Job Discussion Forums

Horizontal Hero · Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 4:11 pm Post subject:

"How can you teach English when you don't speak like an American?" That one in Taiwan. (I'm Australian).

KWhitehead · Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 8:07 am Post subject:

those are the only strange questions?

Leon Purvis · Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 10:35 pm Post subject:

My students don't ask questions. Maybe that's not strange, but it is disturbing.

Girl Scout · Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Posts: 525 Location: Inbetween worlds

Can I give the strangest answer to a question?

Q: What do you want to be when you grow-up?

A: A make a bomb person.

Lady Penelope · Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 4:58 am Post subject: silly questions

'Why is your hair yellow when the other British teachers have dark hair?' (i'm natural blonde)

'Why do you have blue eyes?'

SheZook · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 187

"You can't speak Chinese - how do you use the telephone?"

I asked for clarification on this and this poor 17yr old boy honestly believes that the Chinese telephone system only works if you speak Chinese. He seemed to think that if someone called me and spoke English, it would automatically be translated into Chinese, so he was wondering how I could understand it. It took about 10 minutes and a demonstration to convince him that when I talk to someone on the phone, we can talk any language we want to and it DOES NOT get translated into Chinese or any other language.

Lobster · Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 4:12 pm Post subject:

"Why is your head so small?"

RED

Bayden · Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 988

diana83709 · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 2:17 am Post subject: this can top student questions

Not only do the students ask "odd" questions, but one Chinese English teacher has asked a couple of "odd" questions.

After showing and explaining photos of our family members, SUV and our home in the USA, my collegue asked my husband "James, do you know how to drive?".

During a break between classes, I was reading a paperback novel and the same individual asked "Do you know how to read?".

KWhitehead · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 12:15 pm Post subject:

had a bunch today. these are the best:

"do you need to pass an examination to drive in America?"

"how is chinese students' oral english different from native speakers' oral english?"

frank d · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 155

While I haven�t been able to recall the most bizarre question from a student, I can will you about two very curious and/or entertaining text messages I have received from students (both within a few weeks of each other) on my mobile phone.

The first one came maybe two days after I had reluctantly followed the textbook and gave the students a brief introduction to Easter (oy vey!). It was one of dozens of Western and Chinese holidays (�festivals�) to be discussed. The course book only mentioned such icons as the Easter Bunny, and Easter eggs. Of course, the religious aspect of the holiday was omitted from the two paragraph outline. I chose to adhere to this version of the story of Easter. I suppose in my haste (after all, there were so many holidays to cover), I failed to clarify a few things, hence, I receive the following text message on my cell phone (from a kind and macho 40-y.o. male): �How to cook �jelly beans�? Please tell me!�

The other one came while I was traveling on a very crowded bus (Spring Festival, you know) from Jiangsu to northern Shandong -- a 12+ hour journey on a rickety vehicle comprised completely of bunk beds for people HALF my size. I had asked a wonderful young Chinese colleague to stay in my apartment during my absence. After about eleven blurry-eyed hours on the bus careening in the snow, my cell phone announces: �A man named God called you.�

Huh?!?!? I�m equal parts perplexed, amused, and freaked. . . I begin to think, just my luck, God called me, and I�m the bus to Shandong!

Later I�m told; �He will call back.�

Oh, good!

It turned out (as I learned a few mystified days later) that the caller in question was a family friend, whose last name is Godfrey. He had called because he was in Taiwan on business. My friend got so nervous while taking the message, that his advanced listening skills failed him at a very crucial moment.

These are sterling examples of why life in China is never dull!

Shan-Shan · Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 1074 Location: electric pastures

Just yesterday after showing a group of students a collocation dictionary, published by Oxfor of China, with a cover written in Chinese, a student asked, "can I buy the book in China?". I said, "Yes. In fact, this book was bought here in China".

I showed him the cover again, written in Chinese, and explained that abroad, non-Chinese speakers have no need for a book's cover to be written in Chinese. The student then responded that the book was published by Oxford, so it can't be bought in China. I then showed him the price, in RMB, printed on the back. Not good enough. He is still convinced that the book can not be bought in China.

HunanForeignGuy · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 989 Location: Shanghai, PRC

This one happened to me during exam period at a university somewhere in China (ha..ha..ha..). I don't want to say where so as not to cause embarassment.

I said to a student: "Look, you are cheating on the English exam. I watched you giving that guy some answers".

Student said to me: "First, he's a nice guy. So how could I be cheating? Next, why do you think I am cheating? I am not cheating. Am I telling him the answers in English? No. I am telling him the answers in Chinese...so you see he has to translate them into English. So how could I be cheating?''

Go figure that one out.

Meleefracas · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 63

My students were amazed to the point of shock that my husband had black hair (when he was young), and that my daughter has brown eyes. "Like us? How is it possible?"