Index / Go on to next event
The Firewall in the Mind (Slide 12) Way back when: along came the computer

Lest I paint too dreary a view of our profession, I'd like to backtrack here and make clear that language teaching has always attracted serious, well-meaning, empathetic people with interesting backgrounds and love of travel. Teaching has always been a noble profession, but teachers could feel they weren't really getting anywhere. Many burned out, got to the point they couldn't fake it anymore, and they left the profession. As a young, enthusiastic teacher in Saudi Arabia in the mid to late 70's, I personally enjoyed teaching, but I met my share of such people and had it in the back of my mind that I didn't want to get as old as I am now and be doing the same thing that they and I were doing back then.

Fortunately for me, I never got anywhere near that point of burnout. The world changed and I was not condemned to doing the same thing as I was sometimes having to do back then. Along came the computer