August 3, 2025
Gading or Reviewing? Teaching or Guiding?
I meet with a lot of people and talk often about being a WEI teacher. The most common hesitation I hear is, “I’m not a teacher, and especially an English grammar teacher.” This fear of teaching represents the majority of people I meet. My response is always, “You don’t need to be afraid of teaching or of being an English expert. The material does the teaching. The lessons are graded for you. We only ask that you model good English as best you can. No one speaks or writes with perfect grammar all the time,”
This leads to a relevant question: If the material does the teaching, why am I needed? The answer is simple. God is introducing a precious soul to you to help introduce them to Christ. Notice the wording: God is introducing people He already knows and loves to you so you can introduce them to Jesus. This makes you more of a guide than a teacher, much like Phillip was to the Ethiopian in Acts chapter eight. Yes, you may clarify questions or elaborate when needed, but most of the time, you are guiding them and encouraging them to see what God has done. Since lessons are graded automatically, we are doing something more meaningful than issuing certificates. Our role is to review responses to questions. For grammar lessons, I usually scroll to the bottom and click Send Grade and View Assignments, rarely having a comment to make. For reading lessons, I look for whether my new friend grasps the main points and how I might bring Christ into clearer focus. We review lessons rather than grade them. This fulfills my main purpose—as a missionary from my kitchen table.
If being a teacher makes you nervous, focus on being a guide who introduces Jesus to someone God has introduced to you.
