The things teachers do to motivate their students!!

     People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.
- Zig Ziglar   


    As a part of my course, I am expected to do an internship with a school that teaches English to international students (ESL). Ever since I started interning, not a day has gone by which hasn't been memorable. My internship, in short, is a BLAST .... I love going there everyday and spending time with my students who barely know any English. They try really hard to pick up an alien language in a foreign world and in the process say and do the funniest things. They are what I call "humor in disguise" because they have no idea how funny they are and still have me in splits! 

   The class that teach/assist has 11 students, 10 of whom are Arabic native speakers and one who is Korean. They are all low level beginners and can barely form logical or sometimes coherent sentences. BUT they all try and that is amazing--to see them go at English like a hungry dog goes after a squirrel! 

   Since the past 3 weeks now, we've been having a particularly difficult time with this boy called "H" who I believe knows his work but doesn't care less if he doesn't know anything. He is always disrupting the class, talking in Arabic instead of English, slouching and sitting and sometimes even dozing off! Today, when we were in the Language Technology Center (LTC) (where the students do a lot of self-studying and revise their English with the help of special English language application programs and teachers only help them if they ask for help), H called me and told me he was taking a quiz (Each unit has a quiz at the end of the unit to test their ability in each sphere of English). I was very pleased! After a while he tells me, he wants to skip the "Speaking" section ... A little baffled, I sat down next to him and this is how the conversation went (with a lot of gesturing, repeating and emphasizing of words!):

H: I no do spaking.

Me: Why H? Is there a problem? Why won't you do the "speaking" (I emphasized on the wrong word) section. 

H: No "broblem" (Arabic speakers cant say "P" very well...they always say "B" instead!) .... just no do.

Me: But why H? Is it difficult for you?

H: I no know to spak ... If I spak I take ba-ad. (He meant a bad score at the end of the test)

Me: OK ....Why don't you try at least? It won't be so "bad" ... It will be easy! 

H: No try.

Me: But you would never know if you can or can't speak if you don't try.

H: * BLANK STARE *

Me: Please try .... It is OK if you no get good score (We have to "baby talk" to them sometimes to make comprehension easier)

H: But I dont vo-nt.

Me: If you no speak, you no get good score in your final test. Then S (our director) will fail you. You will repeat level 101 again. So you MUST try. 

H: (Looks at me reluctantly) but no good.

Me: (Thinking fast on how to get him to work on this test) OK ...I understand how difficult this is for you. Just like         me ...if I try to speak in Arabic. Correct?

H: Yes ... very haarrrd for you.

Me: Yes .... sooooo I will make a deal with you ....  You teach me 5 Arabic words everyday and I will learn them and tell you the next day. Understand?

H: *Looking excitedly * (I finally saw a spark in his eyes) ... Yes .. OK OK KOOOL!

Me: But ..... a deal is for two people; in between two people. You also have to promise me that you will do this Listening section now, do your homework everyday, study hard and not speak Arabic in class... DEAL?

H: ME everyday study ....

Me: No ...study harder...more study .... everyday study and get 4.0 GPA in all classes. 

H: 4.0???? Nooooo .... too haarrd! 

Me: Well then ... I no study Arabic.

H: Nooo... you Arabic study ... I give 5 word avery-day.

Me: Then you have to study English for me if I study Arabic. OK?

H: You shhu-ar?

Me: ABSOLUTELY! :D (Happy that this conversation was going somewhere) 

H: OK... I try listening secphun (section)

Me: SEC - TION.

H: Yes .. SEC - TION

Me: GREAT!!!! Thank you H. 

   H gets to his work--much more excited than before and finishes the task at hand! Next lecture, he comes to me and says that he did what he was supposed to and that I needed to learn 5 Arabic words. The class hours slipped by and when it was time to break for lunch ...I reminded H that he needed to teach me 5 words so that he could quiz me the next day. H was shocked and quite unbelievingly asked me if I would actually go through this .... "You learn Aah-rhaa-bic? No .. you jok!". "No", I said... I was serious. I wanted to show him that I could learn a new language, try really hard to learn it and to show him that I would overcome the language challenges that Arabic presented to me. I wanted to help motivate H to learn English. By me learning Arabic, it would show him that I'm putting as much effort in his native language as he is in English. He quickly agreed and gave me five words and an extra two in case I forgot a few words the next day! 

1. Marhabba = Hello/Hi

2. Kew-Al-Haal? = How are you?

3. Salaam va-ley-kum = More formal way of greeting ...especially older people. the answer to that would be "Valey-kum-asalaam" (Im fine thank you)

4. Habibi = My darling 

5. Ma Salaam = bbyee

6. Sabba-ey- Khair = Good morning

7. Tamam = I'm doing good/ fine 

Now, I have a test tomorrow and I will get to learn 5 more words. Let's see if H does his homework and studies a bit of English. If all goes well, "Inshallah" ... this plan will work!! *SIGH* the things teachers do to motivate their students!!! I just LOVE TO TEACH!!!!

***UPDATE***: It's been 24 hours since I wrote this blog and I wanted to share with you what happened this morning in class. As I walked in, H sees me and smiles at me with a raised eyebrow just to hint at our deal from the previous day. I smiled back and nodded indicating I had studied and was ready to be tried in the Arabic language court! 

   All day long, H was on his best behavior in class--he didn't speak a word of Arabic, if he had to he would explain his thoughts to his classmates in English only, he actually completed his homework and was observant and alert through the lectures! It was fantastic .... my plan was working!!! I did catch him cracking a joke or two in Arabic and laughing during LTC but that I overlooked and didn't mind. I only went up to him and whispered that our deal would be off if he spoke in Arabic. He immediately started apologizing earnestly and said, "Sarrry ... no do again. No deal off .... pleassssseeeeeeeeee". 

    I was happy to know that this deal meant something to him and he was actually willing to improve based on our deal. PREFECT! Just as I had hoped. 

    Later in the day, I did take a 5 word quiz on the Arabic words and am proud to say that I passed with flying colors in the various categories such as accent, stress, intonation, pronunciation and just memorizing according to H! Now for numbers from 0-10 for tomorrow .... Arabic's getting harder and harder!