The Delights of Teaching: Conversations Overheard

Yesterday I assigned one of my in-company groups a discussion project. One of the unit objectives had been to learn and actively use various discussion interjections and expressions such as "I admit it!" "That's precisely what I mean." "What I'm trying to say" and "Anyway, . . ." So, I looked through the ESL treasure trove of online jewels, www.onestopenglish.com and found a discussion topic that I thought would get my ordinarily stagnant, advanced-level business adults talking.

The assignment: A fire is consuming a building and fourteen people are stuck on the 32nd floor. The elevator can only hold 8 people, and for some reason, the stairs are out. The students are given a list of the 14 people which contains the profession and a few notes on each desperate person. The students must use these notes to decide which 8 people will live and which 6 people will suffer from smoke inhalation before having their flesh consumed by a raging hot fire.

The people included
*a lawyer (who has four young children who depend on her).
*a journalist (whose recent investigations broke a drug ring).
*a farmer (who has made two failed suicide attempts).
*a mailman (who is suffering from cancer but responding to treatment)
*a politician (who is an active environmentalist)
*a priest (who does a lot of community work)

Three out of the four students took the time to read through the both the professions and the notes and then decided. The other student (with whom I have had previous problems), well... here are a few of his responses.

About the lawyer:
Me: Why the lawyer? She has four young children who depend on her. (Trying to encourage discussion and use of vocabulary)
St: Because she takes money away from our children. All lawyers should die.

About the priest:
St1: He can just consider it a promotion.

About the journalist:
St2 (who is in favor of keeping the journalist and killing the mailman): But the mailman is not needed as much, plus he's dying anyways.
St1: But she should die. She's young and female and a journalist. All journalists should die.
St2: Do you read any news or magazines?
St 3 and 1: Yes.
St2: Online or paper.
St 3/1: Online.
St2: So the journalist is more necessary and useful.
St1: She should die. All journalists should die.

The thing about this is that he was serious. He has said quite a few comments like this before in class. It almost makes me want to cry (especially since I'm young, female, and have carefully considered a career in journalism). However, I feel like after making a few, hopefully thought-provoking remarks, the best solution is to awkwardly laugh it off.

I wish I could say this kind of discrimination is rare, but I have heard many such remarks. One of the biggest reprimands I have to make among my students is to teach them that "nigger" is not an appropriate word. They have actually been taught to use this word by their Russian English teachers! Of course it doesn't help that they turn around and ask why they hear it in music sung by black artists, but I just have to insist that that word not be used.

However, it does bring home to me the fact that I do more than teach English. I have the opportunity, not to spread the glories of English tradition and superiority, but to share with them a more expanded horizon of thoughts and philosophies. Black people are more than just druggie rappers. There's more to life than math, science and vodka. Smiling is okay.

I can't say I was born to be a teacher and that teaching is my destiny (the thought of which actually gave me nightmares a few years ago). In fact I would like to be the perpetual professional student. But I do love those few moments when I feel like I am actually connecting with my students. One of the greatest feelings was when I was watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with one of my advanced teenage classes, and one of my students exclaimed out of the blue, "Ahh, I understand it." And that's why I am teaching without regrets.