This past week I had the pleasure of interviewing my Grade 3 students (in the US they are 9th graders) as part of their speaking test. Each student was given a list of 5 questions and was encouraged to prepare answers for all 5 because they would be drawing a number out of a hat and that would be their interview question.
The questions my students could choose from were:
1. What is your favorite animal and why?
2. Do you want to have a pet? Why or why not?
3. What are you good at?
4. What did you do this summer vacation?
5. What would you like to do if you become a university student?
Even if most of the answers were memorized and generic I appreciated the opportunity to be able listen to each of my students and hear what they had to say. I have around 840 students, my God, I haven't done the math until just now, but it is insane to think I teach 840 students a week. Ok, let me double check my math here:
6 classes of 1st graders (40 kids per class)= 240.
8 classes of 2nd graders (40 kids per class)= 320.
7 classes of 3rd graders (40 kids per class)= 280.
240 + 320 + 280= 840 kids.
Yep, 840 kids a week. Now, I have a pretty darn good memory for faces so the students that have talked to me in the hallways or come to talk with me at my desk I can remember. I however, can not remember their Korean names for crap. Part of the problem is I am deaf and I feel like everyone whispers their name around here that I embarrass my students and teachers alike by asking them to repeat their name 5 or 8 times and would you mind yelling it while you are at it? Thanks.
But seriously, Korean names begin with the family name so KIM, PARK, LA etc and are followed by either 1 or 2 first names like Mi Su, Eun Bin, Jin-Woo etc. So three one syllable words when spoken in the native tongue is really hard to understand and distinguish. Some students have collected an English name over the years, but I feel so ridiculous calling someone named SIM Tak Ryan.
So this speaking test gave me the opportunity to talk with all my students rather than just the ones who are brave enough to talk with me after school or during passing time etc.
By far some of the best answers came out of question #5: What would you like to do if you become a university student? Here a couple of popular answers that I can remember:
"If I become a university student I like to drink alcohol. I make a boyfriend. I wear high heels. I work part-time in a coffee shop. I dye my hair."
"If I become a university student I get a driver's license so I can get away from my parents."
"If I become a university student I will drink wine with my friends. I will go to clubs with my friends. I will be pretty. I will wear necklaces."
"If I become a university student I will travel. But only with my friends. Not my family, my family is not fun. I will go abroad to London or Canada and make a beautiful girlfriend."
"If I become a university student I will go to New Zealand because I like their culture better than Korea."
"If I become a university student I want to drink because I can't drink now."
"If I become a university student I will get a driver's license and travel because I want to feel freedom and my parent's won't control me anymore."
I felt like I was on "Kids Say the Darnedest Things", I had to swallow back laughter after some of their responses. Between the broken English and some of their all too honest responses (who taught them how to say "I want to drink wine" and not "May I go to the bathroom"?) I had a pretty entertaining week interviewing all of my 3rd graders.
I get to quiz the 1st and 2nd graders in late October-- I can't wait for the answers they'll come up with.
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