Job Discussion Forums

[leeroy]

At the end of class today, a Japanese student approached me and asked me to check her CV (resume) for any "mistake in grammar" (alas, only I could appreciate the irony).

So I went through it, nit-picking a couple of times, checking speling, etc... About 5 minutes later I was done, looked up, and there were still 5 students sitting there (the class had already finished). The Latin Americans had long since gone off, only the asians remained.

"So, do you guys have another class here?" I asked.

"No", they replied, "just waiting for her to finish" (the student whose CV I was checking).

She is a new student, and to the best of my knowledge is not "friends" with any/all of the students who had waited for her. In fact, as the class is fairly new most of the students don't know each other well. So why did they wait?

a) I got it wrong, and they were indeed all friends waiting to go out somewhere (but why didn't they wait outside?)

b) They thought it would be "disrespectful" to leave the Japanese girl alone - or, possibly, to leave the class before I did.

c) The girl had asked them to stay so she wouldn't be alone with me (gulp)

d) I was hallucinating.

Any fascinating insights into Asian culture? Or am I trying to read into something that doesn't exist...

[guest of Japan]

It's probably choice "a," but since I don't know you I can't rule out choice "c."

Seriously, they probably made a plan to go hang out together before class. They also problably chose to stay in your class because they felt comfortable there. It's a controlled environment. They get the opportunity to hear more English. And they are possibly being polite to the new Japanese student.

[shmooj]

Bet you anything that as soon as they all left the room, they all burst into fits of giggles and gossippy exchanges about what you said about her CV and what points you had checked and, if your lucky, how suave you are.

The sheer curiosity of this exchange with a native speaker would quite probably provide them with a couple of hours, maybe days, of anecdotal material.

OTOH, it was quite likely that you didn't notice that at the very bottom of the CV, scrawled in faintly written pencil so as to break it to you in a true face saving manner, it said "Your flies are undone."

[leeroy]

(Shmooj - I regularly check my flies every 2 or 3 minutes, the horror of being caught with your flies down in a class of 15 students fills me with dread!)

But these are students living in London, some of them have for quite some time. I imagine the 'novelty of chatting to a westerner' decreases after a little while when you live in a European city.

[dyak]

Ahh... but you're the only westerner that understands them... and moreover, it's customary to have an Asian fan club if you teach in London; after losing my Korean one I seem to have acquired a Thai one instead...

[Lynn]

I teach ESL in New York City and I've had the same thing happen. An Italian student, who was also new, asked me to check a cover letter for him. Even though it was only his first week, the Mexican and Ecuadorian and Polish men stayed behind until I was done.

I think they were just curious. Furthermore, I think students sometimes want to talk to me one on one but don't for two reasons. Maybe they think it is rude to bother me when I'm done with work or maybe they are just too shy or wouldn't know what to say. (This was a level one class, BTW)

[Celeste]

When I taught ESL to international students in Vancouver, I would often have to tell them that they were dismissed, and could leave if they wanted. Often they would stay until I left the room, even if I was just correcting someone's spelling or homework. I think they wanted to make sure that they weren't missing anything important by leaving on time.

(Here at my job in Japan, we actually have an upper management mandated "Go Home On Time" day when the building manager turns off all of the lights and air conditioning at 5:30 so that no one will try to out do eachother with overtime that day.)

[Gordon]

I have also noticed how awkward my students are in Japan when the class is over. They don't seem to know when it is over. I have to announce loudly "See you next week" or "mata nae, raishu" (same meanings basically) or they sit at their desks and stare at me. This despite the fact the class is clearly over.

[Wolf]

[Capergirl]

[leeroy]

I assure you it was deliberate caper!

Today the Asians all stayed behind as well. I loudly announced that the lesson was over, packed up my stuff and left. The Iranian, Venezuelan, French guy and the Argentinian made a break for it as quickly as I did. As I quickly glanced back, there were the Asians - still showing no signs of moving.

Do you think it could be related to what you guys have observed about the Japanese never wanting to be the person to leave work first? Is there a similar student mentality of not wanting to be seen to be the first to leave the class?

Who knows, after I leave they might all be sitting there in silence for hours - willing someone else to be the first to make a break for the door... As they don't know each other too well, perhaps the bizarre ritual of 'saving face' is working in full effect.

(Or maybe I should just ask them...)

[shmooj]

It's probably the fact that they won't leave until the teacher does.

If you have nothing better to do after that class, dismiss them, let the Latinos go and pull out a novel. Put your feet up on the desk and see if they are still there by chapter two.

Let us know how long they last

[dduck]

[dyak]

[Capergirl]