Some things happen that really make you feel good, and sometimes those things actually happen to me. A foreign language teacher of my acquaintance heard a couple of her kids have this conversation:
"I don't know what I'm gonna do about the English Regents."
"You have to go to the department office and ask to be in Mr. Educator's class. It's horrible. You'll have to write every day and you'll hate it. But you'll pass the test."
It was very gratifying to hear that. And I agree with the kid's assessment that the class is awful. Honestly, I love teaching English to newcomers, and I really believe learning a language can be fun. On the other hand, I hate the English Regents because it doesn't actually test what I'm supposed to teach these kids. Not only that, but a good section of these kids haven't learned what I'd like them to know, having arrived in the US five minutes ago.
But someone has to help these kids pass this test, since they can't graduate high school without it. It might as well be me. It's no fun at all, but it's very gratifying that some kids have detected the method to my madness.
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