TEACHING: ANOTHER CHOICE YOU HAVE STUDYING PHILOLOGY AND LANGUAGES AT U.N.

BEING A TEACHER, MORE THAN A PERSONAL CHALLENGE... IT IS A SOCIAL COMPROMISE.


Adriana Norato
Publicado en Capital Letter No. 1
Junio de 2002


   Nowadays the Globalization phenomenon has broken the concept of boundary countries, cultures or even societies, and in this way obliging us to be more competent in several areas as it is the communication field.
Multiculturalism is a newborn concept that deals with Education as a way of understanding and respecting new cultures to enrich ours. In this way, learning a second language acquires a powerful and new connotation by which society and individuals are created through the tools that it gives. Thereof, it is possible to say that acquiring a second language has a dynamic character; it determines the socialization and the growing processes of a society.


   It means that language is the channel by which we as individuals acquire an identity; then through language it is possible to learn, share and communicate our ideas; language accompanies us in our internal and external developmental processes not only as individuals but also as a society determined by language and that determines its own way of expression.


As acquiring a language occurs with the exposition you have to it, this acquisition can not be possible without having a facilitator in the process of learn¬ing it. In this way, being a teacher is referred to having an active participation in the student's learning processes by giving orientation and helping him/her to build up his/her linguistic and cultural knowledge.


   So, we as teachers prepare students to participate in our society, keeping in mind the use of the two languages acquired (the mother tongue and the second language) depending on the needs brought by the Globalization Process. We as teachers not only have to be competent in terms of the target lan¬guage (studies, updating) but also, be committed and passionate with teaching to overcome all the obstacles we could find in our field.


   Moreover, we have to enhance critical thinking in our students; otherwise the process will be transmitting knowledge and not creating citizens with real and social goals, and consciousness. Teachers have the challenge of being the shapers of the new society, it is in their hands in which people can grow or die, can make others be committed or not. 


   We as teachers have different opportunities like being an inspiration of social commitment by our ethics and excellent performance in teaching; we as teachers have the chance of identifying the strong and weak aspects of a society; as a result of this, teachers can make other people think critically and build a new society.