Tag Archive for 'language'

My American friend’s Japanese wife likes to remind us about how good English-speaking foreigners have it in Japan. In many ways she’s right. We may face some challenges, but in some ways we are very lucky, especially with all the chances to make money teaching English. And there are some ways to put money-making to a use beyond our personal finances.
While living in Kansai, I read about a “Save the Children” program where foreigners teach English once every other week, but didn’t receive any pay. Instead, student fees went directly to charity. Here in Nagasaki I have arranged similar classes myself.
Last semester I aught an “English for Charity” class. Students came when they wanted, and just paid when they came, with the money going to charity. Other times I offered the class with a set fee. After meetings and greetings, I gave everyone the chance to suggest a charity to donate to, and we ultimately chose the Patcharaport Thai Education Fund (PTEF) which a British man in Chiang Mai, Thailand, started with hopes to help disadvantaged Thai girls, who otherwise might end up in Bangkok as prostitutes, gain an education and a better life.
PTEF has built a dorm, paid for books for students, and taken care of the basic needs of the over 30 female students for several years now. A month after finishing teaching my charity class I had the chance to visit PTEF and its founder Graham Enwright. I saw that Graham and his wife devote large of amounts of time to the girls.
I considered the fact taht PTEF is not a large bureaucratic organization, or even a registerd charity, a positive point, because small organizations can more fully utilize donations; big organizations have high administration costs. To ensure the legitimacy of PTEF, I first read newspaper articles about it, and corresponded with a man in Japan who had firsthand knowledge about it. After this, I became convinced that the organization was letitimate and hence chose to donate to it. This past semester I taught another charity class, this time to help finance the building of a hospital in Guatemala.
The charity English class is the perfect place for “Peace Education” or “Global Issues in Language Education.” Peace Education focus on a wide range of issues–environmental, human rights, war and the like–but its essential aim is to make the world a better place. In both classes we explored issues pertinent to realizing a peaceful world.
These classes have led me to research worthwhile causes for future classes. For example, I recently connected with an American man who used to volunteer teach orphans in Korea. We share the same dream: creating a network of English teachers who volunteer time or class fees to help less fortunate people around the world.
To start a charity class, teachers should ask for a set fee, ideally paid in advance for a month’s classes. Try to find a good venue–ideally free (like at an international community center or Lyon’s Club). Finally, arrange to have students pool their donations and give to one trusted person or organization, then have it sent to the organization.