Well, my students saq me angry. Very angry. Very quietly angry.
My students did choose to debate gay marriage. My students did spend a week and half preparing research and arguements. The school did decide that they COULD NOT debate such a thing. Nelson (my Chinese teacher “assistant” in this matter) did have a meeting with the students to tell them to change the topic.
Neither did the school, nor Nelson, inform me of this rather major change in plans.
Is it less than two weeks until the debate? Was gay marriage a good debate topic? Is their replacement topic (should students be allowed to date in school?) an absolute shit topic?
Yes. Yes. Um, yes.
My mistake was not in thinking that I might actually be incharge of debate, as I’ve been told I am (I know enough not to think that). My mistake was in thinking that I might have a say, and THEN be shot down. No, no, not in Chinese communication. There is no say. There is, ironically, no debate.
The students got a mini-lesson on “Things you should not do when you go study/wprk/live in the West, because people will hate you.”
It’s hard to work with Chinese people.
