-Christian cultures and fundamental to biblical Christianity. A central assumption is that “God created a universe that exists outside of but dependent upon himself” (Hiebert 1985a, 113). People, in turn, are rational beings who can know and understand God and his message as revealed in the Bible. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can be known and understood in history. He is not far away from any one of us. This Judeo-Christian worldview stands in vivid contrast to certain Asiatic perspectives which view the outside world as an illusion of the mind. Such an Eastern worldview perceives that true reality cannot be found in the external world but by looking within oneself by meditation . . . (Hiebert, 1985a, 45). (The Use of Kuhn's Concept of Paradigm in Missiology section,

¶ 2)

Whichever model one chooses for locating faith in relation to culture, faith cannot simply be tacked on to culture; it must be integrated into the culture. According to Strauss (2005):

Individual beliefs within a worldview fit into a larger system of value, acceptance, self-identity, purpose, and a person’s place in the world. Commitment to a worldview is tightly integrated with the elements in that system. . . . [A] person’s worldview goes far deeper than cognitive structures. It involves a thorough integration with the larger system. (More Than Cognitive Commitment section, ¶ 1-2)

Because many cultural dimensions are not intrinsically tied to Christian faith, there is not just one culture that can be considered “the Christian culture” to which every Christian must be converted. People who don’t recognize this are in danger of adopting what Osborn (1993) calls the “reactionary approach” to sharing faith with people of a different culture. In the reactionary approach,

we dismiss the other culture as beyond redemption. Individual souls have to be saved from that culture . . . and deny their background in favour of a ‘Christian culture’ (usually an amalgam of the Christian Gospel and our own culture). . . . Such an approach is reminiscent of what Niebuhr called ‘Christ against culture.’ (How Should We Respond to the New Age? section, ¶ 3)

The cultural dimensions implicit in Christian faith need to be integrated into the culture of new Christians. Existing cultural dimensions that are incompatible with Christian faith will change in the process.

What are the “unseen realities” that form the content of faith in Christ? What are the components of the worldview that need to exist in the culture of a Christian? The foundation of a Christian worldview is the story of the Bible, from creation and the fall to the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation (Naugle, 2005). Underlying, surrounding, and emerging from this narrative are components of a Christian worldview: beliefs about God, reality, knowledge and truth, reason, human nature, and ethics and values (Harris, 2004). 

What should I consider when encountering people of other cultures?

Regarding interaction with people of other cultures, Osborn (1993) advocated inculturation. To communicate effectively with members of another culture, we cannot simply translate our message linguistically. “It demands that we identify with the other culture (often as second class citizens, resident aliens) and first rediscover for ourselves the message of the Gospel in terms of that other culture” (How Should We Respond to the New Age? section, ¶ 6).

Osborn (1993) noted that this approach is similar to the category ‘Christ the Transformer of culture’ in Niebuhr’s analysis of Christian attitudes toward culture. He elaborated:

All cultures are spheres of God’s activity; they express aspects of the truth; anticipations of the Gospel may be found within them. But all cultures, including our own culture (even, or perhaps especially, our churchy sub-cultures), fall short of the truth. All cultures are fallen. But the Gospel can penetrate a culture like a virus penetrating a living cell. As members of the culture respond to Christ they will begin to perceive points of tension between their culture and their allegiance to Him. This, in turn, gives rise to theology and Christian action from within the culture. The end result may be the transformation of the culture from within. (How Should We Respond to the New Age? section, ¶ 7)

Richardson (2003) has discovered in numerous cultures customs and legends that can serve as “redemptive analogies” that serve as a cultural bridge to translate the power of the message of the Gospel into terms that resonate with the people. Congdon (1985, p. 299, cited in Van Rheenen, 2003a, The Role of Power Encounter in Conversion section,  ¶ 6) emphasized that “peoples come to a vital faith only when Christ is encountered as Lord at the core of their worldview.”

What is the importance of worldview change?

According to Van Rheenen (2003a), it is essential for people’s worldviews to change if they are to become true followers of Christ: “‘Christian conversion’ without worldview change in reality is syncretism” (The Role of Power Encounter in Conversion section,     ¶ 9). In syncretism, people may become nominal Christians while continuing to hold other religious beliefs. “Becoming a Christian necessitates the reordering of all reality around God and his desires for human life. Change begins from the inside out rather than the outside in” (Van Rheenen, 2003a, Conclusions section, ¶ 3).

Interestingly, according to Van Rheenen (2003b), syncretism is an issue today for Christians who are influenced by empiricism, which “disavow[s] any powers which cannot be perceived, studied, and analyzed by the five senses” (Syncretism on the Secular Extreme section, ¶ 1). According to Van Rheenen, western theologians tend to confront scriptural references to spiritual powers by ignoring them, saying spiritual powers no longer exist, treating them as mythological, or interpreting them as societal structures rather than interpreting them “literally as personal spiritual beings.” Van Rheenen asked, “Is it possible that their interpretations were determined more by a secular mind-set than by biblical exegesis?” (Syncretism on the Secular Extreme section, ¶ 5).

Olthuis (1985) recognized that worldviews are influenced by all aspects of a person’s experience and thus can be expected to change. He stated, “Worldviews, if they are to remain viable, need to be changed continually—as faith deepens, as insight into reality grows, and as individuals and cultures themselves move on to new stages in their development” (Worldview in Process section, ¶ 4). Olthuis elaborated on how worldview change in connection with faith affects us all:

In . . . moments of deep disquiet, people may make the startling discovery that not only is their worldview inadequate, but fidelity to their faith demands adopting another vision of life. Thus Christians seeking fidelity to Christ may move from an ascetic Christ-against-culture worldview to a more accommodating Christ-and-culture two realm vision, from a Christ-above-culture Thomism to a Christ-transforms-culture perspective. (Worldview Crisis section, ¶ 5)

What transformations should I expect in connection with faith and culture?

In a true cross-cultural exchange, people of both cultures experience changes in their worldview. Murray (2005) used the “double conversion” in Peter’s encounter with Cornelius (Acts 11) to illustrate this. All of the parties involved—Cornelius and his household as well as Peter and the Jerusalem church—experienced “a paradigm shift, a new way of seeing the world” (Conversion section, ¶ 1).

Conversion is a paradigm shift that stimulates new ways of thinking and living, not arrival at a pre-determined destination. Conversion is multidirectional and lifelong. . . . [Peter’s] opening words—‘I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts those from every nation who fear him and do what is right’—are humble, grateful and directed as much to himself as to Cornelius. (Conversion section, ¶ 6-7)

This paradigm shift is substantiated through behavior.

Conversion is about believing and belonging. It involves commitment to a story and a community. But it is also about behaving in ways that are congruent with this story and strengthen the life and witness of this community. . . . [F]aith must be lived if it is to be believed. (Murray, 2005, Behaving section, ¶ 1 & 3)

Conclusion

So how shall we answer the question posed at the outset—Is there a distinction between culture and faith?

Yes, there is a distinction between faith and culture. Faith is rooted in the basic assumptions that form the core of worldview and is reflected in other dimensions of culture.

Faith transforms culture. This faith will be expressed differently in different cultures, though all must have in common certain basic elements of worldview. The cultural transformation process is ongoing.

Our faith is revealed in how we live our lives. As we enter into relationship with people, we should seek to understand the various dimensions of their culture. When we identify with the other culture and “rediscover for ourselves the message of the Gospel in terms of that other culture” (Osborn, 1993, How should we respond to the New Age? section, ¶ 6), the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to ways the people of the other culture can encounter Christ at the core of their worldview (Congdon, cited in Van Rheenen, 2003a). When people experience faith in Christ, the cultural transformation process begins to occur “from the inside out” (Van Rheenen, 2003a, Conclusions section, ¶ 3).

References

Bunkowske, E. W. (2002). The cultural onion. Retrieved February 14, 2006, from Concordia University-St. Paul, Master of Arts in Christian Outreach Program [click on Onion Diagram to access article]

http://www.csp.edu/maco/Courses/573/index.html

Church of the Nazarene Clergy Development. (2002). Communicating Christ cross-culturally: Student guide. Kansas City, MO: Nazarene Publishing House. Retrieved January 10, 2006, from Church of the Nazarene, Clergy Education Web site: http://nazarenepastor.org/ClergyEducation/Default.aspx?tabid=69

Clark, G. G. (n.d.) Variations in value orientations. Retrieved January 8, 2006, from http://www.srds.ndirect.co.uk/values.htm#var01

Douglas, G. (2005). An introduction to elements of intercultural communication [PowerPoint presentation]. Retrieved January 8, 2006, from North Carolina State University, CHASS Computing Labs Web site: http://fltc.chass.ncsu.edu/documents/AnIntroductiontoElementsofICCJune2005-5.ppt

Harris, R. A. (2004). Table of contents. The integration of faith and learning. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books. Retrieved January 11, 2006, from http://www.virtualsalt.com/int/intbook.htm

Matlock, M. (2005). Shifting cognitive styles: Changes in the way we think. Retrieved January 8, 2006, from http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/culture/cognitive.php

Murray, S. (2005). Church after Christendom: Belonging/believing/behaving. In Church after Christendom. Paternoster Publications. Retrieved January 10, 2006, from http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/node/260

Naugle, D. (2005). Scrutinizing a scandal: A Christian worldview analysis of a Christian college professor who flunks Christian worldview tests and doesn’t teach from a Christian worldview. The New Pantagruel, 2(1), 68-77. Retrieved January 10, 2006, from http://www.newpantagruel.com/issues/2.1/scrutinizing_a_scandal_a_chri.php 

Olthuis, J. H. (1985). On worldviews. Christian Scholars Review, 14(2), 153-164. Retrieved January 8, 2006, from http://gospel-culture.org.uk/olthuis.htm

Osborn, L. (1993). The gospel in the new age. The Gospel and Our Culture Newsletter, 18. Retrieved January 10, 2006, from http://gospel-culture.org.uk/1993.htm

Richardson, D. (2003). Introduction: From Peace Child to the Koran. In Secrets of the Koran. Ventura, CA: Regal Books. Retrieved January 11, 2006, from http://www.gospellight.com/regalbooks/books/SecretsOfTheKoran.pdf

Strauss, S. (2005). Worldview awareness—not just for missionaries anymore. Christian Research Journal, 28(3). Retrieved January 10, 2006, from http://www.equip.org/free/JAW015.htm

Van Rheenen, G. (2003a). Change in animistic societies. In Communicating Christ among folk religionists: Kingdom ministry in Satan’s nest. Retrieved January 11, 2006, from http://missiology.org/folkreligion/chapter4.htm

Van Rheenen, G. (2003b). Christianity and animism: Contrasting worldviews. In Communicating Christ among folk religionists: Kingdom ministry in Satan’s nest. Retrieved January 11, 2006, from http://missiology.org/folkreligion/chapter5.htm 

Van Steenbergen, G. J. (2002). Semantics, world view and bible translation: An integrated analysis of a selection of Hebrew lexical items referring to negative moral behaviour in the book of Isaiah [Dissertation]. Retrieved January 8, 2006, from Stellenbosch University, Department of Ancient Studies Web site: http://academic.sun.ac.za/as/cbta/GvanSteenbergen.pdf

Martha Iancu is director of the English Language Institute and associate professor of ESL at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, USA. She is on sabbatical during the 2005-06 academic year in Bucharest, Romania.

