![]() So today I had the opportunity to chat with a cram school owner. It was very accidental and the owner happened to be a math teacher. I assumed that it would have been easier to communicate about Education Legion's intentions as a team. Everything sounded ok until we talked about the rate that I will charge. Now, I already know that cram schools in Taiwan have a weird preference for teachers of fairer skin and exotic eye color, but I was a bit disappointed with when I heard it from the math teacher, that he believed parents would still choose based on hair color and such. That works well for people who are just here to earn a quick buck, teach some basic children's English, or just have a job with comfortable working hours. It certainly did not sit well with me, but I understand his assessment. After all, he has been in the cram school environment for some time. But then again, experience is just as important as creativity. A good mix will almost always give rise to a game changer. The question is: Is Taiwan mentally ready? He was quite honest that even with foreign teachers, their hourly rate does not exactly exceed the 1,000NTD/hr mark. My team rate is exponentially higher than that because English debate is not any typical teaching or learning process. It is also not, and I am not bragging, a service any typical Taiwanese cram school can provide. Noting that he had no idea about how English debate or critical thinking classes are conducted, and also remembering this was only an initial phone call, I quickly assured that our team is more than qualified to do the task of teaching whatever their foreign or TW teachers can do in their cram school, and that all we need is a chance to have a demo when the pandemic is less quirky in Taiwan. I finished the phone call with the hopes of having further conversations in the future with him. After all, people do not change overnight. Let alone society. This concept of 中師 vs 外師, continues to annoy me to the highest degree, mainly because of the fact, that I know only a small batch of 外師 aka foreign teachers are qualified as "good" professionals in the cram school world. I can also estimate that less than seven cram school foreign teachers can even remotely teach, let alone coach or train, an English debate team in the whole of Taiwan. Now my estimates may be off, but they are most certainly not far from the truth. And I have spared the foreign teachers who are IN the system from any criticism. I am sure Taiwanese local students know deep in their hearts who works hard and who doesn't. I am not going to start a war against them without reasonable and just cause. ![]() My team is full of former high school debaters and cross-disciplinary people who are ready and excited to bring students closer to becoming global citizens with some level of self-learning discipline. We are the ones best suited to bridge that gap between the education system and the students in light of the 108 curriculum. For that, providing stellar quality education also comes with a price tag to ensure my team members get what they deserve. Taiwan, for all its niceties, has yet to conquer the illusion of English learning through foreigners that DO NOT CONNECT with Taiwan on a deeper level. If it was so effective, why are students in Taiwan going to cram schools starting elementary school all the way up to college, sometimes also in business? Yes, people, college. Because they need to "refresh" or "upgrade" their English to combat TOEFL/GRE/IELTS/etc. It is ironic and quite frankly a cash cow for no good reason. The harms are not apparent until one looks back at how much money is spent on English and yet it is somehow not retained as a skill or language that one can use effectively in the workplace. Yes, business people who pay to have class, but honestly, how many rely on their colleagues or subordinates to "carry" them so their weakness would be shielded? You know the answer to that. I understand that the government is doing a lot of stuff to bring in qualified foreign teachers into the system, and that's great, but it fails to realize that our calendar and system do not coincide with many of these foreign teachers. I also don't think these people are ready to adapt to the Taiwanese calendar or way of life. Many still think they will be able to do things their way when they land on the island. Funny thing is, if the roles were reversed, they would be indignant in their stance that WE Asians should be the ones adapting to THEIR way of life.
The human resource for education should be drawn from those who are localized and understand the culture enough to accept the conditions of the status quo while working to make reforms possible. That, sadly, is not going to be found in some fresh foreign nationality graduates overseas who, consciously or not, think they are "selling" their skin color or nationality for that matter. Education requires dedication. Talent can not be vetted properly when the requirements and pay given, can't attract teachers with cross-cultural understanding. Taiwan already has these people. It is just a matter of whether the government and schools are willing to legitimize our existence into the fold. I will continue to chip away at the status quo. This is the country that made my parents and grandparents. It has given me a good share of disappointments, but most importantly, its people provided encouragement, help, and opportunities when I felt like all hope was extinguished and darkness crept up on me. English debate in Taiwan has the potential to increase English usage holistically and can encourage students to integrate prior knowledge from other subjects to debate better. It is a worthy cause that I pursue and promote in Taiwan, because it will free students from the vicious cycle of sitting long hours just to get some grades that seem to indicate their English is good enough to get into some "OK" college. We are not shooting for "OK". We are shooting for English language mastery and critical thinking application in life! And some day, we will tear down that wall. Just not today. And that is ok. We debate to build nations. How about you?
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![]() I am more than happy that I am not coaching an English debate team for any public school this year for Nationals. Most people think that I am getting the best of both coaching and judging, it seems. What makes it hilarious is that they don't see how hard it is to portray the neutrality as I am working with multiple schools when it comes to workshops, speech events, and winter training. Without the burden of coaching any public school team, I am now given free rein to literally judge as I please. If the matches are bad, there won't be any need to mince words. If the matches are good, I don't need to shower them with praises. This year's Taiwan High School English Debate Regionals and Nationals is going to be so awesome! The debaters are going to see themselves as they really are. There are no friendly matches where I will give any comments to help make them better before the real tournament. And that is totally fine. To be frank and realistic, I am not getting paid for friendly matches, much like any other full-time teacher. The only difference is, I am a freelance coach and technically, that should have been under my paid hours. I am sure most full-time public school teachers will disagree and say they don't have paid hours on this either. Here's my response to that: it is easy for them to say when they have a stable, monthly income to a job that almost guarantees they won't be fired. Since I am usually brought in to provide the coaching and help needed, that means the school teachers need my presence to make this possible. The reason why I accepted the unpaid friendly matches that I need to accompany debaters to in the past was that this is an integral part of coaching and the kids need me there to boost their mental stability. Some people understood and were grateful. Others were not so cordial in their responses. But all that talk is just mute if they don't understand and act on it. That's mostly why I am building Education Legion as my brand to critical thinking and English coaching/mentoring, as well as teaching part-time at a less prestigious public high school. The resistance and bureaucratic red tape that surrounds the notion of a freelance coach being a public school's coach just seemed to wear me out a bit too much after 5 years, but I am super grateful for all the teachers that have given me the opportunity to work with them, in good and bad times. Education Legion is not just some cram school startup. We are going to aim at bringing education to the next level and force schools to up their game. Since no war of such is fought alone, we will slowly assemble as a team, strengthen our core skills, and reach out to those within the system that still understands the value of collaboration and educated outsourcing. I am hopeful of the future, weary of the potential risks, and always looking for open windows. Peace out. |
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May 2022
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