Conversations with Students

I don't know how to take a screenshot of my phone. Photo: Peninsularity Ensues

I recently became a member of my class’ whatsapp group where I get some weird and funny stuff sometimes, about all sorts of things. Funnily enough, not a great number of these messages involve anything to do with the 23 hours we spend together each week under the pretext that they really actually do want to learn English. Sometimes they do. Anyway… got this message the other day.

Student: Hi mr. How are you? I hop you are right. I am Ahmed from class ****.

Teacher: Hi Ahmed, I’m good thanks. How are you?

I am fain mr. I connect with you to improv my language.

I see. That’s a good idea, as is coming to your English classes.

Yse mr. Ok.

No problem. By the way, class is on at the moment. hehehe (I actually was giggling to myself by this point).

Hhhhhhhhhhh. I have some problem in lesting. So I wont more practice in class.

I understand.

Thank you mr.

Come to class Ahmed.

I don't know how to take a screenshot of my phone. Photo: Peninsularity Ensues
I don’t know how to take a screenshot of my phone.
Photo: Peninsularity Ensues

Note: The name of the student (who could just as easily be any of the four Ahmeds currently under my charge) has been changed to protect the unintentionally humorous. He never did come back to class that afternoon, if you were wondering.

11 COMMENTS

  1. Quite humorous indeed. I was wondering why the teacher has his phone during the class and, more importantly why he checks and responds to the messages during the class.

    • (3, 2, 1… yep, there it is).

      Well, I’m glad you posed this pertinent professional enquiry. As it happens, this particular compulsory afternoon guided study session was running smoothly at its standard attendance rate of about 15%, and as those present were engaged in a writing exercise at the time, I didn’t feel anyone was being personally, educationally, financially or otherwise disadvantaged by this brief interaction. Teachers always gots their phones, just like students.

      Angry much, EFL dude?

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