Text V, for questions from 29 through 33.

1 In recent literature, the concept of the ideal teacher

has gained some notoriety, especially in relation to the native

English-speaking teacher (NEST) / non-native

4 English-speaking teacher (non-NEST) dichotomy. It appears

that the glory once attached to the NEST has faded, and an

increasing number of English language teaching experts

7 assert that the ideal teacher is no longer a category reserved

for NESTs. It is becoming a generally accepted view that

outstanding teachers cannot be squeezed into any

10 pigeonhole: all outstanding teachers are ideal in their own

ways, and as such are different from each other. The concept

of ideal teacher resists clear-cut definitions, because there

13 are too many variables to consider.

In order to get a better grasp of the ideal teacher,

however, let us suppose that all the variables are kept

16 constant momentarily, except for the language proficiency

component. In relation to non-NESTs, the question arises:

Does somebody with a better command of English stand a

19 better chance of becoming an ideal teacher? In other words:

Is a more proficient speaker a more efficient teacher as well?

All other things being equal, the answer is yes: the ideal

22 non-NEST is someone who has achieved near-native

proficiency in English. The importance of this attribute is

seldom questioned in the literature. Britten (1985) claims that

25 have an excellent command of English is a major selection

criterion and a good predictor of a non-NEST’s professional

success. Lange (1990) rates language proficiency as the

28 most essential characteristic of a good language teacher, and

Murdoch (1994) calls it the bedrock of the non-NEST’s

professional confidence. Liu’s (1999) study conducted among

31 non-native TESOL students at a university in the United

States confirms that English-language proficiency is generally

recognized as a make-or-break requirement in English as

Second Language environments as well. Therefore, it must

be a valid claim that the most important professional duty that

non-NESTs have to perform is to make linguistic

37 improvements in their English.

Péter Medgye. When the Teacher Is a Non-native Speaker. In: Celce-

Murcia (ed.) Teaching English as a Second or Foreign

Language. Heinle&Heinle, 2001, p. 440 (adapted).