Appendix: Summary of the CETC E-list Discussion

Some of the ideas shared in the CETC e-discussion in response to the questions, “Is there a distinction between culture and faith? Where can the line be drawn?”

Note: This list includes direct quotations as well as the author’s summaries of contributions of participants in the e-discussion.

“Faith transcends cultural boundaries.” (Lisa)

“Christianity and our belief in Christ unite us across cultures.” (Adelaide Hyde Parsons)

“Faith and culture are . . . intimately intertwined” in any particular culture. (Lisa)

“For every culture there is a biblical, godly way to act.” (Gwen Cary)

Christians in India express their faith, to varying degrees, through practices that reflect indigenous traditions, or that combine western and indigenous traditions. Translation of scripture takes into consideration the cultural connotations of words, so that the direct dictionary translation of a word may be inappropriate to express the original meaning of a text cross-culturally. (Iris Devadason)

Faith transforms culture. (William Schmidt)

We shouldn’t assume that all members of a culture have a certain faith, even though they participate in traditions related to that faith. Likewise, we shouldn’t assume that because one representative of a culture professes and practices a certain faith that all members of that culture share the same faith. (Lisa and Gena Bennett)

“The Lord respects and works through cultures.  He is above them, but knows that we, his children, live within them.” (Gwen Cary)

“We have God’s revelation to us to guide us into Truth, so we do have to honor that Truth as higher than any cultural more.” (Becky Eppinger)

“I believe this ‘renewing of the mind,’ ‘being changed from the inside out’ [described in Romans 12:2] happens within everyone, in every culture, who walks with Jesus in a living relationship. . . . A personal quest of mine . . . is to identify commonalities of the ‘renewed mind’ in many cultural settings.” (Sharon Yoder)

Some Thoughts on Working Abroad

Robin Gingerich  rgingerich@lcc.lt 

I’m looking through my window this morning at the beautiful white snow that fell during the night here in Klaipeda, Lithuania. I love the snow, and it seems that magically the Christmas spirit is still hanging around. This year, instead of returning to my home in Iowa, I spent the Christmas holidays here in Lithuania. Although I missed my family, I was able to spend plenty of time relaxing, reading, and concentrating on the meaning of the season. (Don’t worry, I wasn’t a couch potato; I also went running, skiing, skating, and swimming as well.) I grew more and more conscious that God’s love, which we celebrate at Christmas, holds meaning every day of our lives.

This semester I’m teaching three English classes: one intermediate and two advanced. I find it challenging to always have relevant and challenging material ready for my students while juggling administrative responsibilities at the same time. But I am reminded that the students themselves actually make my work meaningful and, more often than not, it is a comment or a smile or a joke told by students in class that really makes the class “excellent.” Yes, I do strive for meaningful lesson plans, but the students must remain my focus and, ultimately, my mission.

The snow is still falling. It’s hard to imagine that graduation and summer are just around the corner. But as the spring semester moves along, we are eager for what God has planned for us this year.

Grammar Funnies

Teaching English as a foreign language means that our students need strong grammar skills. ELI students ask for and need to understand the structures of English in order to advance in their communication skills. English is their third or fourth language. They welcome clear explanations of grammar points. Therefore, grammar exercises are included in almost all of our lesson plans. Often ELI teachers are hunting for interesting and clear ways to explain grammar items, such as verb tenses or modals.

This makes for great conversation in the teachers’ room. This semester, the ELI teachers are challenging themselves to tackle simple and complicated grammar exercises in order to benefit their teaching and, ultimately, their students. However, they find themselves saying some pretty odd things. Below are a few “grammar funnies” from the ELI staff.

·          One morning, Marg came into Robin’s office and announced, “You have been married.” Robin, a perfectly happy single person, was delighted but wondered who the lucky guy was. Marg was really asking how to understand have been married in this context. Actually, in this case, the sentence is passive and therefore the past participle married is used. But we normally use simple present, you are married, to say someone got married and is still married. Or we could say you have been married by the priest to confirm that the sentence is passive. Either way, Robin remains happily single.

·          Returning to campus from teaching at the local shipping company, Luke exclaimed, “I’m loving this semester!” Robin questioned him, “But can you really use a state verb in the continuous tense?” Often state verbs (e.g., understand, love, like, think) are used in the simple tense; their meaning actually changes in the continuous tense. Luke should have exclaimed, “I love my job now and I will always love my job here!” Then we would be sure that he has been enjoying his experience at Lithuania Christian College and will continue to enjoy it.

·          Robin wrote an email to the teachers reminding them about the upcoming teachers’ meeting. In the email she wrote, “Be prepare to share one interesting story about what you learned during your first week of teaching this semesters.” Luke responded, in jest: “I believe your imperative verb "be prepare" was incorrect.  You have various options at your disposal:  "be prepared", "should be prepared", "please be prepared", and "do whatever you dang well please".  The ELI staff is committed to pursuing high standards and we take our cues faithfully from you.  In the future please be prepared to send us grammatically correct memorandums.  Respectfully but embarrassingly yours, Luke.” Robin apologized to her staff and vowed to be more careful in her emails.

The ELI staff is committed to laughing and to learning. J

Robin Gingerich is the director of the English Language Institute attached to Lithuania Christian College.

From the Editors

Meredith Bricker, meredith.bricker@gmail.com, and Michael Lessard-Clouston, michael.lessard-clouston@biola.edu

Following the CETC meeting at TESOL 2006 in Tampa, Florida, we volunteered to work on editing the newsletter, along with Jean Simon, who was instrumental in some of the caucus activities at the convention. Because of the nature of Jean’s work, however, she will be helping us with special projects for the newsletter as her schedule allows. As the new coeditors, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Andrew Bowdler, our predecessor, who has served the caucus over the past couple of years by editing the volumes 9.1 and 10.1 of the newsletter. Thank you Andy! We hope to follow in your footsteps and build on your work.

One of our first tasks as coeditors was to draft a CETC Newsletter Mission Statement. We have included it in this issue. Essentially, we hope to continue the tradition of providing a forum for CETC members to exchange ideas and discuss issues relevant to Christian professionals working in ESL and EFL education. Our hope is to produce two or three issues a year, ideally one in late spring or early summer after the yearly conference, another in the autumn, and one during the winter, before the annual TESOL convention. We welcome your ideas for articles, news, and updates, and would be happy to correspond with you if you have suggestions (or offers to assist!).

Getting to Know Us

As this is our first issue as coeditors, we thought you might like to learn something about us, our experience, and interests.

Meredith: I graduated with a master’s degree in applied linguistics from Georgia State University in May 2005 and have been teaching ESL for 2 years. My husband and I live in Atlanta, Georgia, where I’ve been teaching English language learners in preacademic, college, and graduate-level settings at two universities in the area. I look forward to beginning work in the fall as a visiting instructor in the Intensive English Program at Georgia State University, teaching ESL students enrolled in a prematriculated, content-based EAP curriculum. My current research interests include second language writing, vocabulary acquisition, intercultural communication, and corpus linguistics.

Michael: I began teaching ESL at a high school in Montreal during the mid-1980s, and then worked in EFL and teacher education at universities in China. Later I did graduate studies and taught in various programs at a private language school and a community college in Toronto, my hometown. Next, until last August, I was a missionary EFL professor for 10½ years at a university in western Japan, where I also helped create a new graduate program and taught courses in linguistics, culture studies, and language education. That was good preparation for my current work at Biola University, where I teach applied linguistics and TESOL. Though it’s been an adjustment, my family and I enjoy life in the Los Angeles area, where we appreciate the diversity, weather, and opportunities of southern California. In terms of research, I am interested in vocabulary learning, English for specific purposes, second language acquisition, and other topics.

Jean Simon: Following three decades of homemaking, I am serving the international student population with a motherly approach. For 14 years, as coordinator of homestay for The Language Company, I was blessed by opportunities to introduce international students and visitors to the everyday life and care of exemplary American families. Presently, I am director of The Language Company – Orlando English Institute and the program coordinator of English Days at Walt Disney World, provided by The Language Company. As a newcomer to CETC, I hope to contribute to the development of special projects and event communications.

As coeditors, we hope that with our different backgrounds we can draw on the depth and breadth of experience in the caucus to create a newsletter that addresses a wide range of challenges, possibilities, and resources in TESOL from a Christian perspective.

In This Issue

As usual, the newsletter includes some CETC leadership updates and news. It is an exciting time for the caucus, and we hope you will sense this through the newsletter and the CETC Web site (www.cetesol.org). In terms of articles in this issue, we have a brief report on the most recent Christians in English Language Teaching (CELT) conference held in April in San Francisco, as well as a summary of the recent thread concerning church-based ESL on the CETC e-list. We are delighted to introduce an article by Jeff Stebbins based on his presentation in the caucus colloquium at TESOL in Tampa, and hope to include similar articles from other presenters in future issues. Finally, we are thankful to Mary Wong, whose article draws on a paper presentation she gave at TESOL this year, reporting on her current research.

