This month one of my students, L, who is a major chatterbox in her home language but who hardly whispers a word in English, made two insightful comments.
The first was "Americans go somewhere, they go for business. They not go to live." This came out during a writing exercise in which students were talking about whether the US should intervene in other countries' affairs. No one else even approached the idea that L. brought up as if it were the most evident truth in the world. I encouraged her to write it.
The second one, last week, was that women are usually "nature" (natural) to begin with, but then they see "vision" (I think she must have meant television) and wear lots of makeup and they change their hair. This was her comment during a discussion on women who are trying to break out of traditional roles. She and her partner, C, have made a story about a woman who immigrates to the US then changes her entire appearance.
I encouraged these two students to consider, in their story, whether the character's mind changes too, or just her appearance. "Her mind too!" insisted L, again as if it was obvious. She has clearly watched this happen in several others. She herself arrives at school sometimes in sweatpants and looking as though she slept in her locker, sometimes totally decked out, hair, nails, fancy dress.
My attention was grabbed by this article this week, about a book by a woman who is trying to decide whether to have children or not. The questions which Heti asks are ones which are the same ones on my mind when I contemplate the motherhood question.
The first was "Americans go somewhere, they go for business. They not go to live." This came out during a writing exercise in which students were talking about whether the US should intervene in other countries' affairs. No one else even approached the idea that L. brought up as if it were the most evident truth in the world. I encouraged her to write it.
The second one, last week, was that women are usually "nature" (natural) to begin with, but then they see "vision" (I think she must have meant television) and wear lots of makeup and they change their hair. This was her comment during a discussion on women who are trying to break out of traditional roles. She and her partner, C, have made a story about a woman who immigrates to the US then changes her entire appearance.
I encouraged these two students to consider, in their story, whether the character's mind changes too, or just her appearance. "Her mind too!" insisted L, again as if it was obvious. She has clearly watched this happen in several others. She herself arrives at school sometimes in sweatpants and looking as though she slept in her locker, sometimes totally decked out, hair, nails, fancy dress.
My attention was grabbed by this article this week, about a book by a woman who is trying to decide whether to have children or not. The questions which Heti asks are ones which are the same ones on my mind when I contemplate the motherhood question.
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