[etni] re comment about my addition

Hi List,

As my posting didn't appear on the Etni digest in which Orly's comment 
appeared, I am sending it again:

I am also a teacher in this programme and firmly believe that we as teachers 
are providing a necessary service to those whose natural abilities entitle them 
to learn English as a first and not as a second language.

I quite agree with Orly's point. However, I used the term "natural abilities" 
as a blanket term for those who are both native and non-native speakers, not to 
exclude those who have not choice but to fit into that category! Obviously 
those who were "born" speaking English are not necessarily "cleverer" than 
those who were not - but it is still a "natural ability" because they do not 
have to learn to speak or understand the language in the same way as a 
non-native speaker does! 

Having said that, my understanding that it referred to both groups of students 
was certainly not based on a misconception - my own children were enrolled in 
the programme by virtue of English being their mother tongue and for no other 
reason. However, it is the reality "on the ground" that children from 
non-native backgrounds, or whose families have returned from schlichut but do 
not speak English in the home, also qualify for these classes; in fact in many 
areas, there would be no classes without them because the numbers are just not 
high enough. Both groups meet the criteria of the Native Speaker class, with 
certain areas having a majority of students for whom English is not their 
mother tongue.  

Possibly the term itself was too vague - you may rephrase it as you see fit, or 
simply add the words "or who speak English in the home or who have been 
educated in an English-speaking school overseas". At the end of the day it is 
important to keep the classes open for ALL those who qualify - regardless of 
the semantics!


Alexa Raine

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