We hope you enjoy this issue, and look forward to interacting with many of you as you read and contribute to the CETC Newsletter.

Blessings,

Meredith and Michael

Christian Educators in TESOL Caucus (CETC) E-Newsletter Mission Statement

Purpose

The CETC Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Christian Educators in TESOL Caucus (CETC). The newsletter seeks to provide a forum for Christian educators within TESOL to exchange effective ideas and resources and to discuss issues that are particularly relevant to Christian professionals in the field of English as a second or foreign language education.  

Audience

As the primary audience of the newsletter is members of the caucus, the CETC Newsletter is oriented to Christian educators who are involved in TESOL. Though readers of the newsletter are united by a common belief in Jesus Christ, their interests and experiences demonstrate a multifaceted diversity and depth of knowledge in the field. Readers are teachers, researchers, administrators, and students in TESOL and related disciplines who work or study in a variety of educational, geographical, and institutional contexts. The audience also includes those who wish to learn about the caucus and its activities, such as potential CETC members, Christian educators in TESOL who belong to other caucuses, and TESOL staff and leadership.

Vision

The CETC Newsletter contributes significantly to TESOL by addressing issues that affect a large number of TESOL members—Christian educators. The newsletter contributes to the overall mission of TESOL by providing CETC members with

1.        a forum in which to share their professional experiences with and information about teaching English to speakers of other languages around the world

2.        coverage of a range of topics and issues of concern to various audiences within the caucus, related to teaching context, level, and area of interest or expertise

3.        articles, brief reports, and announcements about current issues of interest to Christian educators working in TESOL both in the United States and elsewhere

Letter From the Chair: TESOL 2006 Reflections

Eleanor Pease, 2006–07 Chair, eleanor.pease@nyack.edu

Thank You to Our Volunteers

Your leadership committee appreciates the work of all the volunteers. You are important to the ongoing success of CETC. We want to thank those of you who volunteered at the CETC booth in Tampa: Sharry Andrews, Peg Bowen, Anne Bruehler, Michael Lessard-Clouston, Sky Coon, Darla Cupery, Claire Monroe, and Terri Mosgrove.

Gena Bennett will be in charge of the booth next year. Please consider volunteering. It’s a great way to renew old acquaintances, make new friends, and network.

Goals for this year:

1. Continue collaboration with a sister caucus, Nonnative English Speakers in TESOL (NNEST)

2. Build leadership

3. Develop CETC archives and review the leadership handbook and make revisions if necessary

4. Encourage research and publishing in the area of Christians in education

5. Develop more areas of service to the members

2006 CETC Colloquium

It was standing room only as we gathered to be challenged by the panelists who spoke on the topic “Professional Integrity and the Christian English Language Teacher.” The participants were Karen Asenavage, Darla Cuppery, Rich Robison, Tom Scovel, and Jeff Stebbins.

2006 All-Caucus Colloquium

The theme for the All-Caucus Colloquium was “Caucus Strategies for Leading TESOL Internationally.” Using my teacher-training experience on both sides of Pacific, I represented CETC by focusing on working with international Christian English language teaching professionals.

Thursday Evening CETC Events

If you were not at the CETC meeting on Thursday evening you missed a good time. Members were deluged with door prizes straight from Disney World. We listened to your suggestions last year and added the United States to our world area small groups. Gena put everyone to work with some tasks and walked out with an abundant supply of good ideas in three areas: (a) topics for the e-list, (b) topics for the 2007 CETC colloquium and the CELT preconvention conference, and (c) ways that the CETC leadership team can serve the caucus.

Following the meeting a number of us attended the All-Caucus Social Event. We mixed and chatted with members of other caucuses and had a good time.

After this, a large group of CETC members walked across the bridge to Jackson’s Bistro for a delicious meal, a wonderful time of getting better acquainted, and more prizes. Thank you Jean Simon for organizing this special event and providing the prizes at the meeting and at the restaurant.

Changes

We welcome Karen Asenavage back to the States. Karen is leaving her position at the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates, and will be in a doctoral program. She continues to serve on the CETC leadership committee.

We welcome Chair-Elect Gena Bennett who is preparing for the position of Caucus Chair 2007-2008. Gena has kept us all interested and active in the CETC e-list. Gena’s position was announced in the last newsletter, but I wanted to spotlight her again.

Also, the leadership change in March 2006 is a reminder that we want to continue working on developing caucus leadership, so please keep active as a member and let us know if you would like to serve in some capacity in the coming year.

Looking Ahead

As Gena Bennett prepares to take on responsibilities as caucus chair next year, we are looking for an e-list moderator. If you are interested in this important and enjoyable job, please contact Gena (genabennett@yahoo.com) by July 15^th.

At the caucus meeting, Wes Eby explained our plan to propose a special award with the purpose of encouraging members to present at TESOL conventions. You will be hearing more about this award as the plans develop.

We are all excited about the Christian English Language Teachers preconference to be held in Seattle just before the convention. In committee discussions a year ago, it was decided to hold these conferences when the convention site was near Christian colleges or universities. With Seattle Pacific University nearby we will have the resources for making this a good conference.

As you think about next year, be sure to keep this special CELT conference in mind and make travel plans accordingly. It will be held on Tuesday of the convention week. We are happy that Kathryn Bartholomew has agreed to serve as chair of the CELT conference committee.

See You in Seattle

Karen, Gena, and I hope that you will

            1. Continue to be actively involved in the e-list

            2. Feel free to contact us with questions and ideas

            3. Support us in prayer as we try to serve you effectively this year.

We also look forward to meeting more of you at the CETC booth in Seattle.

In Christ there is no East or West, in Him no South or North, but one great fellowship of love thru-out the whole wide earth. J. Oxenham, 1908

News From CETC

CELT Scholarships Available

Please make nonnative English-speaking teacher professionals aware of the CELT Scholarships for presenters at the CELT 2007 conference or the TESOL 2007 convention. Further details are available on the CETC Web site, at www.cetesol.org/scholarship.html.

CETC Is Seeking a New E-list Moderator!

Would you like to be more involved in CETC? Add to your professional growth? CETC needs a new e-list moderator who can oversee the list, suggest topics for discussion, and so on. Serving as the e-list moderator is the perfect way to begin or to continue contributing to CETC, TESOL, and your own professional development. If you’re interested in this position, please contact Gena Bennett at genabennett@yahoo.com.

North American Christian Foreign Language Association

For those not yet aware, NACFLA is the North American Christian Foreign Language Association, a group whose activities and scholarship will be of interest to many CETC members. Their Web site is at www.spu.edu/orgs/nacfla/index.htm if you would like to learn more. For example, readers of David Smith and Barbara Carvill’s (2000) book The Gift of the Stranger might be interested in Smith’s (2006) editorial in the current issue of NACFLA’s Journal of Christianity and Foreign Languages, which laments the lack of mention of the importance of being or becoming “a particular kind of stranger” in various discussions or citations of the book. Those who are interested can read the editorial (and check out abstracts for the journal) online: www.spu.edu/orgs/nacfla/index.htm.

Web Site Updated

Thanks to Frank Tuzi, the caucus web manager, the CETC Web site at www.cetesol.org has recently been updated. Please check out what is on the site, such as the Earl Stevick collection, and consider contributing a notice or article, or adding to the bulletin board discussion. Enjoy!

Intellectual Discourse: The E-list Discussion on Church-Based ESL

Meredith Bricker, meredith.bricker@gmail.com

During the past several months, the Christian Educators in TESOL Caucus (CETC) e-list has provided members with numerous interesting discussions regarding a diverse collection of topics.  As a new member of the CETC e-list, I have been pleased to have the opportunity to “listen in” on the intellectual discourse of fellow Christian professionals as they discuss ESL classroom issues and other professional topics from a Christian perspective. One particularly useful discussion recently provided an updated summary of some easily accessible and highly recommended church-based ESL course materials. A list of resources recommended by CETC members during this discussion is reproduced below.

English Lessons Based on the Bible

• Cirafesi, W. (1995). English in action: A Fast and fun way to learn English. Colorado Springs: Dawson Media.
• Edwards, D. (2006). A window to the world: Teaching English to speakers of other languages. Pasadena, CA: Open Door Publishers. (www.jesusfilm.org/resources/window/index.html)
• Reece, G. (1997). English lessons from the Bible: Book of Mark. Alpharetta, GA: North American Mission Board.

English Materials With Companion Bible Lessons

• International Network’s Adventures in English curriculum. A sample lesson is available at http://efca.org/international/media/adventuresinenglish.pdf.
• Corley, D. (n.d.). Speak English: Open the door to the world. Michael Gott International.
• Burkhart, D. (2006). Helping internationals succeed with English. Kansas City, MO: Nazarene Publishing House. (www.hisenglish.com)

Resources for Designing a Church-Based Curriculum

• Brummelen, H. V. (1994). Steppingstones to curriculum: A Biblical approach. Seattle, WA: Alta Vista College Press.
• Burke, S. E. (1998). ESL: Creating a quality English as a second language program. Pasadena, CA: Open Door Publishers.
• Pazmino, R. W. (1997). Foundational issues in Christian education: An introduction in evangelical perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

A comprehensive resource for finding additional church-based ESL materials is the “Resource List of Bible-based ESOL Materials” compiled by J. Wesley Eby and originally published as a supplement to the CETESOL Newsletter (Vol. 8, No. 3) in 1996. For a reprint of the article, visit www.cetesol.org/news/Esl-bible-based-list-96.pdf.

Through its monthly topics as well as discussion of other issues relevant to Christian educators in TESOL, the CETC e-list provides a unique forum in which CETC members’ spiritual and professional development may be cultivated. It’s the perfect place to ask a question and to receive helpful responses from fellow CETC members. To join the e-list, CETC members should log in to the TESOL Web site (www.tesol.org), click My Profile, and then click View Profile. To add the CETC e-list, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Edit. In the Communications Options and Professional Information link, scroll to the Preferences area, and check Join Caucus e-list(s).

