Ode to Teaching English in Hungary

School starts tomorrow in Szeged, only this time, I'm not there.

Looking back on my time as an ESL Teacher in Hungary, I don't know how I survived.

198 students.  4 schools.  Language barrier.  Lack of formal ESL experience.

But then, I remember these faces, and I know how I made it through.  Fueled on the smiles of these kids, lit by their light, their spirit.

  

There were days I sat on the desk, legs swinging as I sighed and bit the inside of my mouth, just waiting for the yelling to stop.

There were moments of quiet work, or confident conversation.

My students wore blindfolds, created mazes from desks, and gave directions.

We sang karaoke (popular songs: It's My Life by Bon Jovi and Rolling in the Deep by Adele) and played games.  I have never played so much Pictionary.  I have never had so many conversations about 'free time activities.'  And don't get me started on hangman.

I have mixed feelings about teaching, as you may have deduced if you've been reading for awhile.  The "agenda" makes me uncomfortable and frankly, teaching is hard.

But one thing I have no mixed feelings about?  The kids.

So this year I am gone from their lives, but I will always remember the year we spent together, chair-hurling and all.

Because how can you do anything but love faces like this?

Easy Peasy Lesson Plan: Imagine If Game

Imagine If

We made "Imagine If" cards last week, based on this game, where you vote on what you imagine someone would be if they were an invention/crime/cartoon character.  It has been a blast to play with our students!  If you don't have the game, don't worry -- it is very easy to re-create.

Grades: Primary - High School.  One group of my 8th graders was resistant when I explained the game, but after we started to play, they had so much fun.  I haven't tried it with high schoolers yet, but I believe that with modified cards some of my classes would be into it.

You need: Index cards and a pen.  That's it.

Our cards look like this:

Imagine if I was an animal that could fly.  Which flying animal would I be?
Sparrow
Hawk
Pigeon
Parrot
Eagle

To make other cards, simply replace the italicized text with another prompt.

Some of the other cards we created were, "Imagine if I was a/an..."
texture
taste
drink
invention
electronic
in a movie
musical instrument
season

Here is how the game works:

One student (Student A) comes up in front of the class and reads the card aloud to the class.
Each student writes down their vote of what they think that student would be.
Student A votes too, but keeps the vote secret.
When everyone has voted, each student reads their vote, and Student A reveals their vote.
Any student that voted for the Student A's choice gets a point.
Student A gets as many votes as students who voted for his/her choice.

For example, if Student A voted for 'hawk' and 5 students in the class voted for 'hawk', each of the 5 students would receive 1 point, and Student A would receive 5 points.

Reflection:


This is a very fun and revealing game in how well students know one another, and how they perceive each other.

Talk time is high!  Students are reading the card, repeating the choices, and even facilitating the game in some cases!  To my amazement, some of my classes orchestrated the game themselves without direction from me.

I imagine that some students could even work together to create the cards.

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Have fun and as always, let me know how this works for you.