One of the things that I have always enjoyed about teaching is the variety of experiences that I continue to encounter.
After years of teaching I think I can manage most classroom 'surprises' efficiently.
For example, last week when my students were showing me their diaries to check . . . ok, backtrack. I left a lot out.
Students at our academy write in a diary one a week and turn the diary in to the teacher on the first class day of the week. Usually the teacher corrects 3 sentences, and then the student re-writes those 3 sentences.
However, sometimes I do things differently. In this case I typed a 'good' diary paragraph (students almost always rush their writing, and it is often neither long enough nor detailed enough) and told my students to paste it into their diary and then to copy it 1 time.
In one class, a girl--there are 9 girls in this class; she is one of the extroverted ones--told me that the copying was hard (meaning it took a long time) but the computer part was easy.
I replied, "What do you mean? The 'computer' . . ."
She said, "Computer writing is easy and fast."
Wow--ok. Most Korean students don't say that, because an English keyboard and a Korean keyboard are very different.
"Do you want to type your diary?" I asked, feeling my way but not quite sure.
"Yes!" she answered.
This was a first for me; I have never had a student ask to type their diary before. I am not sure I completely like the idea, as I am old enough to be caught up in the idea of personal writing = hand writing (= a heartfelt outpouring), yet the point is to practice English, and maybe the mother wants to improve her daughter's keyboarding skills.
"Great!" I said, "type it and glue or tape it in your diary."
And so begins a new educational experiment, one I am more than happy to participate in.
I give a lot of credit to the student, a 5th grade Korean girl willing to tell her American teacher that she wants to type her diary . . . good for her!
After years of teaching I think I can manage most classroom 'surprises' efficiently.
For example, last week when my students were showing me their diaries to check . . . ok, backtrack. I left a lot out.
Students at our academy write in a diary one a week and turn the diary in to the teacher on the first class day of the week. Usually the teacher corrects 3 sentences, and then the student re-writes those 3 sentences.
However, sometimes I do things differently. In this case I typed a 'good' diary paragraph (students almost always rush their writing, and it is often neither long enough nor detailed enough) and told my students to paste it into their diary and then to copy it 1 time.
In one class, a girl--there are 9 girls in this class; she is one of the extroverted ones--told me that the copying was hard (meaning it took a long time) but the computer part was easy.
I replied, "What do you mean? The 'computer' . . ."
She said, "Computer writing is easy and fast."
Wow--ok. Most Korean students don't say that, because an English keyboard and a Korean keyboard are very different.
"Do you want to type your diary?" I asked, feeling my way but not quite sure.
"Yes!" she answered.
This was a first for me; I have never had a student ask to type their diary before. I am not sure I completely like the idea, as I am old enough to be caught up in the idea of personal writing = hand writing (= a heartfelt outpouring), yet the point is to practice English, and maybe the mother wants to improve her daughter's keyboarding skills.
"Great!" I said, "type it and glue or tape it in your diary."
And so begins a new educational experiment, one I am more than happy to participate in.
I give a lot of credit to the student, a 5th grade Korean girl willing to tell her American teacher that she wants to type her diary . . . good for her!
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