Meredith Bricker teaches at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Professionalism and Integrity: CELT at CATESOL 2006 in San Francisco

Michael Lessard-Clouston, michael.lessard-clouston@biola.edu

Over the past several years there has been a series of informative Christians in English Language Teaching (CELT) conferences. The first, a full-day event held in Long Beach, California, was planned by Kitty Purgason and coincided with TESOL 2004. The following year, a CELT evening conference was held again in Long Beach, at the same time as CATESOL 2005, the California TESOL statewide conference, and was planned by Greg Bock. This past January a 3-day CELT conference chaired by Brad Baurain was held at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand, just after the Thai TESOL 2006 conference (see www.payap.ac.th/english/celt). Most recently, another CELT evening conference was held during the CATESOL 2006 conference on April 7, 2006. This article reports briefly on this most recent CELT evening conference.

Many participants met up at the CATESOL conference and enjoyed an optional, informal group meal on the way to San Francisco Lighthouse Church. Following registration, the evening offered three sessions, under the theme “Serving our Students With Professionalism and Integrity.” Approximately 40 attendees had a choice of hearing Susan O’Reilly speak about a successful church-based ESL program in Portland, Oregon, or a panel presentation on being a Christian teacher in a secular setting. I attended this latter session, where Don Harootian (Defense Language Institute), Jee-Eun Oh (University of California Irvine), and Christine Anketell (Los Angeles Valley College) each shared eloquently about their experiences as Christians who teach ESL in a variety of contexts, including an intensive English program, an adult school, and a community college. The question period at the end became a time of thanksgiving for the presenters’ reflections.

The second and third sessions were delivered in the church sanctuary. Rich Robison (Azusa Pacific University) spoke on truthfulness in English teaching by presenting an expanded version of his talk from the CETC colloquium at the TESOL 2006 convention in Tampa. Although I heard both versions I especially appreciated this fuller discussion of a range of ethical and professional questions that Christians face in ELT. Kitty Purgason (Biola University) ended the evening with an overview of popular songs and spiritual issues in the classroom. This presentation incorporated a clear rationale and many creative ways to use songs in ESL and EFL classes; the audience received new ideas and was impressed by Kitty’s use of a range of media for this final session.

As one of the last people to leave this wonderful evening gathering, I can report that participants appeared to appreciate the fellowship and networking that this CELT conference at CATESOL 2006 provided. Special thanks go to each of the presenters and to conference manager Vivian Wang and program planner Kitty Purgason, each of whom modeled the conference theme by serving attendees with professionalism and integrity. If you would like to learn about or plan a similar event in your area, Kitty Purgason has set up an online Wiki for CELT conferences with further information, at http://christiansineltconferences.pbwiki.com. Also, this conference series will continue next March in Seattle, where a CELT conference will be held the day before the TESOL 2007 convention. If possible, please plan to attend. Although a call for participation has not yet been sent out, you may contact conference chair Kathryn Bartholomew, of Seattle Pacific University, at kbarthol@spu.edu with suggestions or offers to assist with this upcoming full-day event.

Michael Lessard-Clouston has taught in Canada, China, and Japan, and now works in the department of applied linguistics and TESOL at Biola University in La Mirada, California.

Christian ELT Leaders, Professionalism, and the Community

Jeff Stebbins, Jeff.Stebbins@colorado.edu

Editors' note: This article is adapted from Jeff's presentation during the CETC colloquium entitled "Professional Integrity and the Christian ELT Leader" at TESOL 2006 in Tampa, Florida. The oral nature of the talk has been retained.

In reflecting on professional integrity in community, I'd like to share six observations from my experience as a Christian English teacher overseas.

First, Christian professionals in TESOL generally cross cultures as unpredictable foreign guests. We're hired or sponsored by some entity in the host country, such as the Ministry of Education, a university, institute, or organization. That entity is always part of a community, and inviting us is a risk, for which we owe a great debt of gratitude and cooperation. Our professional and interpersonal credibility—and our sponsor's esteem within their community—are easy to damage, but difficult to rebuild. As teachers we therefore

• Do not abuse our sponsors' trust. We strive to give them face by acknowledging their authority over us, by asking permission (even when we don't think we have to), and by seeking their advice. We don't endanger ourselves, because they will be held responsible for what happens to us. And by showing dependence, we strengthen our relationship with them.
• Work closely, communicate, and let them see our serving hearts. If we are close, they can see that we want to do right, and that we love and respect our students and their countries. Then, when we make mistakes we will hopefully be quickly forgiven, for they will know our intent is good.
• Do not worry or fear; instead, we pray for wisdom and sensitivity. Again, if our heart is right, and if we ask God to guide us, He will. God loves the people we serve and wants us to serve them well, too.

Second, without professional credibility on campus and interpersonal credibility in community, Christian ELT professionals cannot expect to serve effectively. Credentials are something, but not enough. Such credibility is usually earned through excellence (not perfection), by being what we claim to be, and by doing exactly what we are hired to do. Abusing professional or interpersonal trust is inexcusable. Inevitably, some foreign teachers do not succeed. But as many people likely fail (e.g., they have to go home early) because of events off campus in the community as fail because of what happens in the classroom. Crucially, we foreign English language teachers are not

• Culture critics: in the ups and downs of culture stress, teachers abroad usually alternate between loving and hating their host culture. Either everything they do seems stupid or is "just so wonderful," better than how we do it back home.
• Political activists: signing a contract to work in a country doesn't mean that you support its government, but it does imply that you agree to abide by its laws. And the easiest way to get your sponsor in big trouble is to criticize the government. Nor will you gain credibility by criticizing your own government, as few people respect lack of national loyalty. It's safest to keep political opinions to ourselves.
• Evangelists: find out what your host country's religious laws are, and then what its practices are, as these may not be the same. Many countries are very sensitive about foreigners influencing their young students. Does your visa say "English teacher" or "missionary"? Isn't it deceptive to say one thing and do another? What would Jesus do? In most countries, personal one-on-one conversations can go anywhere, but public speaking is entirely different. Remember: your sponsor will be endangered if you break the law; you can go home, but he or she stays to bear the consequences of your actions.
• Adventurers/tourists: I've known teachers who spent every weekend traveling away from town, hiking, biking. They also missed more classes than anyone: they were sick, missed the bus, or broke a leg. "Oh, bummer—sorry, man!" There is nothing wrong with climbing Kilimanjaro or the Great Wall—but not if your students lose out! The university looks bad in the community if they pay for an English teacher but end up with a mountain climber! My wife and I made this mistake: we hitchhiked around Tibet in 1987 and got very sick, which unfortunately affected our work.
• Opportunity researchers: I've also known teachers who arrive in a country looking for their next job. The big foreigner's hotel downtown will probably pay you better than your sponsoring university can. But, again, is it not deceptive to use a university to get your foot in the door? I suggest you arrive with your mind made up: "I am not job-hunting; I have one for the next two years".

Teachers have been criticized for going to other countries with mixed, hidden motives. But, obviously, people do all sorts of things with multiple motives. Teachers go places looking for adventure, money, more exciting resumés, a husband or wife, even for children to adopt. I've never met anyone motivated only by a desire to increase students' TOEFL scores. And if you don't share someone else's motives, that person's motives may look rather mercenary. It therefore seems disingenuous to criticize only those whose motives include faith or culture.

Third, this doesn't mean that we must be "English-teaching machines"! But without our normal support structures (family, conveniences), our time, energy, and attention will be stretched. Be eager to serve, but slow to make commitments! Enthusiasm can incline us to say things we don't mean, such as "call me any time" or "let me know if there's anything I can do to help". Yet campus or community friends may not understand how empty such expressions can be. They might actually ask for and expect some very costly help!

As professionals living in a new community, we also need to learn how to get everyday tasks done in a very different context: going to market, taking a bus, getting an appliance repaired. All of these may take much more time, or cost much more, or much less. But we should hesitate to make commitments until we have learned how to get things done in our new community.

In a way, our sponsoring entities do "own" us, so we will need to use great care when, outside of class, we also want to devote time and attention to

• Extracurricular activities with students: some students learn more English during informal conversations outside of class than they do in class. Be careful, though, about spending too much time with some students and not others; it is very easy to spend time with those who are most fluent or friendly. Going out for coffee or visiting their families on a holiday can be wonderful-but use caution. The appearance of favoritism can be very messy! Also, though neighbors and community friends can be delightful, they may consume too much of our time and attention-especially in cultures where it is normal to just drop by at any time without calling ahead. Don't hide, but be careful.
• Other foreigners in town: in 1989, the only other foreigners in our little Chinese town were a group of five Soviets. As the Soviet Union collapsed, these five people became dear friends-perhaps too dear. We devoted so much time and attention to these guys that our students lost out. We should be careful that we don't cheat our students out of what they deserve from us.
• Communication with home: after a while, we miss our family and friends, so we write letters and e-mails. But it's easy to spend too many hours writing detailed accounts of everything. For some, it's an escape, to avoid the difficulties of cross-cultural communication. It is wise to set some limits.

What we do with our free time can speak volumes about who we are and how we love and serve people. If we offer to help our school by teaching English to people in the administration, or to some local government officials, we will improve our sponsor's standing in the community.

Fourth, teachers live in community—on campus, in a neighborhood—where we represent our home countries and cultures. Cultural anthropology and current emphases on multicultural diversity often tell us there are no "bad" cultures or customs. "Not wrong—just different". Avoid saying that they drive on the "wrong" side of the street, or do anything "wrong". Let's assume that any place we live can teach us something and make us a better, more interesting person.

Sometimes we may be asked to explain, though not necessarily defend, our home country's policies or behaviors. Even if we don't agree with our government, we should be able to explain its reasons for doing what it does. Even if we disagree with how our people often behave, it is useful to be able to explain why people do what they do.

