Hi Everyone,
Here is my response to the rules you gave me. If your rule isn't here, there are two reasons.
1. It contradicts the rules I gave you in class. (let us use dictionaries)
2. I didn't understand your rule, so I couldn't respond.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
See you in class!
Pamila
Teacher Rules
Understand me if my English isn’t good.I know your level. Don’t worry. I do understand. You have to speak though.
Finish and start on time / give a break / class is far / let us know if class is cancelledIf I start to go over time, please tell me! If I’m late, call me. There is a reason! In the past, I didn’t have breaks. Students asked for no breaks. Now I give breaks. Come to class as best as you can.
Don’t speak fast / speak loudly and clearly / use simple sentencesI will do my best. Just tell me, “Pamila, please repeat that slowly.” Remember –YOU DON’T NEED TO UNDERSTAND EVERY WORD. You need to understand the meaning.
If I don’t understand, please repeat / I’m trying hard even if I don’t understand / let me make a mistake / be patient / understand about cultural differences
Understand me if my English isn’t good.I know your level. Don’t worry. I do understand. You have to speak though.
Finish and start on time / give a break / class is far / let us know if class is cancelledIf I start to go over time, please tell me! If I’m late, call me. There is a reason! In the past, I didn’t have breaks. Students asked for no breaks. Now I give breaks. Come to class as best as you can.
Don’t speak fast / speak loudly and clearly / use simple sentencesI will do my best. Just tell me, “Pamila, please repeat that slowly.” Remember –YOU DON’T NEED TO UNDERSTAND EVERY WORD. You need to understand the meaning.
If I don’t understand, please repeat / I’m trying hard even if I don’t understand / let me make a mistake / be patient / understand about cultural differences
No problem. Just tell me you don’t understand. You are ALWAYS allowed to make mistakes. That is how you will learn. I’m fairly patient. You will see. Also, I have lived in many different cultures. I’m very patient about that. I hope you will understand about my culture, too.
Let us sit in groups / Name tags on the desk / group seating / call me by nameSure, we can make name tags. We’ll do that next week. I won’t have assigned seating this semester, but you will have to remember your name tags. I sometimes make silly names for my students – it is affectionate and not meant to be offensive. If you don’t like it, tell me. I won’t memorize your names. I simply can’t. (Plus, I have a dreadful memory. Sorry.
Don’t give us homeworkThis is college. You have to work, and you have to practice. You will have some homework every week. You can usually finish it in less than one hour.
Encourage us / be kind and fair / like your students / smile a lot / don’t be boring / listen to us / help students personally / don’t have a vertical relationship / look at us / eye contact / no sexual discriminationI am your teacher. I will encourage you. I do like my students. I’m a pretty happy, interesting person. I do listen. I do look at my students. However, I have 250 students. I CAN’T have personal relationships with each of you unless you work at it. You can visit with me in my office during office hours. I am fair and professional.
Write big!I use the board and the student book a lot. You will have the material in front of you.
Don’t hurry / don’t compel me to do something / don’t make me comfortable / make grammar easy
Let us sit in groups / Name tags on the desk / group seating / call me by nameSure, we can make name tags. We’ll do that next week. I won’t have assigned seating this semester, but you will have to remember your name tags. I sometimes make silly names for my students – it is affectionate and not meant to be offensive. If you don’t like it, tell me. I won’t memorize your names. I simply can’t. (Plus, I have a dreadful memory. Sorry.
Don’t give us homeworkThis is college. You have to work, and you have to practice. You will have some homework every week. You can usually finish it in less than one hour.
Encourage us / be kind and fair / like your students / smile a lot / don’t be boring / listen to us / help students personally / don’t have a vertical relationship / look at us / eye contact / no sexual discriminationI am your teacher. I will encourage you. I do like my students. I’m a pretty happy, interesting person. I do listen. I do look at my students. However, I have 250 students. I CAN’T have personal relationships with each of you unless you work at it. You can visit with me in my office during office hours. I am fair and professional.
Write big!I use the board and the student book a lot. You will have the material in front of you.
Don’t hurry / don’t compel me to do something / don’t make me comfortable / make grammar easy
If you need more time, please tell me. However, sometimes you NEED to talk more quickly. You talk slowly because you are translating. I want you to STOP translating. That is important. Trust yourself. Communication is more important than grammar (in life and in this class). You will have fun but class will be difficult sometimes.
I’m shy / help me speak in class / I can’t speak English well / Pamila should talk a lotYou will only improve if you practice. You will have opportunities to talk. Use those opportunities! I will talk, but you must talk too! Everyone will have the same opportunities.
Tell stories about your life/don’t talk about your life / respect my privacy
I’m shy / help me speak in class / I can’t speak English well / Pamila should talk a lotYou will only improve if you practice. You will have opportunities to talk. Use those opportunities! I will talk, but you must talk too! Everyone will have the same opportunities.
Tell stories about your life/don’t talk about your life / respect my privacy
I sometimes talk about my life. You will sometimes talk about your life. This is about learning to communicate. Communication is interactive and can sometimes be very personal. You can always say you don’t want to talk about something specific. However, you still need to talk about the topic. For example, if you don’t want to talk about YOUR experience, you can talk about your thoughts or another person’s experience.
Use useful vocabulary / explain vocabularySure. Also, use your dictionary and learn a new word every day! If you don’t understand something, you need to tell me! Some people know the words, some don’t.
Turn off the air con/turn on the air con / the room is hot or coldPeople have different temperatures that they like. You can adjust it.
Be smart / be braveI’ll do my best.
When I fall asleep in class, wake me up.
Use useful vocabulary / explain vocabularySure. Also, use your dictionary and learn a new word every day! If you don’t understand something, you need to tell me! Some people know the words, some don’t.
Turn off the air con/turn on the air con / the room is hot or coldPeople have different temperatures that they like. You can adjust it.
Be smart / be braveI’ll do my best.
When I fall asleep in class, wake me up.
Don’t fall asleep. You might not like the way I wake you up! I can be LOUD!
Can we have class outside?Yes.
Give us an active sign that you want an answer to a question.
Give us an active sign that you want an answer to a question.
In English, we usually raise the tone of our voices to show a question. I will try to remember to give you a sign. However, you must learn to recognize questions. Foreigners at a business meeting won’t give you a sign.
I want to listen to pop songs / television shows / have an interesting lesson / play gamesWe will use many kinds of media in class – including pop songs. I try to have interesting lessons. We will definitely play games. I will call them exercises.
Sometimes I need time off for X Send me an email and let me know. We will work it out.
Take care of your health / don’t be sick.I’ll do my best. You can help! When you sneeze or cough, cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow. It will help keep everyone healthy.
Help me find a girlfriendIf you get me a date with Jung Woo Sung, I will consider it!
I want to listen to pop songs / television shows / have an interesting lesson / play gamesWe will use many kinds of media in class – including pop songs. I try to have interesting lessons. We will definitely play games. I will call them exercises.
Sometimes I need time off for X Send me an email and let me know. We will work it out.
Take care of your health / don’t be sick.I’ll do my best. You can help! When you sneeze or cough, cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow. It will help keep everyone healthy.
Help me find a girlfriendIf you get me a date with Jung Woo Sung, I will consider it!
