ABSTRACT
How do TESOLers at various stages of their careers take care of themselves, if at all? How do we cope with the challenges of today's world without anger, discouragement, and hate? And finally, how can we avoid “the victim syndrome” – feeling that everyone and everything is against us? On the surface, the content of this chapter veers farther away from “traditional TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages)” into the realm of self-help because TESOLers, like all professionals, need help to balance life's professional and personal experience. I will build a case that supports the inclusion of life balance in our list of factors that influence TESOL career path development. In so doing, I hope to redouble efforts to open us to two new realms: (1) TESOL professional work involves more than knowledge and skill, it involves conditions of self-worth and self-care; and (2) a complete description of TESOL career path development must include attention to balance because without it, we will continue with the imbalance we see too often today.