• Do our home cultures have things we'd best not take with us when we live in other cultures? Freedoms, expectations, food or drink, apparel, behaviors? Carefully inquire about taboos. Be observant: watch body language and gestures. Host countries usually accept us with grace, in spite of our mistakes! In Asia, after initial handshakes, I never touched any female. And we never, ever touched anyone on the head. To show respect for others, and for education, my wife and I dress more formally and modestly. We have different expectations about time and punctuality. We are not so hung up on privacy. We talk more freely about how old we are, even how much we weigh! We give less attention to youth and beauty, and show more respect for age and experience.
• Do other cultures have customs or laws to which we'd best not submit? Does ours? In words and actions, Jesus and Paul were countercultural, but only if a principle was at stake. We need to pray for wisdom. If God leads us not to submit, then we should act quietly and humbly, making our guiding principle clear to our sponsors. Local religious customs may be touchy, so read ahead, and prepare, if you can.

Fifth, Christians are taught to live exemplary lives (e.g., I Peter 2:11-25 & 3:15-6, Titus 2), so that people are attracted to their faith, not pushed or deceived. Cross-cultural living can make this hard. But every culture has some values that are consistent with our faith: joy, peace, family faithfulness, reputation, relational harmony, wisdom, and so on. In community, teachers can therefore live exemplary lives without living strangely or "religiously". We believe God enables us to live righteously, and if we strive to live and work excellently, those around us will be attracted to God-especially if we give God credit for our lives. Isaiah 26:12 says that "all we have accomplished, [God] has done for us".

Sixth, and finally, recall that Jesus was criticized for not being religious enough! Still, He did humbly learn, participate in, and submit to the laws and customs of His community. Christians believe He put aside His power in order to serve people, as a teacher! He fit into a culture, but He made people the highest priority. Can we follow His example? One way to do so is to study how Jesus dealt with customs and laws in His community, as recorded in the gospels, and to see what principles we can draw from His example. I believe that in doing so we will find priorities and guidelines for how to live and work as Christian ELT professionals in any community, at home or abroad.

Jeff Stebbins and his wife, Beth (also an ESL teacher), have lived and worked in several Asian countries for about two-thirds of their lives. Their two children go with them. Jeff and Beth are in grad school again (for a PhD in linguistics and an MA in TESOL) at the University of Colorado, preparing for more. . . .

Reconstruction Toward a “Global Christian Professional Language Teacher” Identity

Mary Shepard Wong, mwong@apu.edu  

Editors’ note: Because of space limitations, this article focuses on the second part of Mary’s paper presentation, entitled “Deconstructing/Reconstructing the Missionary English Teacher Identity”, at TESOL 2006 in Tampa, Florida. A full version may appear elsewhere.

Not long after a few publications (e.g., Snow, 2001) discussed teachers’ spiritual identities and the positive effects they can have on language teaching, a series of articles surfaced (e.g., Edge, 2003, 2004; Pennycook & Coutand-Marin, 2003; Pennycook & Makoni, 2005) that critiqued Christian English teachers, highlighting the negative effects of teachers’ “faith agendas” and the links between missions, colonialism, language teaching, and cultural imperialism. This situation has encouraged Christian English teachers to think deeply about the ways in which their spiritual identities affect their pedagogy both positively and negatively. In this article I will suggest an alternative identity to “tentmaker”/missionary by discussing the concept of the “global Christian professional language teacher.” I believe that this identity reconstruction has the potential to decrease some of the negative effects and increase the positive effects of the integration of teachers’ spiritual identities and pedagogy.

Global Christian Professional Language Teacher

I use the term global Christian professional language teacher in the following sense: global to emphasize our understanding of and need for diverse perspectives; Christian to mark our primary identity, which encompasses all that we are, say, and do; professional to stress the importance of being qualified, skilled, and knowledgeable; language to convey sensitivity to English’s domination and the importance of other languages; and teacher to note our role, responsibility, and vocation.

Global

One might argue that the term global is redundant in this identity reconstruction, as it is surely a necessary component of the concept of Christian. For how can one claim to be a Christian and not value the diversity God has created? How can one self-identify as a Christian, yet maintain assumptions of national and cultural superiority? The Christian gospel requires openness and compassion that reaches beyond the clan or the tribe to the stranger, as Hughes (2005) noted. For us to engage in a disciplined search for truth, truth cannot have already been defined or else there can be no serious discussions with people who represent a diversity of perspectives, because we “know” in advance that these people with different perspectives have nothing to contribute to our conversation. The term global represents an openness and understanding of our need for a diversity of perspectives in order to see ourselves and God with greater depth; however, it is not an endorsement of religious pluralism.¹

Christian

In his article “What is a Christian English Teacher?” Scovel (2004) asserted that a Christian teacher is defined by what one says and does and who one is. Guinness (1998) affirmed this and in a discussion of vocation and calling stated, “Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and service” (p. 29). A Christian teacher, Scovel (2004) continued, has loving words, pedagogical compassion, and spiritual scholarship. She or he is a coherent, reflective, and faithful teacher. Scovel added, “our faith gives us confidence . . . infuses joy into our daily work . . . allows for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and gives us the spiritual gifts of building up, encouraging, and consoling. And always, in whatever we say, or do, or are, we know we are not alone” (p. 6).

Smith and Carvill (2000) emphasized that “loving attention to the other in a context of mutual giving should be at the heart of a Christian approach to foreign language education” (p. 142). They present hospitality as an overarching metaphor for Christian teaching and quote Johnson who wrote, “Hospitality in its deepest sense is a willingness not only to receive the stranger, but also to be changed and affected by the presence of the other, not only personally, but also institutionally, curricularly, and politically” (as cited in Smith & Carvill, 2000, p. 88).

To what extent should Christian teachers proclaim their identity? Teachers who are Christians should neither hide their allegiance to Christ nor exploit the power they hold in the classroom to promote their faith. They should “openly acknowledge this faith in class when it is relevant to issues under discussion” yet resist “shoehorn[ing] mention of Christianity into any and all class discussions” (Snow, 2001, p. 82). Proclaiming one’s religious identity may not be appropriate or professional in the classroom setting, but neither is it expected that teachers conceal their identity and beliefs.

Professional

What is a professional? Professionals possess the theoretical background, mentored experience, professional affiliations, and certifications for meeting the standards of excellence in their field. Nunan (1999) added that professionals act as advocates for their field. Thus, professionals have the knowledge, know-how, qualifications, connections, and accountability to engage in their professions as advocates. Those who are considered “professional” represent what is best in their fields and are endorsed and respected by colleagues. Professional language teachers, therefore, are expected to have the appropriate education, qualifications, and experience for the specific tasks they perform, and work in ways that reflect positively upon TESOL. This definition would not apply to those who use English teaching simply as access and as a means to an end.

Language (not English)

As English teachers, we are also language educators and thus we should be familiar with second language acquisition theory and practice and ideally have learned a second or foreign language ourselves. For how can we teach others the skill of becoming bi- or multilingual if we have not accomplished this ourselves? Knowledge and competency in the specific language one is teaching is also required, but this alone is not sufficient. Having gone through the experience of learning a foreign language as an adult or being engaged in language learning ourselves as we are teaching a language helps us to have empathy for our students. Snow insists that language learning is a form of ministry as it places teachers in the learner’s position and demonstrates that they value their students’ culture. Snow (2004) noted, “Study of our students’ languages is one of the best ways for English teachers to humble ourselves and empty ourselves of power and take on a humble servant role, and also one of the most powerful ways for us to incarnate our commitment to an ideal of multilingualism” (p. 1).

It is also worth noting that in many cases the teaching of other languages or dialects may be of greater benefit to students than the teaching of English. For example, in the refugee camps along the Thai/Burma border, becoming literate in native tribal languages, Burmese, or even Thai is the priority for the refugees as it holds more benefits than does learning to speak English. As language educators (and not simply English teachers) our work may be to learn from experienced local teachers how to assist emerging teachers to teach literacy skills in their own languages rather than teach English. Looking at our role as language teacher or educator may help to focus our attention on the benefits of encouraging the acquisition of other languages.

Teacher

Snow (2001) has noted that “English teaching can and should be Christian vocation in its own right and not simply a means to other ends or a secular task only incidentally engaged in by Christians” (p. 19). He argued that teaching is witness expressed through the quality with which Christians carry out their teaching and posits the following: “Rather than being incidental to witness or even evangelism, the quality of [Christian English Teachers’] teaching work is the primary vehicle through which they share the love of God with their students” (p. 65). When Christian teachers diligently prepare for class, listen attentively to students, are genuinely concerned for their students’ well-being, cooperate with colleagues (especially when wronged), and make an effort to continually learn and grow professionally, they are a witness. Scovel called this type of teaching “pedagogical compassion” and quoted Stevick as saying, “It seems to me that doing all this for the sake of the Gospel . . . becomes almost a sacramental act, and that every classroom is a holy place where such acts can be performed” (as cited in Scovel, 2004).

The Christian literature on vocation might help inform this discussion.² In the words of Frederick Buechner (1993), vocation is “the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet” (p. 119). Guinness (1998) described a primary calling to God and secondary callings to one’s profession:

Our primary calling as followers of Christ is by him, to him and for him. First and foremost we are called to someone (God), not to something (such as motherhood, politics, or teaching) or to somewhere (such as the inner city or Outer Mongolia). Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think, speak, live, and act entirely for him. We can therefore properly say as a matter of secondary calling that we are called to homemaking or to the practice of law or to art history. But these and other things are always the secondary, never the primary calling. They are “callings” rather than the “calling”. (p. 31)

Thus our primary call to God might be realized through our secondary calling of teaching.

Guinness (1998) also noted that “A sense of calling should precede a choice of job and career, and the main way to discover calling is along the line of what we are created and gifted to be. Instead of, ‘You are what you do,’ calling says: ‘Do what you are’” (p. 46). Or in the words of Kierkegaard, “The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wanted me to do; the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die” (as cited in Guinness, 1998, p. 3).

Next Steps?

