Today: learning English Tomorow: The world?

by Karissa

Yes, my students want to learn English. But they're not 'America-bound', Western-culture loving people who feel confined here.



Not at all.



My students love their families and have dreams for themselves that have them in good jobs where they can provide for their families.



Some of my students want to travel and of those, some of them will be able to. One of my top students, Mary (yes, from a previous post) would love to travel to Japan. And everytime she mentions it, she also mentions money (well, maybe that's not so different than the rest of us).



So, while traveling or studying abroad is not an option for many of my students (money is an issue, or they can't take time off work, etc) I recently found out that two of my students will be studying abroad in the near future.



Mike is a 15 year old student in a pre-intermediate class. When the class ended, a group of us went to a teenager-club place (like a coffee-shop/bar with no alcohol). He mentioned that he's going to the US for three.



Karissa: Three? Three what?
Mike: Three years.
Karissa: Three years! Wow! Where are you going?

Mike: I'm going to live with my aunt and uncle in Connecticut.



Just two days ago, Julie, a 15 year old in my intermediate class was given the impromptu speach topic of traveling.



Julie: Next year I will study in Canada.

Karissa: In Canada! Where?

Julie: I don't know. My dad knows someone.

Karissa: I'm from there! I'm so excited for you.



Bill: (34 year old student, married, one child, wife is 8 months pregnant with their second): You should exchange phone numbers.

Karissa: I don't live there now. But I have lots of friends there. Let's exchange e-mail addresses.

Other students: Teacher, write your e-mail address on the board.

Karissa: Okay. And if you want to, you may share your e-mail address with me. Only if you want to.



Here my intermediate students are playing the game where they must guess who's name is on their back. We had everyone from the president of Vietnam, to famous Korean musicians to Tom Hand (oh whoops, found out later he meant Tom Hanks)

Julie is on the left in the white skirt looking thing (called an em vai, it's the traditional dress of women in Vietnam worn at weddings, etc). She's wearing a fleece over it because she's cold.

Bill is on the right. He had Isaac Newton on his back and was the last to figure it out. Finally I told him to ask if his person was dead or alive. Then he got it.

I stood on a chair to get this shot.

I

I have a diverse class. The student on the left is 12 years old. Very much twelve years old. The girl in yellow is a receptionist. The next guy is an engineer. Bill, the next guy is a business man. And the last girl I believe is an accountant.

These pictures are from room 102. I teach about half of my classes in here.