Reflection 3 : More important than norms

            Tupas’s article catapulted the privileged (or cursed?) role of the English teacher in making proactive decisions in choosing pedagogical norms to be taught in class. What I like most about the article is its sea-changing stance on teaching norms. Tupas argued for situating the debate on norms in the complexities of the classroom and in the needs of the local communities in general. I must say that I agree with the Filipino teachers’ stance on choosing and teaching the “right” norms in their class.

            First, I agree that they still choose to teach the American English norms to “recognize the economic imperative of teaching and learning SE [Standard English]” (p. 570). For me, the norm that will help bring food to the Filipino table will be the norm or one of the norms to be taught in my classroom. People need food to live; other concerns are secondary. If Standard American English is what companies and employers in the Philippines and in the world want, then, I think it must be taught to my students. Anyway, I will let them be aware of the presence of Philippine English. I will also let them use it in the class as long as they know the consequences. I will tell my students that I am teaching them SE because there are just things that are beyond our control right now such as the “whims” or requirements of the companies (although I personally think that research is needed to investigate what are the consequences in the workplace for teaching both PE and SE and whether English norms really have significant impact on the job application and employment of my students). Teaching SE is not passivity; it’s being realistic.

            Second, beyond the economic necessities, I really like the stance of Filipino teachers saying that they can teach localized content to teach SE. I agree that the cultural content of the English class is more important than norms. When I taught ESL writing for one semester, the talk of norms was not really central in my class (although of course, I do think now that it is important). But what mattered more for me are the essays that we read about being a good Filipino citizen, being a good student, and being a good person in general. These are the content that we talked about as we tried to discuss the composition and organization of our sample essays. My students also wrote about self-awareness, specifically their own history, their own personal stories, and their future personal goals. In other words, the content of the lesson is more important than being stuck with what norms to teach. The personal, communal, and nationalistic values that they developed in my English class were the things that mattered the most.

            At the end of the day, my students will be “judged” not so much on how well they used English norms in whatever variety. They will be appraised on how well they used their communication skills to further the good of their community, the good of their country, and the good of humanity. Amen.