As a teacher of English, have you ever felt embarrassed about getting something wrong? We are talking about simple grammar mistakes in public, misspelling words in front of students, or not knowing how to pronounce "pear". Here is a story from teacher Sabine Wallner – a participant on the LessonStream Story Course.
“Pushing for pear-fection”
By Sabine Wallner
It was 1987. I had just finished my first year of studying to become an English teacher. I wanted to improve my communication skills so I decided to spend a few weeks in Salisbury in the UK.
I stayed with a lovely elderly couple who were happy to spend hours chatting and showing me around.
One day, my host lady asked if I would like to accompany her on a shopping trip. I was very happy to do so. While we were out, she introduced me to a friend of hers – the owner of a fantastic little fruit shop.
The fruit shop owner was a very nice woman. We got chatting and she complimented me on my English. That felt good!
A couple of days later, I went out to explore on my own and by chance, found myself passing the fruit shop. And as I did, a box of juicy pears strategically placed just outside the shopfront caught my eye.
“Ooh! I’ll have one of those!”, I thought.
But I had a problem – I couldn’t quite remember how to pronounce the word “pear”. Was is /peə(r)/ like hair or was it /pɪə(r)/ like hear. I had no idea.
And how do you buy them anyway? Can I buy one pear? Some pears? A few pears? Or did I have to ask for a specific weight? Everything was sold in pounds rather than kilograms. How heavy is a pound? I didn’t really know.
I stood there for a few moments, contemplating what to do. There I was, the perfect A student. I could recite all the grammar rules; I knew all the irregular verbs; I could discuss the pros and cons of nuclear power; I had eloquently analysed the motifs in George Orwell’s 1984.
But what I lacked, right there, right then, was some elemental transactional English. Hell, I couldn’t even buy basic food!
The owner spotted me and came out to give me a warm welcome. She could see that I was thinking of buying something.
Inside I was panicking. Just a few days before, she had complimented me on my English. And now I was about to humiliate myself in front of her.
“Anyway – what can I get for you”, she asked.
“Some apples”, I said.
- See also: An Italian lesson I’ll never forget by Kate Cartwright 🍝
As a language teacher, stories like these are an invaluable resource. On the LessonStream Story Course you will learn to collect them, develop them, and use them to get your students talking.
The course is free to all LessonStream members. Join today and get instant access to all course content so far. It would be great to have you in the community!
From Jamie: Thanks so much for that great story Sabine. By chance, look at this shop that I spotted in Glasgow a couple of months ago. Just a few years too late!
