Please scroll down the page to read the conversations or click on Labels (key words) or Titles

Friday, September 28, 2007

- Grasping contexts: start point

a) mark in red, please

Student 1: Wow, it is all marked in red! I would give up if I were you

Student 2: She said she would usually not be so picky. It is a special treat. As an immigrant she is helping me out. This way I study ESL while learning the class subject.

b) no choices, please

"I want to know exactly what is due today, if I am not told I have more urgent interests…I am like married style guy, I don’t want to think (laugh). Just give me clear instructions. I don't want to choose between fancy coffees...just bring me a regular coffee" (a student who runs between part time jobs and school)

"I don’t like to be asked to choose. I like when I know what to do. What? Teachers don’t do their homework and expect me to plan for their class?! I do not have patience" (student whose boss has given him time off to study)

c) no lies, please

"…So according to the ABSOLUTE QUALIFIERS rule…if I say I never lie, I am a liar!? It is bullshit. I refuse to learn this! I don’t want to learn how to cheat on tests..I am a person of principles" (a student who was facing a difficult divorce in court)

d) caps, please

"...caps are not always for gangs. I hate that. People say things they don’t know. Doesn’t matter I don’t mind missing school if I feel like wearing a cap… Do you think my hair is always like this? If I am having a bad hair day I skip class. No cap, no class."(this student’s hair hides a facial scar which she got in a fight with bottle)

e) no group work with people with accents, please

I used to call you Chink...Oh dear! You keep coming...the first time you walk to our group…Oh dear! Nobody believed how irritated I got. You don’t know but chink is very disrespectful, like N word for blacks. I want you to know, I am not like that at all...back in my home town, we were all white and people used to tease the only Chinese family, owners of the China restaurant. I was the one who felt sorry for them and I walked to school with their son...It was your accent...I have difficult to concentrate on voices and your accent made it worse. I guess I wanted to understand you…I am glad the teacher and him helped me, we are friends now, right?

No comments: