We are going through interesting times and it is difficult to avoid the question of how much our role of teaching English might be affected. Will English continue to be the language of international trade, finance, IT, diplomacy and so many other fields or will its importance start to retract?
Personally I feel we lost ownership of the English language a long time ago – and rightly so. For many reasons it has evolved into the most important language in the world, and will probably remain so, but it is the world’s language, not ours. Whether this is because of the extensive spread of the old British Empire or the fact that the United States chose it instead of German, or whether it is down to the influence of great literature from Chaucer, Shakespeare or Dickens or simply a combination of all these things, English remains a vital life skill which means that English teaching will always be in demand.
The materials and courses required to achieve this aim are what we look at in this issue of the magazine with a particular focus on Materials Writing which has evolved rapidly over the last ten years from an activity owned exclusively by publishers to one where independent and self-published resources are now very much part of what is on offer to teachers. There are some great success stories out there of teachers who have created and offered their materials to other teachers all over the world and long may this continue.
Politics and economics will continue to influence our lives and there are probably many more highs and lows in store but the continued growth of the English language is one thing that is likely to remain.
