Here I sit each day, before my giant-sized drip coffee, contemplating on what I should do to justify my existence on this planet. At age 67½, I have been forced into a state of quasi-retirement particularly at a time when I am neither willing nor financially capable of accepting such a status. God pity me — I am one of those who are plagued by some inexplicable inner force that precludes even the remotest possibility of calling it quits to either my career or my life. Naturally there are many others who have stood the test of time, while, in their seventies – even eighties – they are still very much a part of the contemporary work world. Many such individuals are ESL teachers. I am also an ESL teacher.

Granted my services are currently being utilized by a few ESL schools on a substitute basis, while I also have a few private students I can count on each week. These days steady employment seems a bit hard to come by. Part of the problem, of course, can be attributed to a decrease in the number of foreign students arriving in this city of late -- a marked difference from previous years. But I also believe a great deal of the problem is attributable to … age bias. WHY this should be the case is far beyond my powers of comprehension – though, perhaps, my thinking is somewhat démodé in that I am failing to take into consideration the fact these are different times, and so is the concept of English language instruction to foreign students on these shores. Whereas ESL was once a learning process that involved tremendous interest on the parts of both students and instructors, it is now primarily focused upon financial gain by management and teachers alike, while it is merely an excuse to remain in the USA by students who are seeking work, marriage, or whatever. Learning, it appears, is currently restricted to only those who harbor solid academic intentions and who seem to manifest gradual improvement accordingly. By the same token, many schools are finding it difficult to operate honestly, in that they are now at a point of struggling for their very survival because of ever-increasing limitations being imposed by academic and immigration authorities.

Naturally, these days ESL teaching abounds in numerous foreign locales – particularly in Asia. Unfortunately, however, this has served as an excuse for many charlatans to pose as qualified ESL instructors and successfully obtain instructional posts in lands where unknowing CEOs will trust them to do the job – that is, until which time their deceit is uncovered by other teachers or the advent of new local personnel who are aware of what is happening. In the interim, however, it is the incompetent teacher who is unknowingly destroying one of the only alternatives the true professional has to a waning domestic marketplace. UNIONIZATION? Yes, but with the proviso that it protects not only imported instructors from any dishonesty on the part of either agencies or employers, but that it likewise shields all qualified teachers from losing any of their credibility by automatically being placed under a cloud of suspicion by those schools where proven fakers, emoters, and opportunists have already been exposed and dismissed. At this juncture, please let me reiterate that older instructors—I mean those over 65—are usually a pretty safe bet when it comes to ensuring honesty in the instructional area of ESL. Even though there might be some concern over health-related areas, you can usually bet on the validity of a veteran teacher’s academic credentials, not to mention sincerity – especially if he/she has opted to continue teaching past the age of 65. Albeit I have my own selfish motives for promoting the ESL-employment-over-65 issue, the truth is, nonetheless, quite obvious. To employ bias, racism, or special preference in any field which is ultimately dependent upon the participation and contribution of all is not only fallacious but unethical. In the final analysis, success or failure is not only a question of luck, but also that of overall attitude and productive collaboration.

Let’s get it together, guys … but, more important, let’s KEEP it together!

The Arrogant One