List-O-Rama

Wow, I either need to start updating more frequently or cancel the blog altogether. It's seriously been two weeks since I updated? Wow. I find I process my teaching experience best in lists, like "10 Awesome Things about My Students," "Five Things I Wish My Students Would Stop Doing," etc. So maybe I'll update in that format from now on, and it will make updating more frequently easier. It's weird that lists work for me so well - I'm really not an innately organized person at all. Maybe that's why I like lists - they make me be organized, which is something I need to be if I'm going to be a good teacher. So, here are some lists:

Five Hard Things About Teaching Beginners

1. I. Have. To. Talk. Like. This. And some of them still don't understand.

2. When my elementary vocabulary is exhausted and I am totally out of words to explain what I mean, some of them are still confused.

3. I have to repeat myself at least twice for every activity.

4. They are addicted to their dictionaries and/or pocket electronic translators. I secretly fantasize about smashing electronic dictionaries with a giant sledgehammer.

5. It's really hard to explain grammar to someone who isn't really sure what a noun is.

Five Awesome Things About Teaching Beginners

1. When they finally get something, the rewarding feeling is HUGE.

2. It's amazing to see how much they can communicate with so few words.

3. They ask really good, basic questions that make me think about English. Like yesterday, we learned a new word and one of them said, "Teacher, is it noun or verb?" I said, "Both," and he said, "BOTH?!? How I know?!?" That's a really good question that's really hard to answer!

4. They generally work really hard because they want so much to get better.

5. On the whole, they're just adorable :)

Five Hard Things About Teaching Advanced Students

1. They ask really hard questions, and they know if my answer is BS.

2. Sometimes they know more English grammar rules than I do.

3. They can be perfectionists. Like, they speak great English, but because they don't sound like Kevin Costner, they think their English is bad.

4. Sometimes they're not interested in knowing something unless it's going to be on the TOEFL.

5. I have to plan more for them to do, because they finish everything faster.

Five Awesome Things About Teaching Advanced Students

1. They understand almost everything I say, so we can joke around a lot more and I don't have to talk so slowly.

2. They ask really hard questions, which sharpens my meta-linguistic awareness.

3. I get to geek out on them, because I'm teaching them aspects of English grammar and communication that my beginners aren't ready for. Like the passive causative construction, which is what we worked on in my advanced grammar class today.

4. We can do fun things like watch "The Office" for cultural awareness lessons because they can actually understand most of it.

5. I get to be a little more of a friend and a little less of a mom than I do with my beginners, because they don't need as much help.

This semester, I am teaching a beginning reading/writing, an advanced grammar, and an uber-advanced listening/speaking class. Before now, I've mostly worked with intermediate students, so this is a good stretch for my teaching abilities. I'm really enjoying myself, and am frankly a little impressed that I'm able to communicate reasonably well with both groups. Plus, I just love my students. I hardly ever have students I don't like, but I'm continually struck by how cool they all are. I'll leave you with a sample of their coolness.

In reading/writing this morning. Working on using prepositions.

Me: So, how do we fill in this blank? We want to say, "Walk ___ the church. Walk..."

Student 1: ON the church!

Me (smiling): No, walk ON the church would look like this. (Draws picture on board of stick figure on church roof.)

Class: (Cracks up)

Student 1 (laughing): Oops.

Student 2: Spider-Man!