Is Correct English the only criterion of a Good English Teacher?

As an English teacher, I have to demonstrate the correct and incorrect ways to pronounce the English language to students. It is my responsibility to teach them what I know about English to achieve an academic or communicative aim. However, to me, “correctness” sometimes becomes a hurdle of instruction. For instance, when writing, students are afraid to make mistakes, so they write to avoid errors instead of writing to communicate or think on paper. Furthermore, they often keep silent when an oral response is needed. Under this kind of situations, using English to communicate becomes less important. In fact, appropriateness and organization of the content in speech or writing should not be ignored in addition to correctness.
We read articles, stories, poems written in Standard English, and listen to an accurate accent on TV, or in the radio. The chief goal of doing so is to communicate with people from other countries in a way they can easily understand. Consequently, it is essential for EFL students to understand that English is an international language but has dialectal or cultural differences. People should not have bias against the dialect different from theirs. After all, people are supposed to respect others’ home language.

It is true that people feel most comfortable when using their home language or listening to it. Especially when they are angry or upset, they prefer their home language to the language that they have to speak for some certain purpose such as the demand of business. This kind of function is irreplaceable in that sense. On the other hand, one’s accent can be intentionally changed owing to various reasons. For example, a girl from Texas to New York will probably change her accent after marrying a New Yorker. Another example is that in a classic movie “My Fair Lady,” a girl deliberately learns the accent of the upper class at that time to take place of her Virginian one, which may expose her origin of a low working class. However, it is the hardest change, compared to those of clothing, manner and so forth.

To sum up, every language, including English, has dialects thanks to geographical or cultural differences. Dialects of the same language are mutually intelligible to people who speak them in spite of differences of accents or expression of some words. Moreover, mutual respect between people who speak different dialects is essential in our society. No language can be devalued. Therefore, “Standard English” can no longer be defined as the criterion of correctness but one desirable type of English that is widely used.