sportsmanship

The collective temperaments of my 9AM and 11AM beginner classes are quite different. The 9AM kids seem a bit more sweet and gentle, whereas my 11AM kids—some of them, at least—seem somewhat wilder and less considerate. This became more obvious today, when we played games.

As I'd mentioned before, I played a series of three games with my kids: crosswords, Password, and the 2-Headed Monster game. In the first class, the guys won and the girls applauded their victory. Afterward, when I gave a huge sack of candy to the guys, they gallantly divided their spoils with the girls. I thought that was great.

In the 11AM class, however, things were different. The mood was tenser, more competitive. At one point, the guys accused the girls of cheating. They smiled as they made the accusation, but I could see both teams staring daggers at each other. In the end, in this class, it was the girls who won, and they shared none of their candy with the guys.

It was a relief, though, to see that both classes got into the games. I had been worried, initially, that the students would be lazy and zombie-like. There was a lot of laughter, some suspense, and many a "facepalm" moment as the kids failed to figure out the best and easiest English-language solution to a given problem. It was also a chance for the kids to practice vocabulary (crosswords, Password) and grammar (2-Headed Monster). They were awful at grammar, but at least they made an effort to struggle through their declaratives and interrogatives.

Not a horrible day, all in all. And the 9AM class's surprising display of sportsmanship renewed my faith in humanity.


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