Tag Archives: my students

Extreme Teaching!

English summer camp started last week. I like my girls, and I’m glad that I have a job, but I still feel a little bit bad for these kids. They don’t really get a proper vacation, sincea break from regular … Continue reading

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Geography Lesson

The other day I was doing a unit on countries and nationalities with my Korean students. We’re using a British book about Pierre from France, Carlos from Spain, Ivan from Russia and so forth. I realized it wasn’t too appropriate … Continue reading

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You People

The other day I was crossing the street and I said “You people invented gunpowder and silk! Surely mastering a turn signal is nothing to that!” Usually shouting witticisms at my non-English speaking surroundings makes me feel better, but today … Continue reading

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Travel In China

Tonight I had my adult students. Now, I don’t really like teaching adults because they have all the idiosyncrasies of my middle school students (refusal to speak above a whisper, inability to separate “L” and “R” but an insistence that … Continue reading

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Regarding Franz Ferdinand:

Would someone please tell me if “Austro-Hungarian Empire”, “Bosnian assassins”, and “the beginning of World War One” are also bands before my students get any more impromptu history lessons?

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Chinese Zoo

Today I brought in some colored clay and told my students to make animals. It seemed like a fun, easy identification lesson, made even easier by the fact that I was recently reprimanded for teaching “sage”, “turquoise” and “lavender” so … Continue reading

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My friends are coming! / Step 1 of 10,000

In anticipation of Fresca and Jeff’s visit, my students gave me KFC and McDonald’s coupons. (They didn’t want me to pay a ludicrous $2 for a “western” meal!) I thanked them, but I giggled because I can’t think of 2 … Continue reading

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The Value of a Hogwarts Education

I bought Harry Potter in Chinese. My adult students were shocked and appalled that I spent so much on a DVD, comparative shopping is a competitive sport here and every time I mention anything to do with shopping, someone tells … Continue reading

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Qing mei zhu ma

Mandarin has a separate word for older sister and younger sister. There is a difference between an aunt who’s your mom’s sister, and one who’s married to your uncle, between an uncle on your mom’s side and an uncle on … Continue reading

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