Day 28

I said my new jobs were fun, I never said they were easy. It's one thing to understand when to use "can, may, may be, maybe and must" in my head. It's another thing to stand in front of 8 languages who have all learned bits and pieces of English from various places over the years, and articulate those uses in a clear and concise manner. Wow, I was sooo not clear and concise today. But there are a thousand exceptions to every damn rule. Like a million! 

Mama mia. English is stupid.

My brain was exhausted. My students were a bit confused. I didn't want them to get too frustrated over knowing the exact rules (or realizing I don't know them!) so I ended the class with a pep talk (or some ad copy I would have written had this been assignment been to sell an English course that doesn't really know how to teach English). 

I told my class that Americans go to school for 12+ years to learn grammar and still use "you're" instead of "your". Some of the most brilliant writers don't know how to use a semi-colon. So you don't have to know proper English in order to communicate successfully. In fact trying to understand all of the rules can get in the way. So instead of getting caught up with the examples in the book, think of it as a guide. In this class, we're going to bring in newspapers and magazines. We going to write down our thoughts and our ideas. We're going to read everything out loud. We're going to have great discussions. Not just because your teacher is just as confused as you are when it comes to this crap. Not because she is completely fascinated with your culture and wants to hear all about it. But because reading, listening and speaking as much as possible is the only way you're really going to learn.  

I think they bought it.