Teaching freshmen college students has been quite different than teaching freshmen in the U.S. for reasons mentioned before like having almost all-female classes, struggling with creative thinking and conformity and "losing face" while making mistakes in English. But there are some other differences too like the way my freshmen still try and stand at their desks when they speak or answer questions (I have tried to put a damper on this in my classes but old habits die hard). Or another one like instead of using white-out my students use rolls of scotch tape to remove errors by ripping off thin layers of paper.
The most recent thing that has caught my attention is the amount of cute stuff that my students wear, use and tote. You would think you were walking into a class of eight-year-olds by the amount of Hello Kitty paraphernalia, cutesy animal-themed mittens, gloves and hats and stuffed animal cell phone holders and pencil holders that are present. Some of the mittens are even animal puppet mittens which not only warm hands but provide entertainment during class as well. I'm not saying my students act as young as common Hello Kitty fans in the U.S. but cute and girly accessories are definitely 'in'.
The most popular of said animal accessories are the MeToo bears that are adorable-looking bears with pockets and zippers for holding pencils and cell phones. Many female students have these bears and they always take them to class, display them on their desks or hold them during break. I must admit I am starting to fall for the cuteness - it's kind of hard not too since it is all over the place and seems to make the students happy. I mean, really, who doesn't want a little hug from a cute MeToo bear?
Qin Chen indulged this latest interest of mine and got me some adorable rabbit mittens - I love them!
Love your Mittens!!! I might have you pick me up some =] Miss you much. I love your blog! Thank you for sharing the experience with me.
I'm a big fan of all cute things~~~