What might be the next steps to take to encourage this reconstruction? I suggest four courses of action: read, reexamine, research, and reach out. In addition to reading Scripture, I recommend the following authors: Adeney (1995), Bosch (2002), Guinness (1998), Newbigin (1989), Palmer (1998), Smith and Carvill (2000), and Snow (2001). Engaging with these texts will help us reexamine our assumptions and reconstruct or renew a sense of identity as Christians and teachers engaged in TESOL. Researching Christian teachers and mission agencies working in ESL/EFL is also important and may involve analyzing the discourse, dilemmas, motives, practices, and sense of vocation and mission of Christian teachers. Finally, we need to reach out and dialogue, present, and publish, thus continuing and extending our inquiry.

Conclusion

In recent publications, Christian scholars have discussed the benefits of integrating one’s teaching with one’s identity in Christ whereas other scholars have raised concerns about the use of English teaching by Christian missionaries. This situation has caused Christians to ask some hard questions about the actual and potential ways in which their identity in Christ impacts their language teaching and the profession of TESOL. I suggest that a reconstructed identity from a “missionary who is teaching to gain access” to a “global Christian professional language teacher” has the potential to readdress the concerns raised while enhancing many of the benefits that can occur when teachers align their spiritual and professional identities and live and work with a newfound wholeness and integrity that respects their faith, profession, colleagues, and students.

Mary Shepard Wong directs field-based TESOL programs at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California.

Acknowledgments

I am indebted to Don Dorr, Tom Scovel, Rich Slimbach, Don Snow, Manar Metry, Kitty Purgason, and Rich Robison and for their insightful comments on previous drafts. Remaining errors are my own and all glory goes to God.

Notes

1. See Adeney (1995) for an insightful discussion of culture and Christianity, and Newbigin (1989) for a discussion on the gospel and religions in which he critiques the positions of the religious pluralist, exclusivist, and inclusivist.

2. For a discussion on Christian vocation see Guinness (1998), Hughes (2005), Stevens (1999), Placher (2005), and Volf (1991).

References

Adeney, B. (1995). Strange virtues: Ethics in a multicultural world. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press.

Bosch, D. J. (2002). Transforming mission: Paradigm shifts in theology of mission. Mary Knoll, NY: Orbis.

Buechner, F. (1993). Wishful thinking: A seeker’s ABC. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco.

Edge, J. (2003). Imperial troopers and servants of the Lord: A vision of TESOL for the 21^st century. TESOL Quarterly, 37, 701-709.

Edge, J. (2004). Of displacive and augmentative discourse, new enemies, and old doubts. TESOL Quarterly, 38, 717-721.

Guinness, O. (1998). The Call: Finding and fulfilling the central purpose of your life. Waco, TX: Word Books.

Hughes, R. T. (2005). The vocation of a Christian scholar: How Christian faith can sustain the life of the mind. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Newbigin, L. (1989). The gospel in a pluralist society. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Nunan, D. (1999). President’s message. TESOL Matters, 9(5), 1.

Palmer, P. (1998). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. New York: Jossey-Bass.

Pennycook, A., & Coutand-Marin, S. (2003). Teaching English as a missionary language (TEML). Discourse: Studies in the cultural politics of education, 24, 337-353.

Pennycook, A., & Makoni, S. (2005). The modern mission: The language effects of Christianity. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 4, 137-155.

Placher, W. C. (Ed.) (2005). Callings: Twenty centuries of Christian wisdom on vocation. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Scovel, T. (2004). What is a Christian English language teacher? CETC Newsletter, 8(1). Retrieved June 22, 2006 from www.tesol.org/NewsletterSite/view.asp?nid=3124.

Smith, D. & Carvill, B. (2000). The gift of the stranger: Faith, hospitality, and foreign language learning. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Snow, D. (2001). English teaching as Christian mission: An applied theology. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press.

Snow, D. (2004). Empty and humble? Unpublished manuscript. Standards of excellence in short-term missions. Retrieved June 22, 2006 from www.stmstandards.org.

Stevens, R. P. (1999). The other six days: Vocation, work, and ministry in biblical perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Volf, M. (1991). Work in the Spirit: Toward a theology of work. New York: Oxford University Press.

Published by TESOL and supported by your active membership. Contents copyright by authors except where otherwise noted.

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From the Editors

Michael Lessard-Clouston, michael.lessard-clouston@biola.edu,
and Meredith Bricker, meredith.bricker@gmail.com

Greetings and welcome to another issue of the CETC Newsletter! We are delighted to share this issue with you and to update you on what is happening in the Christian Educators in TESOL Caucus. Over the summer and fall we have worked with various writers, and we are happy to present you with this issue, hopeful that it will provide useful information, lots of food for thought, and some ideas and insights for your work.

In This Issue

We begin the issue with updates from CETC leaders, including letters from the past chair, Karen Asenavage, and current chair, Eleanor Pease. As a caucus we mourn the loss of Dr. Jean Zukowski/Faust this past summer, and we are pleased to celebrate her life and work in a tribute written by former CETC Chair Wes Eby. You will also find guidelines for contributions to this newsletter, prepared especially for those of you who would like to put your fingers to the keyboard and send us something that could be considered for a future issue. This newsletter will only be as good as the contributions we receive, so we have provided those guidelines, but another indication of what we are interested in may be found in the contents of this issue. We have tried to balance articles we solicited from various people and others that interested CETC members have sent our way. We plan to have another issue in your inbox in February, before the TESOL convention in Seattle, so feel free to let us know if there are articles you have enjoyed or appreciated. [Please note: The deadline for us to receive draft articles for possible inclusion in the upcoming issue is January 2, 2007.] In conjunction with the convention, the CELT 2007 Conference will be held at Seattle Pacific University, and we are pleased to publish a notice about it from conference chair Kathryn Bartholomew. Finally, in this section we also have some news and updates from CETC.

In our articles section we have a strong and varied range of short and longer pieces, starting with an article by Tom Scovel on the honoring of an influential caucus member. Former CETC Newsletter editor Jim Mischler reports on the joint AAAL/CAAL 2006 conference in Montreal, and Rich Robison shares his reflections on truthfulness in English teaching, derived from his presentation during the CETC Colloquium at TESOL 2006 in Tampa. Also in this issue, Anna Vaughan reviews topics in the current SLA literature and presents a Christian perspective on second language learning, while David Bartsch outlines his reflections on two metaphors for language learning and teaching. Dayle Burkhart describes the development and revision of her HIS English curriculum, and Eleanor Pease writes about affect and motivation among Japanese ESL learners in her doctoral research. Finally, Leifur Sigurdsson reviews a new book on teaching academic vocabulary that will be of interest to both ESL and EFL teachers.

We are grateful to each of these authors for their contributions and thank them for sharing their work with us and you through this forum. We hope you will be encouraged and find something helpful for your life and work in TESOL. We would like this benefit of your TESOL membership to be a welcome addition to your professional reading. If you agree, please consider joining the conversation by letting us know what you think, by suggesting a topic or idea, or even by writing an article for us to consider publishing in a future issue.

Blessings,
Michael and Meredith

Letter From the Past Chair: Of the Past, the Present, and the Future

Karen Asenavage, karenas@sas.upenn.edu

The past…it is an interesting verb tense to teach and to live. It never ceases to amaze me that this seemingly easy verb tense can present so many difficulties for our students. Whether it's remembering irregular and regular, how to pronounce the three different endings, or whether one should use a simple past or a perfect tense, the past tense is difficult for non-native English speakers to use. Maybe it's cultural. It could be because some cultures acknowledge the past but are more focused upon the present while others live in the past and acknowledge the future. In any case, for this native English speaker whose life has spanned several cultures, living the past now is a learning experience.

I'm thinking about living the past because many aspects of my life have moved into the past tense over the last six months. After 12 wonderful years in the United Arab Emirates, I have returned to take up a position at the University of Pennsylvania, where my father was an alumnus and the city is my hometown. I'm reconnecting with old childhood friends and relatives I haven't seen in years, while daily receiving e-mails from friends and colleagues who are still working overseas. It's wonderful and yet slightly disorienting. Now, after two years, first as Incoming Chair, then Chair of the Christian Educators in TESOL caucus, I am the CETC Past Chair. Again, it's encouraging to have new strong leadership take over but also slightly disorienting. As a past leader, it means stepping back, allowing others to take over, and trying to gauge when, how, or if to offer help. As a past leader, it also means being a bridge between what was before and what is to come.

What has gone before for CETC is a remarkable legacy that spans decades under the able leadership of Wes Eby, Rita LaNell Stahl, Kitty Purgason, Cheri Pierson, Adelaide Parsons, Mary Wong, Nancy Zumwalt, and others. It was hundreds of Christian TESOLers becoming nearly 1000 members of an official TESOL caucus. It was the dream of a focused CETC mini-conference prior to TESOL in Long Beach becoming an international conference at Payap University in Chiang Mai under Brad Baurain and his team this past year. It is honoring Christian scholars, men and women of faith, like Earl Stevick, Tom Scovel, and Jean Zukowski/Faust. It is seeking out and developing leaders from among our ranks. It was and remains standing strong and responding with wisdom and love in the face of criticism about what we as Christian TESOLers believe and live.

Ahead, there is a strong leadership team with Eleanor Pease, Gena Bennett, Meredith Bricker, Michael Lessard-Clouston, Frank Tuzi and Andy Bowdler. Led by Kathryn Bartholomew, Seattle Pacific University will host a mini conference prior to TESOL 2007. We'll have opportunities to honor those who have gone before us and to mentor and encourage others to take up the leadership roles within CETC and TESOL. We look forward to more publications about what we believe and how we as Christian educators impact our classrooms and places of work. There is an exciting future ahead for the Christian Educators in TESOL Caucus.

Jesus tells to remember the past with a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12) and all that He has done for us on the cross (1 John 1:7), but we are also encouraged to look to the future straining towards what is ahead  (Philippians 3). Living between the past and the present, while looking towards the future can be challenging to us as Christians, educators, and leaders but this is as it must be and what makes our lives worth living. I would like to encourage you to be active in the CET caucus, learning today from those who have gone before and stepping up to take us ahead into the future.

Note From the 2006-2007 Chair

Eleanor Pease, eleanor.pease@nyack.edu

One ongoing goal for the CETC is to develop leadership. I've been pleased with your responses and participation on the e-list and I'm sure that among you interested members, there must be several who would enjoy serving in some capacity.

