Committing a "No-No" Unawares
Apparently, I committed a no-no today. I wanted to talk about it only because it`s something I`m already supposed to know. Yet this custom is so intricate that it was imperceptible today.
Okay, so today I taught a class that went over adjectives. I assumed that the students had already touched upon the subject so this was basically going to be an overview. I put up a couple of examples on the board and picked out students to choose the word signifying the adjective. By the way, this process in Japan is so tedious. It takes forever for students to open up their mouths and talk. They`re SOOO slow in responding, it`s excruciating at times. Even if they know the answer they`ll just sit there at their desk and say nothing. Sometimes they`ll even have a discussion with students around them in search for the answer. Uh, sometimes I just want to pull my hair while waiting.
Anyway, today one student only half answered the questioned. I then asked if there were any other adjectives in the sentence and she said no. So I then asked other students if she was correct. Are there no other adjectives in this sentence. Apparently, I was being rude. I should not have asked if the one student was wrong as this was socially a no-no, she would lose face. Pointing out her mistake was a no-no and the students refused to answer the question on this basis. So without realizing it I just asked: "Are there any other adjectives in this sentence?" Finally an answer came forth and the lesson continued.
Later on I was stopped by the teacher I was teaching with who explained to me that in "our society" you don`t really want to say that someone is incorrect. It would be better for you to just state if the object itself is correct. Do not mention whether or not someone was wrong in regards to their response to the statement. When she told me that, I felt like hitting myself in the head bc I had studied this "way" of thinking. But I hadn`t realized that it was this deeply entrenched. I wasn`t attentive of this fact and I paid for it in that lesson.
Okay, so today I taught a class that went over adjectives. I assumed that the students had already touched upon the subject so this was basically going to be an overview. I put up a couple of examples on the board and picked out students to choose the word signifying the adjective. By the way, this process in Japan is so tedious. It takes forever for students to open up their mouths and talk. They`re SOOO slow in responding, it`s excruciating at times. Even if they know the answer they`ll just sit there at their desk and say nothing. Sometimes they`ll even have a discussion with students around them in search for the answer. Uh, sometimes I just want to pull my hair while waiting.
Anyway, today one student only half answered the questioned. I then asked if there were any other adjectives in the sentence and she said no. So I then asked other students if she was correct. Are there no other adjectives in this sentence. Apparently, I was being rude. I should not have asked if the one student was wrong as this was socially a no-no, she would lose face. Pointing out her mistake was a no-no and the students refused to answer the question on this basis. So without realizing it I just asked: "Are there any other adjectives in this sentence?" Finally an answer came forth and the lesson continued.
Later on I was stopped by the teacher I was teaching with who explained to me that in "our society" you don`t really want to say that someone is incorrect. It would be better for you to just state if the object itself is correct. Do not mention whether or not someone was wrong in regards to their response to the statement. When she told me that, I felt like hitting myself in the head bc I had studied this "way" of thinking. But I hadn`t realized that it was this deeply entrenched. I wasn`t attentive of this fact and I paid for it in that lesson.
posted by Shrls at 10:10 AM
2 Comments:
Hmmmm . . . well, it seems like a forgivable mistake. Have your students forgotten it and moved on, or do you think they're still keeping it in their hearts?
I don`t think they`re keeping it in their hearts. It was just one thing that really stood out to illustrate the differences between our cultures. Since then, I`ve made sure to avoid talking about anyone directly.
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