It's Raining Men

Well I never thought I would be teaching English in Taiwan. I also never thought I would be on a poster advertising for teaching English. Here is a picture of our of the teachers and of coarse the first time I flash an Asian peace sign it is captured and then distributed. I was thinking to myself I find it funny that I am an English teacher. I mean I am still working on my English I was raised in southern Utah so I have had a few challenges. I find that grammar can be very frustrating to explain to these little Asians. They always ask teacher "why that way" I of coarse say well it is "why is it that way?" like I really know what I am talking about. I just tell them that is just how it is and who knows why. On Monday one of my students swore in class and I said Wilson! do you kiss your mother with that mouth? He said Teacher I do not kiss my mother that is gross. Well Wilson that is good because you have a dirty mouth. I really wanted to say by the way its shit not shita get it right. I mean if they go to America and they are speaking I just don't want them to be getting made fun of. I figure that I am just doing my job. I also teach my students more slang than I should. Another story about teaching small children is to always be aware that they are always listening. It was raining very hard most of the day on Monday. I was in the teachers area and started singing its raining men hallelujah its raining men. Then my student Ella was coloring in the lobby area and all the sudden I hear her saying "its raining men" the secretary immediately came back and gave me a look. I started laughing and I said sorry penny I then went and told Ella oh we don't say that. So I guess I should not be singing any songs that we don't want any little Asians repeating to their parents.

Lost in Translation

We just switched teachers and I started teaching the kids in gym and I have had the children dancing for gym class and this group loves it. This class knows some basic English but some of the students just act out what they are trying to say usually saying "he and a she a" ...... So I started teaching them in Shop and one of the students said teacher, "Teacher Adam says you (and then the girl starts to belly dance and then she says you do and then she mimics lifting up her shirt and then she puts her hand out and rubs her fingers together). (Above are some random pictures of some of my students) I am laughing so hard because not only was she doing this while explaining the whole class is doing this. I am thinking do these children think I strip for money. Because if someone who can read body language came in and did some observing and asked so what does Teacher Hanna they would definitely get a different picture. I said have you seen me do this? All of the kids say yeah! "You do" "You do" by the end of class we are just laughing so hard and I am telling them no I don't dance like that I only know the maceraina and the cha cha the dances I have taught you. I just thought if someone was just to walk in the class watch what these kids were explaining they really would think that I dance for money. I said think I need to talk to teacher Adam. I then asked him so guess what group two is telling me. He immediately said oh I said to the students it will be really funny to say shake your money maker. I then told him the story and I said I wonder what our students tell their parents? The by far has been the most entertaining day of teaching so far. One thing I have learned is always get both sides of the stories especially if English is your second language.