Becoming certified to teach English as a second language can be done onsite or online. On online course was the most efficient, economical and in many ways the superior way for me. This article explains my background and situation. It also touches on the process I went through to get to this, the final lesson.

Online is not for everyone. It takes an open and creative mind to step into the world of computers and electronic tutors. An imagination and discipline were keys to my approach. Imagination was profound when I would take time away from class and Google some blogs about teaching English. Dave’s Café was just one of these places where you could find endless discussions on the joys and perils of teaching English in other countries. These stories were the food that fed my imagination. I would imagine what it would be like to be in my favorite foreign country. The customs and different people were romantic and seducing.

Discipline is found in many different places and techniques. Having worked in the private and government sector for the last 25 years went a long ways to this. The ability to concentrate and focus on an objective was not hard. I have climbed some of the most remote and challenging mountains in Montana and Colorado. I have bottomed, explored, and documented some of the World’s deepest caves so I took this energy and experience and re-directed into learning something new and exciting. Ah, a chance to explore my mind and if I could teach I will have the opportunity to explore the student’s mind. Find out what makes them tick. Find out what motivates them. A human puzzle perhaps the most challenging of all professions, teaching.

I decided I had all of the essential ingredients for online learning. Am I ready to start? No, not quite yet. Before I start my journey I needed to find out the answer to one simple question. Will the certification or TESOL certificate from an online course be recognized, accepted, and land me a job? I researched this from several viewpoints. Obtaining opinions these days is like anything else. If you ask enough people you will find the answer to your question. I basically heard it would get you a job, but….

Would’nt schools want to know if you’d have actually taught some classes? Show stopper, warning, red flag. How can you teach online? You can not but you can go to places such as your local University and watch a teacher teach a class. Hooray, I found an alternative, or did I? Is watching the same as teaching a class? No it is not.

I pondered this problem and dilemma for sometime. I had learnt in the past that when you spend all your time figuring something out you may be heading in the wrong direction. I was perhaps making this too hard. I was making it too difficult. Being able to teach is probably one of the most important skills a teacher can demonstrate. That is undisputable. I am a native English speaker and college educated but can I teach?

I compare this puzzle to being mesmerized as a youth looking at a very nice, shiny, fancy Mercedes Benz car and them some asked the pivotal question, “does it run”?

I pondered the question some more and then reviewed and analyzed my work experience. In my previous jobs I have taught many uneducated people technical medical engineering. I have communicated and educated the public on government rules and regulations in a major city in the United States, Missoula, Montana. My performance reviews said I excelled in these areas and was an excellent communicator. I had bonus points for being able to deal with all kinds of people and I excelled with the most difficult ones. Someone once described me on the radio and in the newspaper as “unflappable”.

Whew. I had cleared that hurdle. Oh, wait a minute, what about a follow up question. Did I like this modified teaching. Soul searching and pondering return. I went back in time and quickly the answered surfaced like a nuclear submarine. Yes, absolutely, I thrived on talking, teaching, and educating the public? Furthermore, I concluded it was as one of the most rewarding and consistent components of all of my previous jobs. Is teaching is similar to my past experience? YES, with all caps!

Hold on a minute I said. Not so fast. Is teaching a captured audience or bunch of teenagers the same as explaining to a citizen why he has to pay for his sidewalks and storm drain. No, it might be quite different. I concluded that the answer to this question would remain a mystery and I would let destiny and intuition lead me the final answer.

OK, I have decided fate would take me down the path of life. My next task ways to see what research was saying about online learning.

WorldWideLearn, one of the world’s premier online directory of education details the top ten e-learning trends. Reading this article opened my eyes to what is happening now and in the future. As the saying goes, the future is looking so bright I must put on my shades.

Another interesting article on this subject was done in 2001 by Brent G. Wilson. The opening of his article was actually a quote from someone else. This caught my attention:

Distance education has been described as a disruptive technology—an innovation that, while initially posing no threat to established institutions, over time challenges conventional practices and contributes to new ways of thinking (Archer, Garrison, & Anderson, 1999)

Wilson agreed with this assessment in his article and I realized that this was what I had been looking for. I was ready to quit my government job and start a new fresh and exciting life of teaching. Online teaching will give me the added advantage of tapping into my mountain adrenaline energy and also open up my creative mind. I can explore and channel my experience, thoughts and follow the path of intuition.

The key to my online learning was gathering up some of the recommend books listed in the course and supplementing the lessons. I remember this same passion from my past. It was similar to the work I did for my favorite classes in high school and college. Similar to the feelings I had when I took Chinese Kung Fu, White Crane style, at Purdue University twice a day four days a week. If you put in all of this extra energy and time then what comes out is blossom, a wild rose!

I also managed to teach some classes just before finishing my online TESOL course and that added value and fuel to my Rocky Mountain high propelling me to the heights and speeds that only condors or falcons reach. I had broken the sound barrier and it felt right just like an old glove or my old pair of mountain books.

In conclusion, you get out of life what you put in to it. If you fuel your life with high energy you will most certainly have highs and lows. I can guarantee you the highs I have experienced so far tell me Everest and K-2 like experiences are just up ahead in my journey as a TESOL teacher. I am looking forward to exploring the minds of new people and other cultures. I can see up ahead with vivid detail the mountains of China and Russia. They are calling like a siren.

I look forward to the challenge of motivating and unlocking the mysteries of how people learn, understand, and become proficient in English.

Joe Oliphant