Re: "University EFL hiring: garbage in, garbage out" (Hotline to Nagatacho, May 11):
Karmo Tharn makes some good observations about the laxity in hiring standards for university English teachers in Japan. There is no doubt that the writer is describing one very real problem amongst many plaguing the education system here. However, let me make a couple of points in defense of the "garbage" currently teaching in Japanese schools.
There is no reason to assume that only language scientists like Tharn, English literature majors and education specialists are capable of teaching English in universities. Science obviously plays the indispensable role of contributing to the understanding of language acquisition. The humanities bring a love of human expression into the classroom, and the study of education in general serves to illuminate and clarify the vocation of teaching. However, I suspect that these academic backgrounds, which are curiously disparate, won't always lead to success in the classroom.