Only One Student Needed Stitches – Teaching English Horror Stories – ESL Teaching

www.echinacities.com — I saw a movie years ago called La Ciudad. A series of vignettes about Hispanic immigrants in the US. In one, a new arrival goes home with a girl and in the morning wants to be sweet and go buy breakfast. Coming out of the store he looks up at the identical Robert Moses built NY projects and realizes he'll never find his way back and the girl with think he ran. That crushing feeling of being irretrievably lost is the same feeling I get when I realize even had I been able to call an ambulance for this kid I would have been 100% unable to explain to them where we were.

full story »

Login or register to post comments
1823 reads

Submitted by fredster

2 years 32 weeks ago Made popular 2 years 32 weeks ago

Tags:

0 Comments

No one is talking about this story yet. Why not get things rolling?

Who Hao/Bu Hao'd It?

Similar Stories on HHR

Awkward Conversation About Divorce, Gay Marriage, and AIDS - 3 days 14 hours ago

A normal conversation topic with a student boggles the mind and displays the problems with the "traditional" and conservative mindset.

Awkward Conversation About Taiwan - 6 days 4 hours ago

A Chinese student wants to know what a foreigner thinks of Taiwan's status and gets what she asks for. Sort of.

So you want to work in China... - A guide for those looking to teach English in the Middle Kingdom - 9 weeks 2 days ago

I've already received a handful of emails from blog readers asking for advice on finding work in China, and my wife received 2 from friends just in the last week. As teaching in China becomes more popular, so does tricking foreigners into working at awful schools. Today I'd like to give job hunters a few tips for finding a reputable school in China.

Why do you want to teach?

Smoke and Mirrors - A cautionary tale for English teachers - 9 weeks 4 days ago

Looking back on the scenario, I can still only compare it to Kafka's The Trial, a story in which a man experiences the confusing nightmare of bureaucracy and society gone amok. I had started the first step to China on the wrong foot by coming to teach on a tourist visa.

A few signs your MA in TESOL program is a bad choice - 11 weeks 4 days ago

I’ve given some thought to doing an MA in TESOL. After all, I taught it in China, liked it, so why not earn 5,000 RMB a month instead of a mere 4800?

All I need is a golden ticket.

Getting Educated - A glimpse of the worst school in China - 17 weeks 1 day ago

It was the right room alright. I stood outside of a locked door, behind which my schedule told me I should have begun class ten minutes earlier. I had no choice but to wait there where my co-teacher had shown me, alternating between examining my class schedule, the number above the door, and wondering if it was all a big elaborate game to mess with my mind.

Is teaching English in China a waste of time? - 22 weeks 4 days ago

According to official statistics (which means they are full of problems) there are roughly 300,000,000 English learners in China. This statistic is being bandied about to show how quickly China is changing, and how the West needs to do more to learn Chinese (which is a point for another day).

Hannah Montana Teaches English in China - 29 weeks 2 days ago

It’s summer in Shanghai and that means mornings and evenings of Children’s shows. Are you afraid? If you’re an English teacher you should be! Hannah Montana is taking over the English classroom!

Laowai, Inc. - 32 weeks 11 hours ago

"they see westerners on hand, happily ensconced behind a glass barrier, smiling and waving when people pass by. All the office needs is a tire swing and some fake rocks... The fun thing is that although we’re up there several hours at a time, we might or might not even have actual students, which means we get paid hourly to sit in the office and look western.

An Open Letter to Chinese Students Going Abroad - 34 weeks 2 days ago

Dear Chinese student, If you're reading this, you have already decided to seek higher education in an English-speaking country. Congratulations! Going abroad takes a lot of courage, and I'm sure you'll do very well. Before you go, though, I'd like to send you a modest list of things to remember...