Today I want to spend some time taking my readers on a tour of the English language school where Imola and I work. Let’s get the disclaimer out of the way: This unidentified language school is AWESOME and I never want to leave. That said, follow me…
Kids classes
“It was a relief the lady was alive. Unfortunately, she had multiple slash wounds to her head and abdomen.”
“There was a menacing glint in his eyes that stabbed a dagger of fear into her heart.”
Excerpts from the latest Dean Koontz novel? Not so much. These are actual quotes from Imola’s teaching materials, which were designed for use with 8 to 10 year old children. I guess it is a peep through a keyhole into the Singapore national character (maybe), but whatever it is, I don’t like it. FYI, these quotes come from two different books, from two different local Singaporean publishers.
My kids class starts next week, and the timing of the start of class is no accident. East Asia is certainly a continent which puts great value on education, but of all the countries of the region it is the Koreans who take the cake for zeal. Korean parents push their children to great lengths in the name of education, including sending them, sometimes alone, to a faraway country to take intensive courses in the usual subjects. These particular Korean children are here studying in a regular Singaporean government-sponsored school (“public school” to Americans). Of course I asked how they could have time to come to my class in the middle of each day for four hours, and was told “Oh, the Singapore schools have a seven-week winter holiday, and the children will have your English class during that time.” Don’t even think about vacation, son.
Adult classes
I have nothing but glowing comments regarding my adult students, who are a mix of Korean and Japanese nationals. The men are all here for work, the women are all here because of their husbands, and every last one of them is a dedicated, enthusiastic, and fast-learning English student. At this point, some of my friends who taught with me in Japan would say “wait a sec, Mike, did you just use the words ‘fast, learning, English, and student’ to describe a Japanese person?” and I would say “Yes, believe it or not.” Imagine teaching French to a group of American adults inside America. It would be difficult. Slow progress, chronic poor pronunciation, and stilted conversation would be the norm. Now, imagine the same teacher giving a class to a different group of Americans who were living and working in Marseille. It would flow much better, while both the students and the teacher got more out of the class. That is what is happening here. It is a different stripe of Japanese which volunteers to take a posting overseas, or who has the guts to leave the safety of their apartment in a strange land.
Teachers
English schools are known to be a melting pot of nations, ideas, accents, and personalities. This one is no different. We have UK/Indian, American/Taiwanese, and Swiss/Singaporean, Brit, Japanese, Kiwi and Australian teachers, plus a Texan and a Hungarian. So far, no bad experiences. The school gives us materials and plenty of latitude to decide what to do in class, which is all an experienced teacher could ask for. This also means that there is no squabbling about what is the best way to teach English or whose curry rice is better. The management is professional and the school location is excellent as it is right on Orchard Road, the famous shopping street. My commute is 40 minutes door to door.
