[kisito]

A few days ago we had a debate about whether it is important for ESL teachers to have abilites in other languages. This debate came up because it seemed that in our school, ESL/EFL teachers who had learnt or speak another language seem to have better teaching skills and a deeper understanding of student needs. It also seemed that teachers who didn't have skills in other languages, always seemed to have the most complaints from students. The most interesting of all was that the non-native English teachers seemed to do a better job than native English teachers. Has anyone observed this phenomenon? I'd like your thoughts on this.