Demo and Assessments

Since I can't post photos from Disney English, this is from the website.  I like it because it's exactly what it really looks like in the classroom.  I spend so much time, just like in this photo, on my hands and knees with stuffed animals or other objects drilling kids on vocabulary and pronunciation.  And the high five is our official DE affirmation.  I must high five kids 200 times a day.  Sometimes the kids get nervous about speaking, especially it's sentences, so I'll grab a Mickey hand puppet and this kids can talk to him.  They love Mickey. 

A couple of weeks ago my boss at my temporary center trained me on demos and assessments.  A demo is a free lesson that we present to parents that are thinking about signing their children up for Disney English.  They sit in the room with their child and other prospective families and we deliver a scripted lesson.   Afterwards we do an assessment with the child to figure out what level they should be placed in while the parents meet with the sales staff.

The demo was fascinating to watch. 

I have to hand it to Chinese parents.  I’ve never seen a collection of adults that show such open and intense adoration for their children.  When their child would speak a word of English in the demo their face would just explode with joy.  They were so truly happy and proud, they’d even exclaim with excitement.  It was really sweet.   And the affection seems to be mutual, the children are devoted to their parents.  I know it’s normal for little kids to be super attached to their parents, but I wish I could describe how it’s different.   

Example: On the subway last night a little boy, about 8 years old, came on with his mom.  The boy was playing a video game and when the mom started coughing a little bit the boy stopped with he was doing and reached up and patted her on the arm saying something like, “Are you ok Mommy?” The concern in his face was so sincere, I can’t get over it.

At the same time, watching the demo, I’ve never seen parents look so stressed about their child’s success.  At the beginning of the demo the presenters remind the parents, in English and in Chinese, that the children are in a new environment and sometimes feel a little shy so if they don’t speak it’s totally normal.  But it didn’t help the parents feel better.  As soon as other children started to say the English words the other parents got super nervous.  In one demo we had a group of ten children and there were two that just refused to speak at all, because they were shy not because they didn’t understand.  Both girls’ parents started side coaching them, trying to prompt them to say “fish” or the colors being taught.  One even came and sat with her and tried to push her to say it until finally she burst into tears and Dad had to take her out.  The other girl participated in all the activities but just wouldn’t speak, which is fine, but I looked over at the father and you could see by his face that he was humiliated. 

After the demo I watched my boss perform some individual assessments, which mostly consists of talking to the child and filling out a form about their language ability.  Older kids are also assessed on reading and writing.  I watched him do three or four assessments and then he said, “Ok now I want you to do the next one.”

I thought: WHAT???  But, but, but,….I don’t know what I’m doing!

I said: “Um..ok”

So I fumbled through the assessment and then afterwards we talked about it and he guided me through filling out the paperwork.  I was talking through why I thought the child could be placed at either of two levels but that I wasn’t sure which, when my boss stopped me and said, “Well it’s really up to you.  We can put her in whichever level you think would be the best fit.”  I was surprised, he really wanted ME to choose the level? Right now? By myself?

 Wow.  I can’t believe he trusts me to do that, I’m just the new person.  But actually, I can’t tell you how much I appreciated that he said this to me.  I felt like he was empowering me.  He was telling me that I’m the professional, I know what I’m doing and that he trusts me.  Double wow.  I’ve missed this kind of leadership.

Also, how awesome is it that I’m just a sub and he’s taking all this time to train me so that he can send me off to another center in another city?  It sends a message to me that it’s not about my place at the individual center, but that Disney English is an entire community that we are trying to make succeed in China.  There have been many times in the past that I’ve felt invisible to the leadership that I’ve worked for.  Disney English is not without flaws but I’m so relieved to be someplace where they make me feel like I’m a part of a team.  They  train me, they check in on me, they sit down and talk about what’s going on in my classroom, they respond to my emails!  Such a relief.

Good thing he taught me how to do assessments because three days later I was subbing at another center and a sales person came running up to me. “Ashlee, can you do an oral assessment?  We have two kids waiting and there is no one to do the assessment!  Please can you do it?!”

Yes, of course I can.