I am aware of the English Club site but did not notice this new MEC feature until today.I always urge my students to go read the blogs maintained by native English speakers especially those being maintained by bloggers who mumble a lot everyday. That's the living language to me. Yet they keep on complaining or looking for a better book, teacher, method or training center rather than putting their acts together. Once their eyes catch these snake-like roman alphabets, they will walk away.Students are learning from a lot of standard books in China and taught mostly by Chinese English teachers who do not either really love English or too weak to go to the next stage when they can master the language and use it freely to talk about anything easily. To the anger of a lot of struggling English learners in China, I always spell out the words FANTASY and DREAM.The mind of the average Chinese national is not fit (my apologies) to pick up a foreign language or accept/appreciate the western culture whole-heartedly. Some of them are stammering even in their own mother tongue, and yet they complain non-stop that why they cannot learn English well. Lack of an English environment and really capable teachers make it really difficult for serious learners to pick up the language easily. Only those really gifted with language will strike it out in the end.Waste, waste and waste!!! Employers look for the English certificate and expect applicants to be able to speak English on job interviews, yet once they are accepted into the company, they may never use English. Why the fuss to struggle for years to learn a language that you may never able to put into use?China is dealing with a lot of non-native English speakers as there are buyers from Middle East, Pakistan, India, Africa, Indonesia, you name it. One has to be careful talking to this group as broken English in fact more appropriate. So, why the heck perfecting your English when you again may possibly be engaged in broken English everyday.Yangshuo is a scenic county in Guilin, Guangxi Province, and this tiny place has been named the natural English corner of China. Simply because of this factor, oral English schools claiming the advantage of foreign teachers flourish and empty the wallets of young working adults from mostly Shenzhen as the latter are making their last attempt to either learn or upgrade their level. The majority feel deceived all because they blindly believe white native teachers can work wonders. The reality is many of them do not have a good foundation at all to enable them to talk properly or carry enough vocab in their head to be of any good.There is an all girls vocational middle school offering English courses comparable to college level together with trade knowledge and computer skills. It caters to the poor farm family girls in the area who will be heading to Guangdong after finishing the 3 year course for office jobs. However, out of the 230 school population, I dare say only 30 some perhaps may be likely to learn something. The rest are just there to make up the number for the existence of a school, which true or not is not actually not breaking even after 10 years of operation.I pity the young girls and the poor farm parents who fork out a school fee slightly higher than the average college fee. The operator of the school is selling a dream and he himself cannot even conduct a decent conversation in English, and yet boasts in front of the girls that he could have made heck a lot of money as a simultaneous interpreter if he had not for the sake of the girls started the school. All the Chinese English teachers are fresh graduates without much drive or time to offer additional help to the 20-30 strong class.There are a few unscrupulous English school operators here. One acts like a clown, speaks broken English loudly and never knows what he is doing. So he keeps creating tension between the casual foreign backpackers and the complaining students. One told my friend, a Canadian Chinese who can speak Chinese, to just blast the students with English and refuse to say anything in Chinese. If they ask anything, answer back in English as the students will not understand. Never mind, the students have already paid up. If they go, they go. There are always suckers around. Then we have this vocatinal school I just mentioned whose principal is also from farm family background who never communicates properly with the teaching staff.Well, I apologize as I am simply clearing my air here with a virgin entry in this blog. I hope this blog is not like the forum of Chinadaily when there are lots of heated fightings around, both from the die-hard Chinese and the disgruntled foreigners.With due apologies again if you think I have offended anyone, I can only SMILE GROOFILY!!!
Comments