I agree. Yes, 'Mt. English' must be scaled if one wants to land good jobs in places like Wall Street. But, the only way to scale a mountain is to first have the motivation, and then strap up and go do it. This is one reason I think 'fun and games' should be used minimally in the TEFL classroom, especially with older learners (high schoolers). TEFL students must become 'acclimated' with the fact that to become fluent in English, practicing outside of class is the only way. Yes, practicing English is BORING, but they need to become introduced to the reality that there are many boring, undesirable things in life we must do to get what we want. Students complain about boring subjects and classes, yes. However, I can't think of anything much more boring than manning a trinket stall all day long, day in and day out, in that 'trinket trench' you describe--Koh San Road. That's the life my students are heading for if they don't get it in gear and start studying/practicing on their own outside of class. Boring or not, my students, I know for a fact, have to motivate themselves, strap up, and start climbing if they are ever going to become fluent. And they'd better get started now...they've a LONG climb to get to Wall Street.