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Published: July 11th 2008
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A glance at my Junk Mail Inbox is enough to convince me that ESL teachers everywhere are slacking off!
With suggestions to “Grow Bigger in her Eye!”, advice for “Male Enhance”, information on “Blue pilules” that supposedly have an “excelent improving effect” and “good potence” and advice about “8 thmgs evry woman makes in her intimate life” clogging the web waves, I'm surprised that any of us manage to find a job! What hope for us is there when the prevalence of “Engrish” in our lives (my life) is overwhelming?! Email, billboards, fashion, TV, movie subtitles…I mean, there's going to be a day when people just give up and decide that using their own language is better than butchering someone else’s…..or those who speak the butchered language will get sick of reading t-shirts that say ‘have a smoke’ or ‘let’s make loving’ (They exist, believe me, I own one).
It isn’t entirely our fault though- (here we go, shifting the blame) what with situations in some schools around the world. I thought that MY class sizes were big, with roughly 36 per class and 8 classes per year level, but I have communicated with other people teaching overseas and
some of them have up to 55 students per class! With that kind of class size, it’s more about getting a little bit of information to a lot of people rather than a lot of information to a few. It’s quite sad really, because I know that some of these people will go on to be disaffected with the English language, thinking it’s far too difficult, and maybe won’t want to travel to English speaking countries, perhaps they won’t travel at all, and therefore they won’t broaden their minds in that way…..I know I’m taking it a bit far, but it’s a possible scenario.
I gave them some more tests today….they’re so cute! Even the ones that are usually loud in class were like little mice, and they were rubbing at their sleeves, wringing their hands, faffing with their hair, not making too much eye contact, shoulders all caved in. I make them all take a deep breath, and try to look as encouraging as possible, pulling out all the stops when it comes to non verbal communication. Big smile? Check. Nodding the head? Check. Encouraging and affirming ‘ mmm’ noises? Check? Some verbal praise? Check. Occasional laughter (WITH
Fabulous Animal Realms Imagination!
Guess, you'll never guess. Stretch the limits of imagination! them, not AT them)? Check. Poor little things. Japan treats their children like children, which I admire in some ways, yet in others they are too much like the overprotective parent, careful not to favour either child….and instead raising clones. We teach to the lowest student here, not to the middle, which means they some kids are bored out of their minds doing basic things and lose their motivation (hence the sleeping in class thing…though that has other factors too).
There isn’t a big push to be different here, rather it’s the opposite。You DON’T want to be different here….be one of the crowd, no tall poppies all of that). My school is pretty strict with things like hair colour and dress sense, but that’s essentially the same for schools everywhere right? And yet, when someone here breaks the riles (such as a certain student with a nose ring) nothing really happens. They are allowed to sleep in class, and if their uniform is not right they kind of get brought into the teachers room, stay for a moment chatting to some teachers and then they leave. The same thing happens in class. If a student is sitting drawing on
Have a Smoke
The smoke gets in my eyes, and makes them smart but, put out a cigarettes. Passion Girl their desk, the teacher just says ‘Oh, s/he doesn’t like English’ and just moves on around the class…. umm HELLOOOOOO…… how is that going to help their learning? I don’t blame the teachers though really. It’s the system, and that’s how it works here. Grumbling about it to one teacher is only going to make me/them uncomfortable, so I just try and get that student/those students interested in what I’m doing anyways.
We can only try...
For some funny Engrish (amd yet more proof that we ESL teachers are not trying), check out http://www.engrish.com
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