In January we will have an online election for incoming chair. Karen Asenavage will complete her role as outgoing or past chair, I will move into that position, and Gena Bennett (incoming chair, 2006-2007) will become CETC chair for 2007-2008.

If you are interested in serving as incoming chair, please contact me as soon as possible at eleanor.pease@nyack.edu. Thanks!

Tribute to Dr. Jean Zukowski/Faust: 1941-2006

Wes Eby, weseby@tampabay.rr.com

Jean Zukowski/Faust, a longtime member of CETC, succumbed to a lengthy and valiant battle with cancer on July 17, 2006. Her impact on the TESOL field as well as TESOL, Inc. is undeniable. While she is greatly missed, her influence will continue in the lives of the countless students and colleagues she has touched.

Jean was a rock-solid supporter of the Christian Educators in TESOL Caucus (CETC). When I served as chair of our fledgling group, she advised us as we petitioned to become a caucus. With her help, we succeeded, and part of that success was Jean's. Later, when she served on the Board of Directors for TESOL, she was liaison to the caucuses. As our champion, she encouraged CETC with attendance and words of affirmation.

I first met Jean in the mid-1970s when she was elected to the Arizona TESOL (AZ-TESOL) Board of Directors. Early on I realized that Jean was an ESOL educator with extensive knowledge, rich experiences, and a caring heart. Her insightful contributions to the board were well-received and greatly appreciated. Her ongoing involvement with AZ-TESOL spanned three decades, most notably as newsletter editor.

Jean received a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Wisconsin in 1966. She earned a master's in ESL from the University of Arizona in 1973 and a doctorate in applied linguistics and English education from the same institution in 1978.

Dr. Zukowski/Faust's distinguished 42-year career began in Turkey, where she taught English at three institutions from 1964-1971. Going to the University of Arizona in 1972, she taught in the English Department for 12 years before moving to Northern Arizona University (NAU) in 1984, where she was professor in the English Department. Although she taught a variety of courses, her special interest was teaching ESL and bilingual education. From 1990-92 while on leave from NAU, Jean was associate director of the U.S. Peace Corps in Poland, for which she was awarded the Medal of Honor from Poland's Ministry of National Education.

Jean was a skilled communicator. Her presentations at conferences and workshops attracted large audiences. I remember rooms overflowing and attendees disappointed they could not get inside to see Jean in action. She was known for practical ideas that were research-based. Her sense of timing, her knowledge of the audience, and her charming wit engaged the listeners. Her ability in public speaking, which so captivated people, really reflected her gift of teaching. Jean, of all educators I've known, was a teacher par excellence.

I will also remember Jean for her perseverance, especially when her illness sapped her strength. Her resolve, however, never waned. Attending TESOL 2006 in Tampa was a physical strain on Jean, yet she attended. She participated. She networked. She shared. And, above all, she taught.

Jean, for me, epitomizes everything TESOL represents—a passionate advocate for those learning English as an additional language. Whether teaching and sharing, writing and editing, administering and advising, Jean excelled. Dr. Zukowski/Faust is a wonderful model for anyone desiring to devote his or her life to the TESOL profession.

Founding chair of the CETC, Wes Eby recently retired and now lives in Lake Alfred, Florida. A member of TESOL for 39 years, Wes has actively participated at all levels, including as TESOL's parliamentarian for the past 15 years and as associate chair of the TESOL 2001 convention in St. Louis. In 2001 TESOL honored Wes with the James B. Alatis Award for outstanding and extended service to the organization.

Guidelines for Contributions to the CETC Newsletter

Michael Lessard-Clouston, michael.lessard-clouston@biola.edu,
and Meredith Bricker, meredith.bricker@gmail.com

As relatively new editors, we would like to offer readers some guidelines for what we would like to receive as submissions for possible publication in the newsletter.

Background
The CETC Newsletter is the caucus publication, and we drafted the Christian Educators in TESOL Caucus (CETC) E-Newsletter Mission Statement in order to provide information about its purpose, audience, and vision (Note: that mission statement appeared in Vol. 10, No. 2 of the newsletter and is available for reference online at: http://www.tesol.org//s_tesol/article.asp?vid=172&DID=6490&sid=1&cid=740&iid=6487&nid=3124.) As we noted there, we view the newsletter as a forum where Christian educators in TESOL can exchange ideas, communicate about and evaluate relevant resources, and discuss topics and issues that are pertinent to us and our work as teachers, researchers, administrators, or students in TESOL and related fields.

Guidelines
Perhaps the first point to make concerns some things that the newsletter cannot publish. Following TESOL guidelines, we do not include advertising and we do not publish job announcements. TESOL has several outlets for advertising in its various serial and other publications, and the TESOL Placement Bulletin publishes notices of job opportunities. Also, some types of information and media (such as photographs) are more amenable to other formats, and may be published by the caucus at our website (http://www.cetesol.org/).

Usually announcements and news should be timely (yet still relevant for some time after publication) and appeal to a range of caucus members. Generally, the CETC leadership will provide articles for our 'Leadership Updates' section, but members are welcome to suggest ideas or to offer information and updates to be included in the regular 'News from CETC' feature. We are particularly interested in receiving submissions or ideas for our 'Articles' section, and welcome the following types of submissions (and are open to suggestions for others):

Articles: These may be short (about 800-1200 words) or longer (up to about 2500 words) and describe a favorite classroom activity or teaching technique, reflect on experiences or interests you have had or are developing, or report on classroom or other research, etc.

Book, Software, or Other Reviews: Reports on and evaluations of new student (texts, CD-ROMs, audio materials, websites, etc.) or teacher resources of interest to CETC members. [Please note: CETC members who have published such materials are welcome to contact the editors to alert us to such resources or to provide a review copy of your material(s) that a CETC member could use (and keep) in order to write such a review.]

Responses: These may be short or longer responses to articles published in the newsletter or elsewhere, or to relevant presentations you have attended or talks you have heard, etc. You might offer another perspective, raise some questions, or present new practical, philosophical, or theoretical points of view on topics of interest to CETC members.

Suggestions    

As you will see in this issue, submissions may be drawn from relevant conference presentations you make, report on readings you are familiar with or research you have carried out, describe materials or activities that are relevant to caucus members, or evaluate new resources. As you may have noticed, some articles will include a more obvious or detailed Christian perspective, while others may appear less so. Yet our audience is clearly CETC members and other people interested in relevant topics and issues with a Christian point of view.

If you have an idea and are considering submitting an article, we would be happy to for you to correspond with us about it. If it does not seem appropriate here we might be able to suggest other options. If you have written or would like to write something for us to consider, please first review articles in this and recent issues of the newsletter for models or examples, observing the style and format (e.g., web-oriented, APA, etc.). Prepare your submission as a Word document, and be careful to quote sources appropriately, include all references you mention, and respect the copyright of any authors you cite. Then contact us to let us know that you have something for us to consider, and we'll work with you on it from there. We look forward to hearing from you, and possibly to working with you on your submission.

The CELT 2007 Conference in Seattle, Washington, USA

Kathryn Bartholomew, kbarthol@spu.edu

Introduction

Based on the model of the very successful conference in Long Beach, CA just before TESOL 2004, a one-day conference of Christians in English Language Teaching (CELT) will be held on Tuesday March 20, 2007, the day before TESOL 2007, on the campus of Seattle Pacific University (www.spu.edu).

The theme of the conference is "Spirituality and Professionalism." Featured speakers include Suresh Canagarajah of Baruch College, CUNY, USA, and David Smith, Calvin College, USA. The schedule will include refereed presentations and workshops, a mid-day poster session (also refereed), and a morning resource room for sharing classroom activities and other practical ideas. The day will begin at 8:30 with concurrent sessions and end with a 4:30 pm worship service (see schedule details below). The registration fee for the conference is $25.00 U.S.; registration forms and other information are posted on the SPU and CETC websites. A range of options for lunch and dinner will be provided. Public transportation and taxis from the Seattle Convention Center and downtown hotels are available; parking is also available on the SPU campus for those who choose to drive.

Conference Topics

Here are some of the topics we hope to address at the conference from a specifically Christian point of view:

• cultural and intercultural issues, including the importance of learning students' languages whenever possible
• mutual help and support for monolingual English and bilingual English teachers (a new way of framing the tired and sometimes unhelpful distinction between native and non-native speakers)
• professional integrity and faith-related academic controversy
• teacher training and development
• practical skills for teaching 
• English for special purposes, including teaching and learning in seminaries 
• images of Christianity in the media
• living out core values in the classroom
• stories of what called us into the profession and what keeps us there
• and many more . . .

Proposals

Your proposals are welcomed and encouraged; please send them as Word or PDF files to Kathryn Bartholomew, Seattle Pacific University, kbarthol@spu.edu. Proposals must show a clear Christian perspective and must include the following information:

• Name(s), school and/or organization, mailing address, phone, e-mail, and a short bio
• An indication of whether this is a Presentation, Workshop, Resource Room, or Poster Session
• An indication of whether audiovisual equipment other than an OHP and/or computer with projector will be needed
• The title and a 50-word abstract (for the conference program)
• Proposal abstract of no more than 250 words

Proposals may link to any TESOL-related topic; refer to the conference topics list above for possible ideas. Deadline: all proposals must be received by e-mail (as above) no later than January 1, 2007. 

Exhibits and Questions

An exhibition area will be available for organizations, schools, and book sales. Please contact Kevin Gibbons, gibbok@spu.edu, for additional information.

Questions? In addition to the e-mail addresses above, we are available by telephone at 206-281-2670 (Kevin Gibbons) or fax at 206-281-2335.

