Job Discussion Forums

[vikdk]

[7969]

fortunately these instances of in-class fighting are rare. i dont anticipate it ever happening again. point taken.

7969

[kev7161]

Actually, I can't help but to agree with most of what Roger has to say 9 or 10 posts above. How long has China been mandating that students study English? 10 years? 15? If I was forced to study Chinese for that long (assuming I was a studious student), I'd hazard a guess as to say I'd pretty much know the language after several years of study. Would it be perfect? Probably not, but I'd bet it would be serviceable.

If I'm not mistaken, most schools start their kids on English in Junior middle-school and I believe the trend is going toward primary school. I know in my private school, the kids start in kindergarten. So maybe the current young generation will blow us all away in a few years. But let's look at Senior High kids, college kids and young adults. Most of them have probably been studying anywhere from 3 to 6 to 10 years. I can certainly understand the whole idea of not using it every day could cause one to forget, especially a complicated language like English. So, those recently-out-of-college young adults could be forgiven for sliding back, but college kids and Senior high kids practice at least once a day, whether it be with a CT or a FT. Do they suddenly forget their Math lessons immediately after a class? A science lesson? history? No! Why? Because a half-way decent student will review, do homework, do research, etc. so he can hopefully pass that next test with flying colors.

Granted, not EVERY student is interested in English just as not every student is interested in Math or Science, but if it (English) is necessary to go to a decent college or find a decent job after college, why isn't the energy given to English at least as much as to their other subjects?

So, I have no answer to the OPs question, but I just feel like the study of English is STILL not taken as seriously as maybe it should be. I mean, China is wanting to be a bllingual country, yes? Isn't that the goal? Why do I never hear the president speak a little English (our principal is quite fluent and speaks English in assemblies all the time to encourage his students) when I see him in news stories? Why don't more places such as post offices, banks, etc. have Chinese and English signs posted? I don't mean for the benefit of we foreigners, I mean that if people are surrounded in English, they will start processing some of that English, maybe even at a subliminal level. In heavily hispanic populated areas in the US, you'll find English and Spanish posted most everywhere (yes, for the benefit of the hispanic population, but it "thrills" me to read the signs and remember some of my Spanish-language knowledge).

I guess if we FTs taught more than just English, we'd realize that some of our students are interested more in English while others are more interested in Math or Business or Art but all most of us get are a mixed bag of students regardless of their interest levels.

[Roger]

Thanks, Kevin, for lending us your voice of reason! Sanity has returned with your vote! IT's time to talk about what could be done to make the job of newbie FTs easier in China - rather than just tell them how much they need to become politically correct in order to remain in their jobs!

[Roger]

[Roger]

[vikdk]

sanity
Does anybody believe that because a language is an academic subject that having it ramed down your throat day in day out in school is actualy going to be the catalyst that produces a generation of English speakers - don't make me laugh Most people learn languages because they have a desire to learn - therefor students need to be enthused into thinking that learning this language is a good and fun idea. So the message to anyone new in this game is - if you make your lessons something the student wants to attend, then you've won half the battle - the next thing is to persuade your students you the teacher cannot make them into competant English talkers - that's their job, something that also requires some hard work outside the classroom. So maybe it's a good idea to lay off the sonnets and the forced recitals of memorised pulp - try some imaginative playing with our great language otherwise ol' jack student certainly could be driven into being the dull uninterested boy

[vikdk]

[Ex-Con]

Each of us possess different experiences in teaching the Chinese in China. It appears that I am more fortunate in my experiences, since most of the students I encountered have been keen in learning.

I think it probably helped that I am racially Chinese, and am semi-fluent in Mandarin as well. But I must concur, that the Chinese administration in Education requires a serious revamp in its mindset.

If having a class full of students who are unreactive, unresponsive, maybe even rude is the norm of some schools, then it is, as Roger says, a systemic problem, probably exacerbated by the administration. However, since I have yet to encounter such students, I may be out of my depth here, and will be in no position to comment on how to deal with such a despondent situation.

[vikdk]

[Roger]

[vikdk]

[Ex-Con]