Happy teachers' day

nhungleona wrote:

... Do you have any ideal for this day? ....

As someone who teaches English (I guess you'd call me an English Teacher then), I gotta ask you....who teaches you to use "ideal" in a sentence?  You're not the first one that I see using it wrong.

The correct usage is "ideas".  "Do you have any ideas for this day?".

Here's where you use "ideal":

My ideal students are the ones who are always coming up with brilliant ideas on how I can teach English better.

Here's one idea...very simple idea.

Buy an apple and give it to your teacher.  It's an American tradition that students can do to show appreciation for their teachers.



Because every teacher knows....you can't eat gift cards.

nhungleona wrote:

Hi everyone,


I would love to do some work such as: design a gift card or writing wishes for my beloved teachers to thank you teacher or have you ever thought of putting in the teacher's shoes?

The day I have to wear shoes, will be the day I stop teaching.

Hi nhungleona,

I also think Teachers'Day is a special day, the day to honor teachers who make contributes in education.

I think we should have many activities on this day. I think design a card an write wishes to teachers is a great ideas.

Ideally, a teacher wouldn't correct a student in public.  It's a confidence killer.

You assume the person has been taught, but I figure it's probably the fact that both words sound virtually alike.  Homophones, or words that sound alike, are one of the reasons listening can be so difficult.  Even the latest versions of speech to text have difficulty differentiating between them and at least 90 percent of our jokes involve them, especially "knock-knock" jokes. 

You also have to remember the fact that "British English" is predominantly taught in the classrooms here.  In this instance, the usage is the same, and it was used incorrectly BUT, if you're in the southern United States, you may hear someone use ideal in place of idea.  Intelligence isn't the issue, it just seems to be a regional thing, or one teacher has taught it incorrectly and the incporrct usage has spread. 

I think you had mentioned something about the word "scheme" in another post.  This is an example of how the British and ourselves may have different assumptions as to the meaning.  A scheme, by definition, is a plan.  However, in American English the word conjures up images of a con, or dishonesty. You'll see it used frequently in the English editions of the Vietnamese newspapers.  I still start reading the articles, thinking that someone has been ripped off, only to find out that they're just planning a public works project, and no one has been bilked...yet.

I have a poster that my students gave me on the first Teacher's Day I spent here in Vietnam (2009)  It's the only thing I have that I would fight for, were someone to try and take it.

Teacher Mark wrote:

Ideally, a teacher wouldn't correct a student in public.  It's a confidence killer.

You assume the person has been taught, but I figure it's probably the fact that both words sound virtually alike.  Homophones, or words that sound alike, are one of the reasons listening can be so difficult.  Even the latest versions of speech to text have difficulty differentiating between them and at least 90 percent of our jokes involve them, especially "knock-knock" jokes. 

You also have to remember the fact that "British English" is predominantly taught in the classrooms here.  In this instance, the usage is the same, and it was used incorrectly BUT, if you're in the southern United States, you may hear someone use ideal in place of idea.  Intelligence isn't the issue, it just seems to be a regional thing, or one teacher has taught it incorrectly and the incporrct usage has spread. 

I think you had mentioned something about the word "scheme" in another post.  This is an example of how the British and ourselves may have different assumptions as to the meaning.  A scheme, by definition, is a plan.  However, in American English the word conjures up images of a con, or dishonesty. You'll see it used frequently in the English editions of the Vietnamese newspapers.  I still start reading the articles, thinking that someone has been ripped off, only to find out that they're just planning a public works project, and no one has been bilked...yet.

I have a poster that my students gave me on the first Teacher's Day I spent here in Vietnam (2009)  It's the only thing I have that I would fight for, were someone to try and take it.

Ah, so it's the Brits that's messing everything up.  Yah I read the newspapers too and often ask myself who teaches these guys to write in English? 

I keep telling my students, there is no "ZED" in the alphabet.  It's "ZEE". 

