Today in class

Utilitarian Cell phone Applications to ESL instruction in a Private School Instructional Setting using low Teacher Student Ratios...or Are You Fucking Kidding Me?!

Today, about to start class and on time, Steve asks if he can leave the class to get some food, this just after the lunch break.  Being the stern disciplinarian I am, I look at him steady, and directly in the eyes, pause for maximum effect, smile and say of course Steve, but don’t take more than 45 minutes class has already started and I know how important this is to you.  This reminder for three students who have attended one class in the last three weeks.





Later in class, after another smoke break in which they both vape and smoke and by that I mean each student vapes and smokes, we watched an ESL video.  About ten minutes before the ending my new student Vince pulls out his cell for an important reason only known to himself, perhaps texting, gaming or streaming.  I tell him to put it away as we aren’t finished the video.  His classic reply, which I have never heard before this moment... “but it’s almost finished.”

“Yeah and you’re almost a student”...but that only appeared in the thought bubble above my head where the students never ever look.

So as a small compromise to student global cell phone usage I had them each look up a different ESL video on Youtube and report their findings to the class.  They happily chattered away in Mandarin.

February 26

After a snow day students returned to class today, that includes three Chinese students each age 21 years of age.  They had no homework done because they had been up late playing video games over the weekend and could do no work.  I asked if they had any interest in doing homework and it seems the answer is no as it interferes with free time and they would only do homework if they were very bored.  They are now working on journals describing what they did on the week end...should be interesting.