When the two of us stress the importance of improving ESL in China and/or somewhere else, it should not be only armchair talk on a board like this. I believe some concrete action in practice must follow from that. For my part, I have concentrated on ESl training of Chinese English teachers,. organized workshops for them and held a couple of lectures on some more theoretical issues. I have done that as a volunteer, paid for my own travel expenses and was not given any renumeration. I have organized and coordinated similar projects in Kenya,. Nigeria/Ghana, Haiti and Nepal.

For my part, having watched the awful practice of placing students too high in order to sell catch up classes that weren't worth the electricity spent lighting the classrooms they were held in, in my own time and for no remuneration I wrote 6 grammar courses that covered all grammar points present not only in the textbooks used at the school but also in line with was taught at that age/level in Chinese state middle and high schools. I also worked with the teachers responsible for teaching these classes to make sure they could follow the plans, use the materials I had created and most importantly could teach the grammar points present in the various courses. While I couldn't do anything about the horrific practice of intentionally bad student placement, at least I knew I could make it not a complete waste of time for the students involved.

Like I've said, I worked there because I (perhaps naively) hoped to effect change from within and in some small ways I did just that. To my shame, I couldn't last more than two years doing it as it was fast breaking my heart and spirit. Not helped in part by having to work alongside teachers who felt turning up to class incredibly hungover or in some cases still drunk was acceptable. The good DoS I worked for managed to get rid of most of them, but they made a great comeback after he was fired.

I also get involved with local orphanages or children's charities wherever I am to donate my time to give the kids free English classes. I do what I can to change what I can and I always will.