It is an incredible thing to hear, just before class as the students are quieting down, their genius, fun, humor in the form of their discussion, which all kind of fades out and disappears when the lesson for that day is one of mere analysis of the language.
However, when we start a story, when we express, in L2, an interest in them, and nothing else, then that sense of fun continues. It unfolds and things get interesting and feel more human. Fun grows and continues. The time passes quickly.
Why not teach for life, for fun, joy, for all the potentials of unplanned and spontaneous conversation, for what stories offer, instead of, as each class begins and our lives go by, for boredom?
None of this is easy. In fact, most of the time, it feels almost impossible. None of what we are doing is a game for those of a purely, robotically, intellectual bent. We must continue to strive forward in the face of all negative comments we may hear. We must stay true to what our hearts tell us.
The Problem with CI
Jeffrey Sachs was asked what the difference between people in Norway and in the U.S. was. He responded that people in Norway are happy and
