Perspectives: native English-speaking teachers have more to offer

Variety is the spice of life, or so the old proverb goes. In my view, variety is the essential ingredient for the successful deployment of Native English-speaking Teachers or NETs as we are, it is hoped, affectionately called. During a debate for the past two months, which has featured in the Letters-to-the-Editor pages of the South China Morning Post, legislator and New People's Party Leader Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee has felt that the NET's main role is grammar-based.

Ms Ip has argued that NETs need to inculcate Hong Kong students with a strong foundation in English grammar. This could be done by frequently correcting their grammar in both their written assignments and oral presentations. As she put it in her letter "A question of standards" on August 9, "We need plenty of teachers with a high standard of English who can fix grammar and instil good writing and speaking skills."

Ms Ip also suggested that NETs' talents would be wasted if we were only to be deployed as "resource" teachers. In making these arguments, Ms Ip was answering fellow NET Betty Bownath's July 3 letter "NETs are making a huge difference to students' confidence".

I agree with Ms Ip that NET should be very much involved with extending Hong Kong students' grammar skills. I also believe that many of us as NETs would want to rise to the challenge of being "key leaders in charge of the English curriculum in each school", as Ms Ip phrased it.

However, I would not see correcting grammar and doing a resource person's job as being mutually exclusive. Therefore, the other caveat I would have is that surely grammar is not the only area where we NETs can make a big contribution. We should be involved with grammar, but not exclusively. We should be involved as resource people in our schools, but not exclusively.

Rather, it would seem more sensible to be inclusive and to blend our roles as grammarians and resource people. Blended roles would have the advantage of benefiting our students in different but ultimately harmonious ways.

Ms Bownath, has highlighted the fact that many NETs are also involved with teaching full classes at our respective schools.