The Nice Class

When I started teaching at my new school last week I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew that I would have roughly the same age groups--elementary and middle school--that I have had in the past, but beyond that my knowledge was cloudy.

Looking back on my first week, the classes I taught were good: well-behaved, higher English skill levels than I am used to, and interesting. I had several classes that were quite enjoyable, in that the students were eager and vocal. This might not seem surprising to some, but think that these kids come from a full day at school; last week was hot (28 C), so their bodies and minds were also adjusting to the seasonal weather.

Overall, I was impressed, which made me happy. Good kids = good classes. Stands to reason.

One class, over all the others, imprinted itself on my mind. It only had three young elementary students. The lesson was partly about practicing the qualifier "some" (as in "not all" or "not every") and so I asked them what foods and animals they like, assuming I they would say "I don't like this . . . and "I don't like that . . ." But the two girls insisted that they liked all foods and all animals. Even bats and hippos are cute, they asserted. They were so sweet and such good students. They hugged me at the end of the class, which is a bit unusual. Wow! Unfortunately I only get to teach them on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I look forward to week 2 . . .