The Purposes and Protocol of the CETC E-list

Anne Bruehler, Anne.Bruehler@indwes.edu

Some of the newer members to CETC may be asking, "What is the purpose for the CETC e-list?" Per our discussions at the 2007 TESOL Convention in Seattle, it was decided that the e-list serves our constituency in several ways: 1) it provides a place to request information pertinent to our professions as English language teachers with the added dimension of our common faith in Christ; 2) it serves as a springboard for discussion to stimulate our thoughts and beliefs as they pertain to how our faith guides our teaching; 3) it offers encouragement to our members who may need the reminder that they are not alone as Christians in this field. Of course, these three aspects feed into the much larger perspective that we are Christians first, and that our teaching is part of our service to the One who directs our paths.

Thus, as we begin fresh this fall, I'd like to try our monthly discussions once again. Our caucus members came up with some great topics, so I will be introducing a new topic each month. With this in mind, I think it would be a good idea to remember these tips:

  1. Keep the subject lines as informative and close to the topic as possible. If you want to introduce a new topic, please change the subject line accordingly.
  2. If you are replying to another post, consider trimming parts of the email that are not necessary for understanding your reply.
  3. If you have a personal message for someone on the list, like a note of encouragement or personal question, email that person directly. You will need to copy and paste their address or simply type it out yourself. If you hit "reply," it will come to the list, and I will send you a friendly reminder to email the person directly.
  4. Feel free to post questions about your own teaching/learning/cultural or language issues, but please refer to tip #1. 
  5. If at any time you have a topic you'd like our list to discuss, please email me directly at anne.bruehler@indwes.edu, and I will consider posting it for one of our monthly discussion topics. Again, when you post items to the list, please ensure that they directly relate to teaching, learning, and/or faith issues in your TESOL experience.
  6. Consider the feelings of others on this list as you post your thoughts and opinions. Remember that while we have a common faith that brings us together, there may be many differing opinions about certain issues. Please write your messages in such a way that, rather than tearing each other down, we lift each other up so that we may exhibit the love of God to each other.
  7. Keep in mind that our e-list is open to any TESOL member, so while our CETC focus is clear, there may be other TESOL members who read the CETC e-list, or other caucus e-lists, for different reasons. Thus, we need to be sensitive in the way we post our messages, keeping the above guidelines in mind.

Thank you for keeping these in mind as you join us in discussion on this list. It is my hope that we will have some interesting and thought-provoking discussions this year. Peace.

Anne Bruehler coordinates the TESOL undergraduate program at Indiana Wesleyan University. She lived and worked with refugees for six years and also taught ESL for academic purposes at the higher education level. She is married and has two sons, 4 and 2. Her younger son underwent brain surgery in May 2007, and while it hasn't been an easy road, the Lord has been faithful.

SLW & CALL October 2007 Volume 11 Number 3: Table of Contents