Job Discussion Forums

[tarzaninchina]

Just querying your experiences and some opening lines that resulted in the sh*t hitting the fan or things going absolutely amazing while it may not have gone the same way in your mind. Of course, I'm limiting this thread to the opening line of a class.

Here are some of mine.

I was happy with what my students had been doing outside of class that week and I walked into class and said, "I love you all." The class was 98% traditional Chinese females and everyone (no exception) smiled appreciateively for the ENTIRE class.

Before one of my writing classes, I found out that I was the only teacher in the whole department that gave them any amount of homework (i.e. more than 2 assignments throughout the year). In fact, I gave a little every two weeks. So, wanting to go for just a little shock value for a lead-in I said, "Do you guys hate me?" WRONG! They looked so shocked like I had accused them of having no face whatsoever and, um, well, I think you get it. They didn't get the connection with that statement and when I explained about me being the only teacher who gave them any homework. Vinegar filled the air....

Generally-speaking, if you say "exam" in the first sentence of a blurb on your part, everyone pays attention. I don't tease them with it, I just make sure to say everything so that everybody is guaranteed to have listened (which isn't much of a problem anyway, but).

[clark.w.griswald]

One that I used to write on the board during my first few moments of a new class was:

Mistakes are good. If you are not making mistakes then you are not learning!

I am not sure how correct that statement actually is, but I clarified it with the class by explaining that they if they stick with the vocabulary that they already know, or if they don't speak at all then they won't make any mistakes. But if they are paying to come to my class to learn English then the more they challenge themselves the more they will get out of it.

It was also a bit of a hit out at the Chinese perception that mistakes are to be frowned upon!

[schminken]

I usually walk in at the beginning of the semester with a new class and say something like,

"Welcome to Planet Schminken. On my planet we only speak English. It is an alternate universe"

They all kind of laugh but then throughout the semester I heard things like:

Student 1: Schminken, do we really have to do this?
Student 2: of course we do. it's Planet Schminken

or (Outside of the classroom at the weekend)

Student at bar: hi Schminken. Can i speak German to you?
Me: No
Student: Tonight it's MY PLANET. I want to speak German.

[Jizzo T. Clown]

(Off-topic)

tarzaninchina-

Looks like an interesting book...too bad I couldn't understand a word you were saying.