The students had learned what each genre of literature is and have chosen their first books. We (me, their homeroom teacher, and the Dean aka my boss) had set up a weekly schedule for each of them based on their skill level and their chosen book. Everything had been set up so the program could run smoothly with minimal oversight. It was so that the students can read their book without us breathing down their necks. Well, there was one little detail we failed to take into account…
So, what happens when you let Chinese students have access to a Western bookstore (Amazon Kindle) and tell them to go exploring?
If you answered along the lines of “What did you expect?” then you are exactly right. They did indeed pick one book. That part wasn’t hard for them as they managed to do that before the first ELA class was over with (They have two ELA classes with me a day). The thing that became comical for us was the fact that they wanted to read other books before they got done with their first book. The best example was one of my students wanting to read a book series without finishing the first installment of that said series.
The funniest one I heard was what I heard from the parents. Her child wouldn’t go to sleep until she got done with the chapter. I couldn’t help but laugh; the mother laughed along with me because…well…it was funny. Extremely funny. Plus, she was more pleased than annoyed. I mean her baby was reading. Moreover, she was reading a book in a different language – and loving it. It was clear that this program was bearing fruit. Nevertheless, I had to activate the curfew feature on a few of them.
All the parents are enjoying the fact that there was a store that their children could browse through. It was like an entire world had opened up to them and it was inviting them in. At the beginning of my class, I told parents that literature is the one world that will always welcome them. It’s also the only world that knows how to hook you into staying with them, especially if it’s your favorite genre. I think my students are finally understanding that.
Now, please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2022. My goal is to read 180 books this year and I’m already at 38. I want to start reviewing these books, but my educational and literary duties are starting to stack up.
