Da Da Da Da Dah - Na Na Na Nah Na - Nah Na Na Nah Na - Nah Na Nah Nahhhh! The Star Wars theme song trills as I head out the staff room door of Szechenyi Technical School and up the two flights of stairs to my first class. As I walk in the students, about 16 boys and 1 girl, stand. Éva, English department chair, introduces me to the class and I am left alone. I begin what will become a well known spiel:
My name is Anna Nichols and I’m from Birmingham, Alabama, a state known for wonderful breakfast foods (grits, biscuits and gravy, etc) and sweet tea. I name some famous people from Alabama – Channing Tatum, Courtney Cox, Lionel Richie, Condoleezza Rice, American Idol winners, etc. Then, I tell a bit about my family, when we see one another, and a little about my hobbies.
Then, I detail the class rules (only speak in English when you enter my classroom, don’t talk while me or your peers are talking, turn in your homework on time, and participate in class) and how I will be grading.
Unfortunately, this is where this particular session begins to go downhill. I hold up the wrong book, asking if the students all have the book and am so confused as to why they don’t. Things get a little better as we begin our icebreaking game – you know, the one where you say your name and one thing you like, then the person beside you repeats your name, what you like, then goes on with their name and what they like, etc. The students paid attention for a while – and I was learning names! But the sheer amount of students made the game lengthy and students began to talk amongst themselves.
When the game ended, I asked the students what they thought of America and Americans …
“They’re a country full of stupid people who know nothing about anything – especially Hungary!”
“They’re all fat!”
I responded to these students (I had wanted to hear both bad and good!), and started to tell about the differences between Hungarian schools and American. I told about the dress code in America (non-existent in Hungary) and then, told the class how cool I thought the bells at Szechenyi were – theme songs! You know, to The Smurfs, Indiana Jones, The Simpsons, etc! I began to get a few funny looks, so I explained harder. “Yes, we know The Smurfs.” A male student said, “but our bells aren’t like that.” I argued that, indeed, the bells were theme songs. A group of students began to gather outside the classroom door and I asked if it was time to go or something. MISTAKE. All my students took advantage of my not-knowing and packed up and left.
The rest of my classes that Wednesday were cancelled because the students were receiving their books at the gym. My first period class laughed at me as I searched for the students in my next class (no one told us that the students would be in the gym!)
I sniffed and snorted (somehow I had contracted a nasty cold the night before) back to the staff room. I told the teachers about my telling the students about the bells – the teachers began to laugh. “That’s because the theme song bells only play in the staff room!” No wonder.
My name is Anna Nichols and I’m from Birmingham, Alabama, a state known for wonderful breakfast foods (grits, biscuits and gravy, etc) and sweet tea. I name some famous people from Alabama – Channing Tatum, Courtney Cox, Lionel Richie, Condoleezza Rice, American Idol winners, etc. Then, I tell a bit about my family, when we see one another, and a little about my hobbies.
Then, I detail the class rules (only speak in English when you enter my classroom, don’t talk while me or your peers are talking, turn in your homework on time, and participate in class) and how I will be grading.
Unfortunately, this is where this particular session begins to go downhill. I hold up the wrong book, asking if the students all have the book and am so confused as to why they don’t. Things get a little better as we begin our icebreaking game – you know, the one where you say your name and one thing you like, then the person beside you repeats your name, what you like, then goes on with their name and what they like, etc. The students paid attention for a while – and I was learning names! But the sheer amount of students made the game lengthy and students began to talk amongst themselves.
When the game ended, I asked the students what they thought of America and Americans …
“They’re a country full of stupid people who know nothing about anything – especially Hungary!”
“They’re all fat!”
I responded to these students (I had wanted to hear both bad and good!), and started to tell about the differences between Hungarian schools and American. I told about the dress code in America (non-existent in Hungary) and then, told the class how cool I thought the bells at Szechenyi were – theme songs! You know, to The Smurfs, Indiana Jones, The Simpsons, etc! I began to get a few funny looks, so I explained harder. “Yes, we know The Smurfs.” A male student said, “but our bells aren’t like that.” I argued that, indeed, the bells were theme songs. A group of students began to gather outside the classroom door and I asked if it was time to go or something. MISTAKE. All my students took advantage of my not-knowing and packed up and left.
The rest of my classes that Wednesday were cancelled because the students were receiving their books at the gym. My first period class laughed at me as I searched for the students in my next class (no one told us that the students would be in the gym!)
I sniffed and snorted (somehow I had contracted a nasty cold the night before) back to the staff room. I told the teachers about my telling the students about the bells – the teachers began to laugh. “That’s because the theme song bells only play in the staff room!” No wonder.
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