“Native speaker” or “native-level speaker” should not be a qualification for becoming a teacher of a foreign language, since that designation tells very little about an individual’s ability to teach the language. NBPS faculty Dr. Gina Elia discusses that beyond a certain high-intermediate level, and depending on the context of the school, foreign language teachers should be hired first and foremost on the basis of their teaching ability and experience, not on their nationality or extent to which they demonstrate “native-level” language ability. Gina Elia is a high school Mandarin and English as a Second Language teacher at North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, Florida. She is also a freelance writer and translator, and her work has appeared in CommonWealth Magazine, SupChina, and Watching America. She enjoys translating and writing articles that revolve around the humanities, culture, education, China, East Asia, the U.S., and religion, in no particular order. Her current project is a book-length manuscript on how the category of “native speaker” reinforces inequitable relationships worldwide. She was born and raised south of Boston, graduating from Cornell University summa cum laude in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Comparative Literature and the University of Pennsylvania in 2018 with a PhD in Chinese literature. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
Foreign-Language Teachers Shouldn’t Have to be Native Speakers | Gina Elia | TEDxYouth@NBPS