Proposed Conference Schedule: March 20, 2007

8:30-9:15 Concurrent sessions; publishers' exhibits open
9:15-9:30 Break – refreshments, Resource Room, exhibits
9:30-10:30 Plenary address – David Smith
10:30-11:00 Break - refreshments, Resource Room, Poster Sessions, exhibits
11:00-12:30 Concurrent 45- or 90-minute sessions
12:30-1:30 Lunch – also Poster Sessions and publishers' exhibits
1:30-3:00 Concurrent 45- or 90-minute sessions
3:00-3:30 Break – refreshments, Poster Sessions
3:30-4:30 Keynote address – Suresh Canagarajah
4:30-5:30 Worship service
5:30  Adjournment

Partial List of Proposal Referees

The following CETC members have agreed to review proposals for the conference: Karen Asenavage, Kathryn Bartholomew, Brad Baurain, Gena Bennett, Tim Noble, Adelaide Heyde Parsons, Eleanor Pease, Cheri Pierson, Kitty Purgason, and Mary Wong.

Please note that the Call for Participation may also be found on the CETC website, and is located at http://www.cetesol.org/news/celt2007-call.html. Please inform others who might be interested in presenting at or attending the conference. We look forward to welcoming you at CELT 2007 in Seattle before the upcoming TESOL convention.

News From CETC

CELT 2007 at Seattle Pacific University
As noted in the article in this issue by Kathryn Bartholomew, CETC's Christians in English Language Teaching 2007 (CELT 2007) conference will be held Tuesday March 20, 2007, the day before the TESOL 2007 Convention begins in Seattle, Washington, USA. The conference theme is "Spirituality and Professionalism" and featured speakers include Suresh Canagarajah and David Smith. We hope you will attend and, if possible, consider giving a presentation. Please read Kathryn's article for more information on how and where to submit proposals (deadline: January 1, 2007), and be sure to let others who might be interested know about this exciting conference. The call for papers appears on the CETC Web site, at http://www.cetesol.org/news/celt2007-call.html.

CETC Has a New E-list Moderator!
Thanks go to Andy Bowdler, who answered our call for a volunteer in the last newsletter and has agreed to be CETC's new e-list moderator. As he has held this position before, Andy brings experience to this role, and we thank him for overseeing our e-list postings. Please feel free to contact him with suggestions or ideas for monthly or other topics. As with all CETC leadership, his contact information may be found at the end of the newsletter, on the "About the CETC Community" page.

Web Site Updates
Thanks also go to Frank Tuzi, the caucus Web manager, who recently updated the CETC Web site at www.cetesol.org once again. Please remember to check out what is on the site occasionally, and consider contributing a notice or article, or adding to the bulletin board discussion. Frank is also looking for CETC Web site content, and would like your ideas or contributions.

CELT Scholarships Available for NNESTs
Please remind nonnative English-speaking teacher professionals that CELT scholarships are available for presenters at the CELT 2007 conference or the 2007 TESOL Convention. Further details are available on the CETC Web site, at www.cetesol.org/scholarship.html.

An Honorary Doctorate in Honor of a Great Christian Educator

Tom Scovel, tscovel@sfsu.edu  

On October 23, 2006, Trinity Western University (TWU), located near Vancouver, Canada, conferred an honorary Doctorate of Christian Ministries on Earl Stevick, a prolific and greatly respected scholar and teacher in the TESOL profession for many decades. Because of Earl's current physical limitations, I was asked to participate in this ceremony on his behalf, and it was an enormous honor and pleasure for me to play a small role in this important celebration.

The conferral was part of TWU's annual commencement exercises for their School of Graduate Studies, and among the graduates from various programs receiving their master's degrees were seven students getting their MA's in TESOL. Earl wrote a moving address for this convocation, where he reflected back on some of the transitions that have taken place (and in which he has played a vital role) in foreign language pedagogy during the some fifty years of his professional career. Because my only task was to read the text which Earl had artfully prepared, I somewhat jokingly told Earl that I was happy to play "Aaron" to his "Moses"!

Bill Acton and Carolyn Kristjansson, two very active faculty members of TWU's MATESOL program, were instrumental in developing a special relationship between their program and Earl. They were able to arrange for Earl to visit TWU a few years back, and they have given him continual support over the years. Earl was also generous in donating his collection of books and professional papers to the university. Immediately after the TWU convocation, Carolyn flew to Virginia, where Earl currently resides at an assisted living center, to join Earl's friends and family in a splendid celebration of his 83rd birthday. During this party, Earl was presented with the honorary degree and hood and was able to watch a video of the TWU convocation which had been held only a few days before.

Earl concluded his commencement address with a verse from the famous seventeenth century hymn "If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee", by Georg Neumark, and I think this is also a fitting way to conclude this brief report about the events honoring a Christian scholar and teacher who has been so influential in our profession and has served as a symbol of discipleship.

If thou but suffer God to guide thee,
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He'll give thee strength whate'er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trusts in God's unchanging love
Builds on the rock that naught can move¹ .

Note
¹ Translated from German by Catherine Winkworth in 1855. Visit http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/f/ifyouwil.htm for the complete English lyrics and a contemporary English version of this and two other verses of the hymn.

Tom Scovel is a professor in the Department of English at San Francisco State University in California, where he teaches courses in the MATESOL program.

The 2006 AAAL Conference: International Scope, Regional Atmosphere

Jim Mischler, jim.mischler@okstate.edu

Professional meetings are usually defined in terms of their scope-that is, their topical range and the size of the geographic area that the conference serves. International conferences tend to have the broadest scope, but as a result they can be logistically complex and mentally tiring. Regional meetings, on the other hand, are smaller and thus less hectic: There is more time to enjoy the conference experience and the city in which it is held. The effect is both stimulating and relaxing at the same time. This was my experience at the 2006 American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) conference, which was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 17-20. (Note: For more information on AAAL, see their official Web site at http://www.aaal.org.) In spirit and in implementation, the meeting was regional in size with the topical range of an international conference. As a result, I experienced the best of both.

This interregional conference was held in the Hyatt Hotel downtown, about a 15-minute walk from the St. Lawrence River. The meeting was hosted jointly by AAAL and the Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics (CAAL). Their combined efforts were seen everywhere, from the flags of the two countries flying in the hotel to the English and French transcripts of the organizers' welcome messages. The international flavor was also used to advantage in the plenary sessions; two of the talks focused on pedagogy for French as a second language (Claude Germain and Joan Netten) and issues concerning bilingualism in Canada (Monica Heller). In fact, over 4 days, seven speakers from around the world spoke on topics as diverse as defining proficiency in a language (Jan Hulstijn), discourse analysis in the classroom (Gordon Wells), and using computers to teach language and culture (John Sinclair; Dorothy Chun). In its topical breadth, the conference offered the advantages of a major international convention.

The subject scope was also evident in the individual presentation sessions. The conference was organized into 16 threads in applied linguistics, ranging from assessment and evaluation to language acquisition, from literacy to text analysis. Sessions were scheduled so that one thread continued for several hours in one room. For example, in the language acquisition thread, I saw a doctoral student's session (Youjin Kim, Northern Arizona U., USA) on "The Effect of Learner-Learner Interaction on L2 Vocabulary Acquisition," then immediately after heard Scott Jarvis (Ohio U., USA) and Laura Sanchez (U. of Barcelona, Spain) present the idea of conceptual transfer. Both sessions were interesting and the thread structure allowed for comparisons of specific ideas within a broader topic. Presentations often included both practical and theoretical issues, allowing participants to discuss both the details of a method and its wider implications. By the way, I also had the opportunity, with my colleague Rebecca Damron (Oklahoma State U., USA), to present our ongoing research study on "Conceptual Blending and Personal Oral Narrative." We noted that the audience was attentive and their questions and feedback were helpful for improving our research design and methods. In the end, I was able to see many sessions in my areas of interest, participate in wide-ranging discussions, and switch threads easily when I chose to do so.

There were also sessions on issues that impact Christian educators. For example, I attended the presentation by Michael Lessard-Clouston (Biola U., USA) on "Definitions in Theology Lectures: Implications for Technical Vocabulary Learning." Michael's presentation typified the conference format: a research study on a topic that both researchers and language teachers can appreciate and find useful, with practical and theoretical implications that led to interesting discussions. There were other sessions on similar topics, including the talk by Carolyn Kristjansson and Phil Goertzen (Trinity Western U., Canada) on perceptions of identity in an online MA TESOL program; the presentation included a discussion concerning the impact of the students' spiritual values on their social identities. In short, AAAL/CAAL 2006 offered sessions that contributed useful information to the work of CETC members.

Though broad in scope, the conference had the atmosphere of a much smaller professional meeting. The ability to house the entire event in one hotel put all of the conference's offerings (including poster sessions and the publisher's exhibition) within easy reach–a real time, energy, and leg saver. Running into old friends also seemed easier with a smaller crowd! During breaks in the schedule, taking a walk down to the river offered a change of scene. Finally, almost every day social events were held, including the Opening Reception, the Graduate Student Breakfast, the Presidents Reception, and the CAAL-hosted social. I had the privilege of attending all four. I made new friends at the breakfast and had good discussions about graduate school life. In the evenings, the two receptions and the social were held on the hotel's outdoor terrace. The social events were the place to discuss the day's sessions with friends old and new, eat some good food, and watch the sun set behind the trees (yes, there are trees in downtown Montreal). It was a good way to wind down and "unpack" the conference.

Overall, I personally felt that the 2006 AAAL/CAAL conference was productive and useful, and surprisingly energizing. I think the CETC membership would find interesting topics, stimulating discussion, and a small-group atmosphere at this interregional meeting. I recommend AAAL as a destination for CETC members interested in a research-oriented professional meeting with an international membership, sessions that discuss both theory and practice, a meeting schedule organized according to threads, and the ability to slow down and reflect on the whole experience. Consider attending the 2007 AAAL conference, which will be held in Costa Mesa, California, April 21-24. For more information on the upcoming conference, visit http://www.aaal.org/aaal2007/index.htm.

You may already know that AAAL used to be held in conjunction with the annual TESOL convention; for the past few years, however, the two organizations have met separately. In 2008 the AAAL conference will be March 29-April 1 in Washington, DC. The following year, in 2009, AAAL and TESOL will once again hold their meetings during the same week, in Denver, Colorado. If you cannot in the next 2 years, 2009 will be a great opportunity to spend some time at AAAL–in conjunction with TESOL.

Jim Mischler, a former CETC Newsletter editor, is pursuing doctoral studies in TESL/linguistics at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.