TEFLology Episode 51: Halloween Special – Fear, Vampires, and English for the Alien Invasion

(TEFLology Podcast)

So, the latest episode of TEFLology is online again.  (HERE).

And once again, I'm late with my review.  A whole week late this time actually.

Sorry.  It's been an especially busy week over here, so I've gotten behind with everything.

Because I'm behind, I'm going to try to keep this review short.
Regular readers of this blog know that keeping stuff short isn't my strong point.  When I blog, I have the bad habit of feeling like I have to write down every single last thought I have, which leads to a lot of long-winded posts.
I'm going to fight that urge today, and try my best to be brief.  I have a lot more thoughts on a lot of these subjects, but I'm not going to include everything today.

English Vampires
The section on "English Vampires" refers to students who hang around after class to try to get more English practice out of their teacher.  The TEFLologists find this somewhat annoying.
My thoughts: I don't begrudge my students the extra English practice at the end of class.  But there is sometimes a difference between idealism and reality.  Ideally, I want to help my students as much as I can.  In practice, some days I find myself just completely drained at the end of class, and don't feel terribly chatty.

This branched off into a larger discussion about what the relationship between teachers and students should be, including what the boundaries should be, and whether or not teachers should befriend students on Facebook.
My thoughts: Facebook was never an issue when I was in Japan.
Facebook was initially slow to catch on in Japan, partly because there was a Japanese alternative, Mixi (W) which fit the local culture better.   I'm given to understand, however, that in the time since I left Japan in 2010, Facebook has finally caught on big in Japan.

At my school in Cambodia, the Facebook issue was a real issue.  I have a lot of thoughts, stories, and anecdotes concerning befriending students on Facebook, but I'm going to cut myself off here, and not fall into the trap of writing down all my thoughts on everything.

English for the Alien Invasion
This was a book review.  The banter among the TEFLologists was particularly good for this part.

Fear
I disagree with the TEFLologist who said that students should be afraid of their teacher.  Although I understand where he's coming from.  (I've got more to say on this subject, but I won't write it all down today).