The Grammar Wall Of Shame

By Esteban Lopez | Wednesday, Jun 4, 2008

It's interesting how teaching in Japan, you start to adopt the same incorrect grammar that you as a teacher are trying to dissuade your students from using. The thing though is that you rarely catch yourself doing it, but it's something that your co-workers easily pick up on.   At my school we've started what I like to call a "Grammar Wall Of Shame." It's where every time one of us screws up---we take a moment to write the quote down and what it's in reference to and more importantly who said it. One of the very first quotes was "It's getting Spring," surprisingly this was in reference to Spring fashion. Go figure.

Another one was " I'm lunching at now," which I think is pretty self explanatory.

A really funny ones is, "Read in the English," by my female co-worker, (whom shall remain anonymous) referring to grammar. When, I repeated what she had said to me, she stared at me in disbelief. Regardless, it went up on the wall with the rest of them.

Or my other co-worker on who knows what they were talking about at that time, "If I were I cow, I'd have horns." Something along the lines of cows, I assume.

Even our Japanese co-worker had some fun one day when he mentioned "What's YABAI about it?" on the topic of good luck.

It all started off as a way to poke fun at each other and keep the office environment lighthearted, but recently the list has taken on more serious proportions as it gets longer and longer everyday. And the funny thing is we are all experienced English teachers who have taught in Japan for many years.

Recent quotes have even begun to include our students.

"I've got a class shortly."

"Don`t call him that!" 

Esteban Lopez's Profile

Hey there, I am of course, an English teacher who has been living in Tokyo for more than four years. I also work as a freelance writer for an American movie magazine and likewise write for the smaller publications here in Tokyo. I can`t but help writing about all the idiosycrancies that I witness here in Tokyo because no matter how long you live here there`s always something new to see and feel.

Interests: Movies~Goodfellas/Literature~Marquez, Coehlo/Music~My Chemical Romance

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