Yet Another English Corner!

Thursday, March 26. Up early so I can dash over to the copy center before my 9 a.m. class to have copies made of song lyrics. Again, I'm at my classroom in plenty of time so I can relax. I do not like doing things at the last minute. Makes me too nervous!

My Thursday morning class is one of my weakest classes in terms of English ability and participation. However, it's also the class that Tyler, May and Zhong Yong decide to observe this morning. Aaaagh. Well, at least they get to see my heroic efforts, trying to light a fire under these students!

After class, the four of us talk about the importance of strong English teaching in the Junior School - as well as the importance of instilling good study habits early on. By the time the kids are in Senior 1, it's too late.

This afternoon, we have English Corner for Senior 2/3 students. Tiffany is sick so it is just David and I. It's a smaller group today than usual, and some of the Senior 2 students want to play games. So we try to think of games we can play without any equipment. After a while, it ends up that David is playing games with one group while I am having conversation with another smaller group of Senior 3 boys (who are not interested in the games!).

At 6 o'clock, we meet Tiffany at the school gate and catch a taxi up to Yandi Square. We have dinner at our usual noodle restaurant, then David and I high-tail it over to Zhuzhou Teachers' College where we are going to participate for the first time in their English Corner (Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m.). Tiffany is not going because she has been quite sick and doesn't have much of a voice. Rock meets us at the school gate. Because it is raining, English Corner will be held indoors in one of the classroom buildings - on the 8th floor - and there is NO elevator! Yikes - a hike!

The first part of EC is just "free talk." Then David, Richard (another American who is actually a teacher at this school) and I sit at the front of the room and let the students ask us questions. They are a great group of young people, and I really enjoy being around them. However, if one more person in China asks me "How can I improve my oral English?", I'm going to have cards printed up that say "Practice, practice, practice!" They all seem to think there is a silver bullet but, unfortunately, there isn't. I just say the same things over and over: talk as much as you can, listen to VOA Special English, watch English language movies with English (not Chinese) subtitles . . . There are just no short cuts. At 9, we peel ourselves away and take a taxi home.