April 2020
This month's voice:
Sunil Mathani, "Once Upon a Time..."
Introduction
By Travis Frank
Chair, KOTESOL Diversity Committee
What can I tell you about Sunil Mathani that you might not already know? When trying to introduce a man who is so active in the organization and attends so many conferences, seminars, and workshops, it is quite a task to introduce new knowledge into the equation. That being said, even if I do reflect on aspects that are known to most, at least it will be from my own personal perspective and in response to my private interactions with him.
My best moments with Sunil are the times when we are walking somewhere. It might be to get lunch or to the train station to get back home from a conference; the destination matters not so much as the opportunity for interpersonal interaction. He is an open, warm, caring, and kind person who likes to talk about his home, experiences, lifestyle, and personal interests. There is something in his soft-spoken nature that reminds me of my own brother back home named Joslyn, and I feel that it is only through destiny that we meet people on our paths in life to make it easier for us to feel at home away from home; Sunil happens to be one of these special people for me. When it comes to intellectual conversations, he has a plethora of things to talk about and contribute, and this is coupled by a contrasting common touch that connects him to the ordinary folk we pass by on the street in the same breath. I am also quite fascinated by the fact that he is the only person that I know who can amalgamate Korea, Canada, and India into his idiosyncratic mix of heritage, citizenship, and EFL destination of choice. There is so much he has contributed—and can still contribute in the future—to the realms of pedagogy, sociology, and linguistics.
This piece that he has written for our reading pleasure this month is not only something that I thoroughly enjoyed reading but also something that we need in these testing times to bolster hope, solidarity, and purpose. Please enjoy! Oh, and if you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Sunil, I really hope that you do once we all get a chance to see each other once again. I miss you all dearly.
Once Upon a Time...
By Sunil Mathani
Once upon a time, I taught in classrooms.
Now I teach online in chat rooms.
Once upon a time, I mingled with students on campus.
Now if I see them there, I worry why they aren’t at home.
Once upon a time, I spoke less and my students spoke more.
Now I speak more and it’s difficult for my students to speak at all.
There was a time I received deadline extension requests because the homework was challenging.
Now I receive requests to extend because life is challenging.
There was a time I received absentee excuse papers because of sports days and field trips.
Now I received a heartbreaking excuse message from a student with the Coronavirus in an isolation ward.
There was a time I walked right next to people.
Now I stay six feet apart from them.
I used to read about actors and their salacious personal lives.
Now I read about actors getting sick.
I used to watch athletes winning medals.
Now I read about athletes getting sick.
I used to hear stories about heroic doctors curing people.
Now I read about those doctors getting sick.
Once upon a time, I woke up feeling happy and whole.
Now I wake up a little sad and empty, praying the people I love are safe.
Once upon a time, I enjoyed a carefree vacation with family and friends.
Now I wonder if life can ever be the same.
Once upon a time… was just a few weeks ago.
About the Author
Sunil Mathani came to South Korea in 2008 from Montreal, Canada, where he had taught English to French executives in boardrooms across the city after receiving his TESOL training. Prior to that, he was a journalist working at a daily newspaper in Sherbrooke, Quebec, for 10 years, and directed 25 plays and musicals for his community theatre company. In Changwon-Masan, he worked at elementary schools for a few years before receiving his current job teaching at Kyungnam University. His involvement with KOTESOL has been an exciting one. As Busan-Gyeongnam Chapter vice-president, he helped organize and implement a successful regional conference at his workplace. He also enjoyed organizing and taking part in social events during the year and working with the national publicity chair as a publicity manager for the International Conference in Seoul. Currently as chair of the 2020 KOTESOL National Conference, he hopes to organize an amazing event in April 2020 with a great team of people. His interests include providing members with a platform to shine on, assisting them in achieving their professional and personal goals, and helping to add reasonable voices to the dialogue on all social justice issues as they pertain to our classrooms. He looks forward to sharing ideas at chapter meetings, social events, our National Conference, and other events across the country.
