(Talking with Charlie)
Most of my students are very good with English - speaking and writing. Then there are others who are quite obviously in the program merely because their parents have enough money to put them there. One of these students is named Charlie.
Laura - Charlie, you’ve been sick for 5 days - are you feeling okay?
Charlie - Yeah, okay.
Laura - Alright, well you’ve missed heaps of work. Are you ready to write Task 3 today?
Charlie - Yeah, okay.
Laura - So, you’ve prepared for it?
Charlie - Okay.
Laura - So, you’re prepared?
Charlie - prepared.
Laura - Right, well get your pen and we’ll put you at the back of the class then to write it.
Five minutes later, Charlie is sitting at his desk, talking to friends. I walk over.
Laura - Charlie, are you going to write Task 3 then?
Charlie - Okay.
Charlie’s friends start laughing
Laura - Charlie, do you understand what I’ve asked you?
Charlie - understand.
I turn to his friends.
Laura - Right, guys can you please ask Charlie if he’s ready to write Task 3 today?
Chinese, Chinese, Chinese….
Charlie’s friends - No, Charlie isn’t ready today. He wants to write it tomorrow.
Of course, there’s another side to this coin. Tomorrow I’ll relate what a typical conversation between myself and a local Chinese person sounds like.
Most of my students are very good with English - speaking and writing. Then there are others who are quite obviously in the program merely because their parents have enough money to put them there. One of these students is named Charlie.
Laura - Charlie, you’ve been sick for 5 days - are you feeling okay?
Charlie - Yeah, okay.
Laura - Alright, well you’ve missed heaps of work. Are you ready to write Task 3 today?
Charlie - Yeah, okay.
Laura - So, you’ve prepared for it?
Charlie - Okay.
Laura - So, you’re prepared?
Charlie - prepared.
Laura - Right, well get your pen and we’ll put you at the back of the class then to write it.
Five minutes later, Charlie is sitting at his desk, talking to friends. I walk over.
Laura - Charlie, are you going to write Task 3 then?
Charlie - Okay.
Charlie’s friends start laughing
Laura - Charlie, do you understand what I’ve asked you?
Charlie - understand.
I turn to his friends.
Laura - Right, guys can you please ask Charlie if he’s ready to write Task 3 today?
Chinese, Chinese, Chinese….
Charlie’s friends - No, Charlie isn’t ready today. He wants to write it tomorrow.
Of course, there’s another side to this coin. Tomorrow I’ll relate what a typical conversation between myself and a local Chinese person sounds like.
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