Summertime

A few days ago I taught my last class for the summer. Summer classes are popular where we work because they pay so well, and are over in 3 short weeks. Competition for getting two (both a morning and afternoon class) became so fierce recently that the school put a stop to any foreign professors teaching two classes.

It took me until the last class to somewhat understand what I was dealing with. Seriously, if I'm seeing them everyday, and there are only 25 or so students, it should be much easier to get a read on the culture of this particular class versus a class I only see twice per week like during the regular semester. This class was a diverse bunch.

What I finally figured out that last day I should have known all along: these were (generally speaking) the students that avoided taking the 'required for graduation' university English class until the very last possible moment. A conglomeration of students, most likely very good in their respective majors, that possibly disliked English class from previous experience, and therefore avoided taking English for a long as humanly possible.

I hit them hard, just like I always do. Higher level thinking assignments, reading and writing assignments to be completed as homework, a 15 min. long individual presentation to boot, speaking assignments using real English language in every class, and all with very fair, strict grading according to my requirements laid out in the beginning. I suspect that not a single one of them expected my class to be a legitimate 3 week long English course, and many may have possibly entered the first day believing they'd breeze through without doing much of anything except attending.

How dare I provide a proper English class, with real assignments, while I attempt to teach something they may actually take with them for life.

Keep the faith.

PS- Has anyone seen this in the news recently?