The Subtle Art of Panic

I come bearing not depressing news for a change. As it turns out, the kids at this school are super sharp, and are really fun to teach. They all have interesting opinions, and are surprisingly articulate, and getting discussions going has continued to be far easier than I thought it would be. This is, of course, assuming that you know how to push them the right way. Chinese kids don't really speak up, so you just kind of have to put them on the spot and force them to talk. But once they stop trying to pretend that you didn't call on them, they have things to say, and good reasoning behind them. I've taken to posing the same question to every class that is starting the Life in the Future unit: Do you think that the East and West are moving together as cultures, or will they maintain their distance? The answers are good, and they obviously understand the question, although they're prone to falling back on blind nationalism in their reasons. Also, the first kid to speak generally decides the opinion of the class, but that might just bee a teenager thing, and not a Chinese thing.

I've recently discovered that I'm really good at classroom improvisation. Take my first international class as an example. I was supposed to have an article on capitalism for them to read and discuss, but I went to the office, and found that not only was it locked, the key I thought would open the office does not. This didn't seem like a big deal to me, because we have a computer in every classroom, so throwing an article up on the projector and having them read it that way was a valid option. Except it wasn't. The computer chest has a lock, and we don't have the key. Boo. So, I realized I had to think on my feet.

I'm doing discussion, so why not teach them about debate and discussion? That'll work. Go over points and rebuttals, and the structure of a discussion. Why do they look so bored? Oh, they've already learned this. Shit. Well, let's do a debate. What topic? Uh... Jesus, what would they know? Bieber. Who likes Justin Bieber? You two? Ok, you're going to be arguing that he isn't the greatest pop star. You hate him? Good. You're arguing that he is the best in the world. You have fifteen minutes to prepare. Go!
This worked flawlessly. They all loved it, they debated well, and I now know what they're capable of. Plus, I get to save the article for next class. CSETC has asked all of us to write 500 word essays on our jobs and difficulties, and I'm going to be brutally honest with them, and I really hope it makes alarm bells go off back in Beijing. In fact, I'm going to cut this a bit short so I can start writing it. I'll post it up when I'm done.

-Cooper