Chinese Logic? Anyone? Anyone? (changing a student's grade)

[ehophi]

One time I told my class, "Right now, I am lying to you." This is a paradox showing how logic breaks down at a point (hence the need for fuzzy logic).

No, it doesn't!!!

[Ducked]

Well, now I know, since I had a case where a student was apparently too stressed to attend the end-of-term test, or to attend a makeup test.

At the boss's suggestion, the written part ofthe test paper was administered at home, by the students mother, and the completed paper FAXed to me.

For the oral part, I applied my favored general solution of using the midterm score.

Even for Confused Confucians, its hard to see how this procedure addresses the main objective, which is apparently that of keeping up appearances.

But THERE MUST BE A TEST, and there was.

[Tigerman]

GiT: Every time I come across this arrogance I pull out* this map of English proficiency:


http://www.ef-australia.com.au/sitecore/__/~/media/efcom/epi/pdf/EF-EPI-2011.pdf

Interesting. But, it would be much better, IMO, if the map used different collors to distinguish proficiency.

[GuyInTaiwan]

Canada, U.S.A. and U.K. also rate as having very low proficiency.

[Tigerman]

And, India's proficiency appears to be low...???

[tomthorne]

Canada, U.S.A. and U.K. also rate as having very low proficiency.

Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands are higher than the UK. I'll buy that.

Australia isn't even included on the map. Must be that weird vocabulary you guys use.

[Ducked]

So I had a final exam class cancelled due to this damp squib typhoon.

Decided I'd give a makeup on Saturday morning, and (unofficially, since its what I was told I'd get fired for if I was caught doing it again) grade on the midterm for those students who couldn't or didn't make the test. Sent out an email announcing the test.

Turns out that's the official response anyway. In fact they'd probably have let me cancel the test if I'd been able to ask in time.

In other words, what was a firing offense if you do it for one student, becomes perfectly OK if you do it for 40.

So Chinese Logic goes with the big battalions. Who knew?

But get this.

I'm not supposed to announce that I'll grade on the midterm, I'm supposed to make them think they'll fail if they don't do the test, otherwise they wont do it.

So I announced that I'll grade on the midterm. I've had just about enough of this smoke-and-mirrors shit.

[austin]

2) You are very concerned about this matter and about this student, so you have burnt incense and made offerings to your ancestors, earnestly seeking an answer. Your grandfather (who was a very respected and accomplished scholar in your home country) came to you in a dream offering guidance. He told you to assign the same grade she made on a previous exam, so you have done as your ancestors have instructed you to do.

Funny as hell.

Housecat has got the Oracle has spoken

[Homey]

It's all about arrogance + ignorance. Terrible combination.

We have a lady that teaches the "advanced" classes at my buxiban. It's done entirely in Chinese. The students just ignore what she's saying and doing, but she has her microphone and speaker blasting away anyway. It's only important that she gets up there and shouts the useless info at them, no concern is given if they listen or learn anything. Anyways.... I tried talking to her a few times and she can't hold even a simple conversation in English. Here is this "advanced" teacher, teaching "advanced" grammar and she cannot even speak the language.

I often see her in passing and of course ask her how she is, with instantaneous lightening fast speed she always blurts out loudly: "I'm fine thank you and you?" I just smile and chuckle to myself. There is a reason why Taiwan is so far behind other countries when it comes to English and it will not and cannot change until the fundamental arrogance + ignorance issue is dealt with. We all know this isn't going to happen since it would cause people to lose face. It's the damn foreigners that don't know English, I'm Taiwanese so of course I know English, I just can't understand it or speak it.

I do agree that many foreigners here don't know proper grammar. Don't get me started on the worthless "teachers" my school keeps hiring. Have sticky ball will teach. So the attitude isn't entirely baseless, but to arrogantly believe you know a language better than the locals is beyond my ability to understand. Also it's worth noting that many things in English just "are" and can only be understood in proper context with a native teacher. They have no decent explanation and English often breaks it's own rules. Not to mention the whole 'living language' argument.

I leave you now with the most versatile word in the English language: