Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Keepongoing]

I have been teaching writing over 7 years and am quite ashamed about what I have done. I am in a new university and am teaching a Basic Writing course this semester. In class yesterday, I was explaining subject verb agreement and was asking about the sentence "The class is big" I stupidly pointed to the "The" and said. "because the "The" is there the verb has an "s". Stupid!!!! I know that is not true. Well in the book it has some exercises that the students did in class and one was "The nurses (get/gets) new patients." I red that to them and stumbled as I realized my big goof. After class,a student came up to me and asked if it was "get" or "gets".

I am so embarrassed that I gave my students this erroneous information. Especially since I know it is wrong. It was toward the end of class and I was not thinking.

Has anyone here done anything so stupid? Next week, I will go through it again and be sure they understand. Not sure if I should admit to my blooper?

This class, though basic, has a lot of higher level students

Suggestions please

[cruisemonkey]

[sarbonn]

We all make mistakes. I made a few in classes I've taught, both in Korea and when teaching college students in the US.

What I almost always do when a student goes: "Teacher/Professor, isn't it really THIS way?" is think about it for a second, realize he or she is right, and say, "Wow, you're right. Forget what I just said. That's the beauty of the English language. There's always some stupid exception to some brilliant rule."

Other times, I'll just say, "wow, you're right." But by then, the students know that my knowledge of the subject matter is so strong that I'm not embarrassed or scared of ever making mistakes. I've even had political science college students who try to challenge my information, and most fail the attempt, because I can back it up with substantial information. For the few that just seemed to slip through and be right, I find it to be an educational experience for me as well as them.

The most important thing is to NOT hold it against them. Laugh it off, and keep teaching. If you find you're doing nothing but making mistakes, eventually you'll get the hang of it, and the mistakes will be less frequent.

[Keepongoing]

[tomato]

We're all perfect.
None of us are human.

[andrewchon]

How did Dan Quayle explain the 'potatoe'?

[blackjack]

I hate it when asked how to spell a word so you go to write it on the board and your mind just freezes. You just have no idea how to spell it, even a basic word. Or you start the word wrong and you just can't figure out what it should be.

I had an adult class last night and a student asked what function a word in the sentence played. (It was a modal). He wasn't familiar with the English word so he went to look it up and asked how to spell it. My brain just froze, I had no idea, sure it was 9 on a Friday night but god was i embarrassed.

[entity]

Since you've been teaching writing for seven years, that, in a good way, probably also shows. Admit to the error and correct it, and pay it absolutely no further mind.

[DAC]

[earthbound14]

Yup, I've had to ask students to help me spell some words even...just forgot, or brain farted right there. It's really funny when I don't catch the spelling mistake, write it on the board and have a student correct me later.

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm pretty open with my students about it. English is hard, and while in class it can be hard to think about it naturally.

I get into spots where I try too hard to follow the rules I teach only to find a word just doesn't fit.

I couldn't spell Acappella. I kept thinking it needed 2 c's until a student pointed out that it was a capella and I remembered it was a word from Spanish changed to acappella in the North Am....If I hadn't been in class I would have just spelled it the way I always had.

I would just let the students know about your mistake. It's not a big deal, English is a hard language and being in class using English in a less that natural or fluent way can lead to making a mistake from time to time.

Besides, in a way you were correct. nurses get and the nurse gets.

[Big Mac]

Here's an educational experience for you:

The past tense of read is read. Red is a colour.

I would think that blunder is more embarrassing than the mistake you made regarding subject/verb agreement.

[Ilsanman]

Or that ketchup is a vegetable.

[ED209]

[cruisemonkey]