I am lovely

At least one of my students was pleased to see me on Thursday. He was not on task when I set the first activity, but I didn't worry too much because he was studying his dictionary. As I went past him in my meanderings around the class, he read, carefully,

"It has been a long time since we met!"

I stopped. He had discovered that his dictionary offered phrases as well as definitions. I was pleased. Many of my students have electronic dictionaries, but don't know how to use them properly.

"Yes, it has," I agreed, and carried on.

"What did you say?" asked his friends, and he told them the Japanese.

The next time I wandered past he was still studying his dictionary, and read,

"Oh! You are lovely!"

Then he looked up and blushed, and I laughed.

"That and an envelope full of money will get you an A," I told him.

"Eh?" he said.

"Never mind," I said. "Thank you."

"What did you say?" his friends asked, and he told them.

They teased him so mercilessly he spent the rest of the class on task. In fact, classes went pretty smoothly all round. It was a good start to the semester.