teaching english

I've been teaching English this summer to three Korean boys, which has been a rather, er, interesting experience.

Each one is 10 years old and more interested in Nintendo and comic books than in learning English. Holding their attention is one of the hardest things I've had to do this summer.

Starting out, I actually planned to help vamp up their English skills, expand their vocabulary and work on their pronounciation. But I soon learned that if we were going to get through this gig, I would have to change my approach.

The entire two-hour session is now devoted to teaching them the English that's really useful in their world. Words like "villain," "body slam" and "supercalafrajalisticexpialadocious" have all made the vocab list.

Instead of journal entries, I have them writing comic book stories. I don't know how beneficial that is to them, but at least they're doing their homework. We've studied The Simpsons ("Don't have a cow, man!")and I've learned more than I ever wanted to about Super Mario, as well as several other characters and games that may or may not be exclusive to the Asian market.

They didn't quite catch on to knock knock jokes and I'm having a hard time with their giddy facination with the words "fart," "bum" and "underpants," but we're somehow muddling through. Don't know if they're getting their $30/hr worth - and sometimes I wonder if it's worth that price to go through this twice a week, but there it is.

What doesn't break us makes us stronger.