So when I correct you below, do you feel like you lost confidence?

Teacher Mark wrote:

Intelligence isn't the issue, it just seems to be a regional thing, or one teacher has taught it incorrectly and the incporrctincorrect usage has spread. 

I don't care for the emotional obstacle of learning English.  I force the issue out initially so they can get over their fear.  The fear of being laughed at for making a mistake is what holds most Vietnamese students back.  So then lets get it out of the way shall we?  Everybody laugh....there, not so bad okay?  Good, lets move on.

That's a typo. 

I'm a fairly confident teacher.  You can tell by the fact that I'm unemployed.  I've noticed that confident teachers, that are brutally honest and hell-bent on changing things for what they perceive as being better, don't get rich here!

I'm also a victim of the Cambridge CELTA course, so I'm impervious to online criticism.  I walked out in week 3, which was a week before completion.  I was passing, but my pride and ego had taken a beating and I had a $25 an hour job waiting.  They were promising to make me the head mother %^$#-er in charge of a new school, which my ego found very pleasing.  Unfortunately, they lied and I lost $1400! My biggest regret remains the fact that I bought into the CELTA hype, followed by my choice of schools (Apollo) and city (Hanoi).  Hanoi would have been fine, if I knew the city.  I had underestimated how difficult it would be for me to adjust, after living in HCM for a few years.

There are methods of correcting errors that don't shatter a learner's confidence.  One is called a PM, or personal message.

Teacher Mark wrote:

That's a typo. 

I'm a fairly confident teacher.  You can tell by the fact that I'm unemployed.  I've noticed that confident teachers, that are brutally honest and hell-bent on changing things for what they perceive as being better, don't get rich here!

I'm also a victim of the Cambridge CELTA course, so I'm impervious to online criticism.  I walked out in week 3, which was a week before completion.  I was passing, but my pride and ego had taken a beating and I had a $25 an hour job waiting.  They were promising to make me the principle of a new school, which my ego found very pleasing.  Unfortunately, they lied and I lost $1400! My biggest regret remains the fact that I bought into the CELTA hype, followed by my choice of schools (Apollo) and city (Hanoi).  Hanoi would have been fine, if I knew the city.  I had underestimated how difficult it would be for me to adjust, after living in HCM for a few years.

There are methods of correcting errors that don't shatter a learner's confidence.  One is called a PM, or personal message.

I don't care cuz as you can see, the OP has gone away.  Usually when I PM a typo/error, people don't care.  Like I'm about to tell you that it's "Principal" and not "Principle". 

Teacher Mark wrote:

...They were promising to make me the principle of a new school, which my ego found very pleasing...

A Principal will stick to his principles of not allowing cheating at the school.

Most English students don't really care; they just want the certificate/degree so they can get a better job.  If I was an employer, I wouldn't care if you had a PhD in English or not if you can't freeken tell me you're "forty three years old" and not "fir tree yir ol".  I'll give the job to whoever can perform.

But as you've already noticed, language centers just want the money.  Oh, pass this kid, give him high marks cuz his parents are paying a ton of money to the school.  We can't fail him even though he's a moron; we need to give him the certificate of AWESOMENESS in English.  Sign the certificate or you're fired.

Teacher Mark wrote:

...
I'm also a victim of the Cambridge CELTA course, so I'm impervious to online criticism.  I walked out in week 3, which was a week before completion.  I was passing, but my pride and ego had taken a beating and I had a $25 an hour job waiting....and I lost $1400! My biggest regret remains the fact that I bought into the CELTA hype, ...

I'm contemplating the benefit/cost ratio of a CELTA or TESOL or FUBAR since I know they costs around $1,500 to sit through.  Supposedly they teach you how to teach but in reality, it's one of those required documentations that the government makes the teacher have in order to teach.  So you end up being forced to spend about 1-2 months salary. 

I'm starting to like my volunteer gig more.  There's no pressure for students to test, no money involved to corrupt the process, and most students are there wanting to learn for the sake of learning.

