Yes Gaby, Tony did make a few writing mistakes. And it's true that I have commented in the past that here in the forum some people have been less than conscientious in terms of realizing that students as well as other teachers peruse these messages. I in fact am not always as dilligent as I should be - meaning I don't always go back and proofread what I've written, and I'm sure that's the case with other posters as well. However, if Tony were a frequent poster here and if those posts didn't reflect a committment to good writng skills, I would then probably consider it an issue that he should address. Or, in other words, I accept that none of us are perfect, yet I hope that we have a willingness to improve. For example: How many times have you heard someone say, "Well I've just never been a very good speller." When I hear this from another teacher, I find myself thinking, "Well, why not change that?"

So, you make an interesting point Gaby. If we are truly dedicated to being quality teachers, then we must also dedicate ourselves to self improvement. And, in that same context, we must be willing to accept criticism from others. Personally, I am my own worse critic - I'm always aware of my failings when it comes to adequately writing or expressing myself. No matter what I write or what I say, I always feel I could have done it better. So, I'm always working at it. I don't ascribe to the notion that good enough is good enough.

I guess I've been lucky though. For one thing, I went to a college where a premium was place on writing skills. An interesting statistic is that 25% of the Freshman class wouldn't make it through their first year there because of the high demand to improve their writing skills. In other words, it required a kind of heartfelt dedication to self improvement that some people just don't possess. Beyond that, I was fortunate to grow up in a family where the love for learning was fostered and nourished, and where all my siblings had an above average appreciation for language and communication.

Even still, I don't consider myself especially creative or exceedingly brilliant. Albeit, since I have chosen the teaching of second language learners as my profession, I've had to realize that my own language skills must be continually polished and my shortcomings must often be addressed.

By my way of thinking, there is no real middle ground. Either one is committed to being a good teacher or he/she is not. If so, then that commitment must be manifested by our willingness to improve our own language skills - not only while we are learning to be teachers, but ever after. An example of this is that during my early days of teaching ESL to adult immigrants in America I was fortunate to be mentored by a woman who had her PHD in Linguistics and TESOL Methodology, yet she didn't rest on her laurels - her ongoing dedication to improving her language skills is unflagging. By the way, although she is Chinese and English is her second language, her skills are way beyond most native speakers I've met. It is this kind of resoluteness that I'm alluding to here. Either we have it or we don't. If EFL teachers here in China or elsewhere are not resolute in their desire to make strides toward self improvement in terms of their language skills, then perhaps they've hopped aboard the EFL bandwagon as a means to an entirely different end. Okay fine, I just hope they enjoy the ride and don't cause too much damage along the way.

Well, I've addressed this issue before here in the forum and received very little feedback. Maybe it's just not an interesting enough subject. But thanks Gaby for giving me food for thought.

Note: Comments and error correction gladly accepted.