Category Archives: Teaching
Universal Behavior
I did some Mad Libs with my new teenage class. This is secretly a test to sort out English speakers from nodders. I can’t even fault them for faking it… I spent most of my high school chem class pretending … Continue reading
Smarter Than A Fifth-Grader
I was on World Have Your Say again last night (if you’re my mom, you can download the show). The discussion was about Susan Jacoby’s new book The Age of American Unreason, which claims that Americans are getting dumber and … Continue reading
75 Is The New 50
Fantastic post from Mister Teacher on school regulations, third-graders and grade inflation called “Is a 50 good?” Dead on, and funny at the same time. I want to quote it here, but I can’t bring myself to chop up such … Continue reading
Stick’s Adult Class
Stick has an adult class on Thursday nights, and I often go with him. It’s a class for students who want to pass their conversational English exam, so it’s a good chance for us to ask questions about Chinese life. … Continue reading
Meeting Of Minds
It’s sort of an expat joke that the only information determined at a Chinese meeting is the time and place of the next meeting. I think I even saw that on of those “You know you live in China, when…” … Continue reading
Yes
I’ve already talked about using “Yes” as a synonym for “I have no idea what you’re saying”. This entry from Tim Johnson’s blog quotes a letter from a 1920s missionary in China, and shows that the ubiquitous Chinese yes is … Continue reading
Meanderthal
Meanderthal — 1) n. A dull-witted student moving through his workbook at his own special pace. 2) v. The behavior of such a student. Usage: John’s parents were so wealthy and well-connected that he meanderthaled through three years of English … Continue reading
Test Scores
I hate state-required testing, and I don’t think it measures anything, and I think it’s a waste of my students’ time… except when works in my favor. I got my students’ test scores back today and they were awesome! The … Continue reading
