A Big Micronesia, not a Little America

The main purpose of my job is to teach kids how to speak English. The FSM government has requested only English teachers as Peace Corps Volunteers. Although the FSM is intimately associated with the United States, they have one of the worst English literacy rates in the Pacific. This doesn’t seem to make much sense. So the government and many of the people of Micronesia are pushing towards an Americanization of these islands, beginning in the schools. This goal seems worthy on the surface, but recently I have been considering the long-term effects of my job.

Let me trace the series of events that is the desired outcome of teaching young children how to speak English. This is the generally accepted aim of TEFL programs from the teacher and student perspectives. The students go to elementary school so that they can learn English. Once they learn English, they can understand what’s happening in school and get good grades. Then they can graduate high school. Ideally they could attend college. If possible, they strive to go outside of FSM to attend a real university. If they reach that dream, then they will be able to achieve the ultimate goal of getting a good paying job in America.

So the final outcome of this system is the best and brightest of Micronesia migrating to America. This might be good for those individuals, but it sucks for Micronesia. The FSM and Chuuk especially are victims of the so called “brain drain”. The smartest and best-educated locals have left home. They have gone to seek high paying jobs and more opportunities abroad. This has left their homeland as a crumbling mess of unorganized problems. The Chuukese that have been trained as doctors, engineers, teachers and technicians do not live in Chuuk. They have moved to Guam, or Hawaii or the mainland. Chuuk is falling apart because we don’t have the right people to fix it up. When the potential leaders and geniuses sprout up, they are plucked out and sent to a far away land.

As a further detriment to the islands, the acceptance of English is slowly eroding away the traditional language and culture of Micronesians. Rap songs are replacing ocean tunes, movies are replacing island legends, and words like “fuck” and “faggot” can be heard uttered from the mouths of infants. It is entirely conceivable that the Chuukese language will be dead in 50 years. This has happened in many places around the world where European speaking people have colonized or migrated. North and South America, Australia and many other places only have tiny traces of their indigenous languages left intact.

This might be a worthless argument against the development of our global culture, but it at least deserves some attention. I am by no means going to stop teaching English to these kids. I want them to have opportunities. They should have the choice of education and jobs if they want to take them. Knowledge of the English language is usually a pre requisite for these things so I am simply giving them the tools to pursue those opportunities.

Many talented Micronesians do stay home. There are thousands of intelligent and capable people who have had the chance to emigrate away for higher paying jobs, but have chosen to stick around and help their country. I applaud these folks. They are the movers and shakers that are fighting to make Micronesia a better place. I truly hope that the future of Micronesia is built around these dedicated individuals. However, I believe that it is important that Micronesia develops along the appropriate path instead of embracing an all-encompassing drive towards modernization.

Back in 1969, FSM’s first president, Tosiwo Nakayama, warned about the future development of Micronesia and eloquently described the proper attitude that they should adopt. He advised, “Like our schools and our clothes, our hopes and dreams have been designed in America according to American models. In the decades to come we may have to sacrifice these things, may have to dream dreams and hope hopes that can be realized in Micronesia. We must hope to become a big Micronesia and not a little America”