Czechs don't blog

I apparently have the largest class out of any of the teachers at Oxford right now. Figures. But I don't mind. It's about 20 students total, I usually get around 15. They're upper level, so they're more talkative. And they seem to be more interested in conversation than exercises and grammar lessons. Which is fine by me. I mean, I can write up gap-fills and matchings and reading exercises till the cows come home and then leave again. But I'd much rather just moderate conversations and role playing. 

So far, I've taught them how to express their opinions on world issues and I taught a lesson on blogs and their various uses. They really enjoyed the world issues lesson — mainly because I had an exercise where each of them would read a statement and the other had to give their view. I gave them a list of phrases to use and then demonstrated with exaggerated renditions ("You CAN'T be serious!" "You MUST be joking!"). It was fun listening to them use it in their groups.

They seemed to be interested in the blogs lesson and had lots of questions, but the second half was supposed to have them brainstorm blogs they would start and pitch their ideas to the class. They weren't into it. I should've known this when my tally of who had a blog consisted of me and the only Asian student in the class. As one student told me, "Why would you want to put all your personal information on the Internet? You will be vulnerable!" That led to a discussion of anonymity.

Then they asked me for the Web site of my blog and I kind of changed the subject.

This week, though, I'm going to talk about money and the "haves and have nots." That phrase was in one of their reading assignments and few of them knew what it meant. So off my mind wandered. We're mostly going to discuss trade-offs — would you give up this if you could have that? Would you buy this over that? And I think I'll try to find a way to talk about charity organizations like kiva.org, which let you loan money to poor people in third world countries so they can start a business. Do organizations like this help? Would you be willing to donate directly to a struggling business over just a general aid group?

Next week's lessons will probably be about advertising and the art of persuasion. I think it helps when the lessons revolve around current events. 

Anyway, all that aside I'm excited because tomorrow morning I'm picking up a good friend at the airport. Yay, Laura! It'll be nice to see Prague again through the eyes of someone who's never been here before.

Which reminds me, I need to finish cleaning my room.