Sock puppets are fearless

To the editor:
It’s over! The end of the semester has arrived! My students and I have made it through another year. I, a little richer for having known them. They, a little more mature and certain about facing a future they do not know.  This semester I had my students study American and British one act plays. In the end they had to produce a puppet show about their play. The plays were short one act plays reflecting a wide variety of issues. The key for my students was to practice their English. Given how the final exam week turned out my students did well.
A week ago this Friday my students assembled for their last class. Instead of having the students directly act out the roles I had them make sock puppets and use those as tools for learning the play. For some of them finding an English partner to practice with is difficult. Strategies vary but include trying to use English in their dorm rooms; finding English corners where they join other Chinese English learners to ask questions of an native speaker with some success; watching movies and television programs in English: Prison Break and Gossip Girls being two of the more popular programs. A key to success in any foreign language is finding enough material and time to support the effort to speak in the tongue.
The sock puppets and a little imagination and you have a willing partner to practice with. Yes, I have 20-year-old students with socks on their paws talking in English. It is often our own imagination which prevents us for mastering the second voice. Puppets are fearless! They can do anything.
As an added bonus I had been asked to host a class of American students from the University of Dayton. They wanted to see a classroom exercise. I have a firm rule while teaching here in China: any one who wishes to see me work in my classroom is welcome. This helps me as a teacher to check my own work. Oral classes benefit by having a new set of ears listening in. And, it’s always fun to see how my students react. Thrilled is an understatement.
Friday morning came. I began my exam. Setting a desk on top of two others I draped a simple sheet over it. Our stage! The fun began. My visitors came about halfway through the first class. They were still not really used to the Eight am class starts that are common here. These students were communication majors. A type of student I am personally with which I have some knowledge. They brought their cameras and recorded the various performances. More importantly, this was the first time that my students had really had a chance to use their skills in front of a large foreign speaking audience. They did not disappoint. We had crazy mysteries, a Baker who steals asphalt from the streets of Vancouver. A lighthouse besieged by giant flesh eating rats. What happened when early Man learned to walk upright! And, evil machinations by the characters from fairy tales.
So I finished the class on a high note. Poignancy seems to come with every end of the semester or year class. We remember the highs and lows and worry about the next class. in my own case I will be moving on to yet another University. I have been asked to teach at East China Normal University in the Fall. This is similar to being asked to teach at Bowdoin College after teaching at Orono. East China Normal is one of the top 50 Universities in China and the developing world. My next group will be graduate students who will be going to study in the U.S. and Britain. Should be fun. Certainly I am looking forward to new challenges.