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So I teach English in Hong Kong and I run English Cafe, a lunch time room for kids to play some games and listen to music etc. I usually serve as DJ and the students give me endless pop songs to play. Allows me to keep up on that vital pop genre. Whatever they like it and if they take interest in English that's the key. Sure ain't going to listen to my boring stuff.
So they give me a Carly Rae Jepsen song starring Tom Hanks. Whoah What?
Tom Hanks. Multiple Oscar winner - okay.
So apparently it's about the day in the life of Tom Hanks - my students also point out that Justin Bieber (who the girls seem to want to marry) comes in at the end.
So they want me to play this everyday - I have to hear it everyday - tell me again that teachers are overpaid. :)
Follow Ups:
I concur w/ Inmate51.
I hate to be a wet blanket, but why are students exposed to yet more pop culture at school; by an English teacher no less?
Hey that's a good question. In a philosophy course I once took at University, the students were all asked to take a position on some contemporary moral problem like abortion or the death penalty. We each had to take a side and write a one page proposal for what we would argue. For example, one would write a proposal outlining the case FOR Pro-Choice.The next week the professor came in and said great - each of you will now write an essay for the OTHER SIDE. So we would have to write a 3000 word essay FOR Pro-Life. (This is when the religious students all dropped the course - so much for getting an education).
So I put this back to you. Why would teachers use pop culture in their lessons? And indeed, what are the pros and cons?
So to provide a little more information it is always helpful to know the situation around the school. The assumption might be, for example, that the school is in Hong Kong so the students are super bright. Here in Hong Kong though every grade 6 student are tested comprehensively. Based on those results determines which "level" of high school they are permitted. The best and brightest go to Band One high schools. The worst go to Band Three high schools. And then there is my school which takes in the kids who get kicked out of higher band three schools. They, largely, have no interest in school and certainly no interest in English. There will be about 12 special needs students in a class of 30. Another three to five will belong to gangs like the Triads. Basically, if they're in our school there is a problem.
This information above will probably have you able to answer your own question. In the US or Canada - most students have grasped being able to speak and to listen. Teachers typically don't need to teach these skills at high school. Listening to the second language is the weakest skill these kids have. They won't do homework and there is no structure in place to force them to do homework. Gone are the days where schools in any way shape or form can "punish" a kid. Schools get sued now if the PE teacher makes a kid do ten pushups. If you keep them after school that is kidnapping. If you yell at a kid that is causing emotional distress. Have a kid stand in the hall? That is causing emotional distress. You can be fired.
The curriculum has music lessons where the lyrics are given to students with two choice endings and they select the word they hear when they listen to the song. The problem is the song selections are chosen by nearing retirement age teachers so the selections tend to be the Beatles or various other songs from the 1960s. You may as well hand them toilet paper. I let them select the songs for the rest of the class - no nudity, no foul language, no drugs is the basic rule I have. Even these kids who are "tough" enjoy doing this. In education, 90% of the battle is to get them engaged. And I will use any trick that I can think of to get them engaged. Pop Culture is usually the entry point.
If you ever saw the movie Mr. Holland's Opus - boy was he struggling to get them engaged. That is until he brought in music the kids were into. Once he engaged them then he could talk about the Platters ripping off Beethoven or whatever. Then they were more interested in Beethoven.
I think this is a big shift in education from when I was in school. School was a place you had to suck it up and do some actual work whether you liked it or not. Today, that is gone. If they don't like it they won't do it and there isn't thing one a teacher can do about it. This is largely because all the people who control the education system do not have education degrees, have never actually taught or sat in a classroom for long periods of time to see the situation. Open test book to page 5 and see the box on the verb "to be." Hah. Thirty students in the class and only 8 will even have the textbook. Teacher can't photo copy it because that goes against copyright infringement and they lose their jobs. So, 22 students with no book and the teacher going through the book to teach a concept. What do you think will happen?
Edits: 09/15/16 09/16/16
"So I teach English in Hong Kong and I run English Cafe, a lunch time room for kids to play some games and listen to music etc. I usually serve as DJ and the students give me endless pop songs to play. Allows me to keep up on that vital pop genre. Whatever they like it and if they take interest in English that's the key. Sure ain't going to listen to my boring stuff.
So they give me a Carly Rae Jepsen song starring Tom Hanks. Whoah What?
Tom Hanks. Multiple Oscar winner - okay.
So apparently it's about the day in the life of Tom Hanks - my students also point out that Justin Bieber (who the girls seem to want to marry) comes in at the end.
So they want me to play this everyday - I have to hear it everyday - tell me again that teachers are overpaid. "
So (comma), I thought you were a reviewer. So (comma), you really teach English. So (comma), do you teach them to start every sentence with the word "so"?
Yes (comma), some teachers ARE overpaid.
Commas are not determined by grammar, nor by which words they follow. Comma indicates a particular intonation. If you would use that intonation in speaking the sentence, use a comma; if not, don't. So it's important to hear what you're writing, in your mind if nowhere else.
Generally in short sentences you wouldn't, but if the sentence following the introductory word is long, you might well. Also generally speaking, if the material coming first is long (as it is in this sentence but wasn't in the previous sentence), you would.
As a two finger typist I write on all these boards freestyle. I do not go back to check. If my grammar upsets you just skip my posts. Language at its heart is to be understood. Grammar is one of the reasons most kids wind up hating English classes. Almost always ranked at the bottom of favorite subjects by students. When ideas take a back seat to form and style, students in large numbers become disinterested.
Like so I still really really really like you. So like dude, don't crash the party with like that Grammar Nazi stuff dude. So like not cool. Eh?
By Peter Gabriel.....
ET
"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936
He is right!
Edits: 09/15/16
Thanks - it happens every now and then.;)
Edits: 09/15/16
I laughed my buns off. So funny i had to share it with my wife. Had to pick her up off the floor.
Thanks for the laugh,
JCarney
What was that all about and what was he thinking?
What a hoot! He seems to be having a lot of fun. More power to him.
I felt the same way. It's ridiculous, but hey a bit of fun.
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