Let me rephrase that. I'm a knee jerk reactionary and I know that.

The o/p may have gone AWOL because of the correction.  Some of the learners here are timid and shy; a fairly substantial amount, so a teacher really needs to be delicate and gentle when making corrections.  I'm basing this observation on thousands of classroom hours and twice that amount on these boards.

You will suffer greatly if you attempt the CELTA!  They don't ;like independent thinkers.  Ironically enough, the day before I dropped we had a heated debate about correcting the x year/years thing.

Tran Hung Dao wrote:

Here's one idea...very simple idea.

Buy an apple and give it to your teacher.  It's an American tradition that students can do to show appreciation for their teachers.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/ … 33x338.jpg

Because every teacher knows....you can't eat gift cards.

Time for a new tradition, how about a 21 year old single malt?

Tran Hung Dao wrote:

Teacher Mark wrote:

...
I'm also a victim of the Cambridge CELTA course, so I'm impervious to online criticism.  I walked out in week 3, which was a week before completion.  I was passing, but my pride and ego had taken a beating and I had a $25 an hour job waiting....and I lost $1400! My biggest regret remains the fact that I bought into the CELTA hype, ...

I'm contemplating the benefit/cost ratio of a CELTA or TESOL or FUBAR since I know they costs around $1,500 to sit through.  Supposedly they teach you how to teach but in reality, it's one of those required documentations that the government makes the teacher have in order to teach.  So you end up being forced to spend about 1-2 months salary. 

I'm starting to like my volunteer gig more.  There's no pressure for students to test, no money involved to corrupt the process, and most students are there wanting to learn for the sake of learning.

You can search google for various providers of teaching certificates.  My was held on Ko Samui and I only paid $599 for course and books.  No placement assistance, none was needed. Plus spending a month on an island was nice.

ancientpathos wrote:

Tran Hung Dao wrote:

Here's one idea...very simple idea.

Buy an apple and give it to your teacher.  It's an American tradition that students can do to show appreciation for their teachers.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/ … 33x338.jpg

Because every teacher knows....you can't eat gift cards.

Time for a new tradition, how about a 21 year old single malt?

MMMMMMM !  Glenfriddich 30 springs instantly to mind !

Teacher Mark wrote:

That's a typo. 



I'm also a victim of the Cambridge CELTA course, so I'm impervious to online criticism.  I walked out in week 3, which was a week before completion.  I was passing, but my pride and ego had taken a beating and I had a $25 an hour job waiting.  They were promising to make me the head mother %^$#-er in charge of a new school, which my ego found very pleasing.  Unfortunately, they lied and I lost $1400! My biggest regret remains the fact that I bought into the CELTA hype, followed by my choice of schools (Apollo) and city (Hanoi).  Hanoi would have been fine, if I knew the city.  I had underestimated how difficult it would be for me to adjust, after living in HCM for a few years.

I did 75% of an online  ELTs type cert, ( $500, 4 yrs ago, some pommie jerk, based in Thailand, should have made the bells ring ),  it was the same as these big Viet - Anh dictionaries you get here, full of useless words , ( I had to look up a dictionary myself many times, I wasn't born in the 1600-1700's ), couldn't see the point of teaching students useless information.
    You were talking about the word, scheme, in NZ it means both, a plan, ( from schematic's ),  and also con, we would say, ' he's a scheming bar***d '.
  I've had words with my school's owner, she say's ' prestige ' is most important, I asked her how do you get ' prestige ', when word gets around that the students don't learn anything?????
  In NZ , the Chinese Students blame the schools for failing their ELTS test, ( nothing to do with them playing up every weekend, and at night, with their other Chinese buddies, and of course only speaking Chinese???? )

Hi nhungleona,

Your ideas are great. I think we should learn more information about Teachers'Day history, playing crossword is a good way to learn.

Do you have any ideas for playing crossword?