Presently, the ESL/TESOL field is a cistern. A receptacle for the placement of ill-mannered, mean-spirited, uneducated (empirical and higher education), uncaring, self-aggrandizing, hypocritical and egocentric individuals that roam the world making the lives of their employers, students and the parents of these students - MISERABLE!

It is painfully apparent that something has to be done to give credence to this burgeoning profession in the near future or it will collapse under the weight of its own misconduct. Oh, it will survive, the need for teachers/instructors is too great and the talent pool is exceedingly shallow.

Fish, in his previous posts touched on several salient points for consideration. Before embarking upon one of life's great adventures (teaching in a foreign country) one must acquire a very small vocabulary and have a thorough understanding of these two words. HOST and GUEST. You must be intelligent enough to discern into which category you belong and the obligations and responsibilities inherent therein. One CANNOT teach in a foreign land without an understanding of these two words. Western individualism and familiarity have broken down too many barriers of international/cultural discourse and left us without respect for the other persons customs/morals/ethics/values/culture.

To further compound our problem this deterioration of respect for others has spilled into the classroom. Too many persons hired as teachers do not care about the quality of the product they are dispensing to the students.

An efficacy is needed. What can provide the impetus to clean out the cesspool? TESOL Law. This is not the panacea for the problems facing the ESL industry but may well be the catalyst that starts the healing process.

TESOL LAW. Personally, I believe the time has come for educational malpractice law to be applied to the ESL teacher. When one is held accountable for his actions, when he is held to a higher standard, a higher order, when he is expected to produce, when lame excuses are no longer acceptable, when the threat of a malpractice lawsuit hangs over his head, when the welfare and obligation to the student and the family of the student are in the forefront then, and only then, will the English Teaching Community the world over be permitted to take a step back, take a deep breath, emit a collective sigh of relief and say to themselves, "Damn, I did a good job today! I'm proud to be an TESOL teacher."