Negotiating With Their Teacher

Being in the classroom with adult ESL, English Second Language, learners can be fun. My students catch on to the fact that humor is part of my teaching style. One example is when I ask what they did over the weekend. If they answer that they went shopping, my reply is, “I am sorry. Were you scared?”

Teaching a language is different than teaching a purely academic subject, Teaching a language happens out of relationship. For my students, learning English is a matter of survival in a new country/culture. So I want them to feel I am approachable.

Last night was an example of my students feeling comfortable. They negotiated with me. We had half of our class missing, so I mentioned to them that what I had planned went quicker because of fewer students. As I was preparing to type something for them to copy while using the projector, one of them said, “we can finish if you want.” That started a negotiation between me and the students.

The negotiation ended with me letting them go home early, but by early I mean five minutes earlier than normal. 🙂

Did you know that God wants us to come to him to reason together?

Isaiah 1:18 says:

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

When we come to Jesus with all of our baggage in life, all of our mistakes, all of our sins, he will cleanse us. How is that for a negotiation? We come to him with all of a baggage in life and lease with forgiveness.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.