From the story:
'"This kid stayed calm and was brave more than any other veteran I've worked with," said Kenneth Leslie, a paramedic who, with his partner, was the first to arrive at the scene.'
This is a cool story because it highlights the importance of knowing a second language. In America, the best language to learn is definitely Spanish, considering the amount of Mexicans who have come to America. If you're in an Asian country, learning English and Chinese are the top priorities.
Those of us fortunate enough to have this opportunity teaching ESL should see this as a goal of ours. If one of my students is in an emergency situation, will they be a help or hindrance? Maybe this is an idea for a lesson one day. Put the kids in a high-stress simulation and see if they can pass. It can't be anything too serious. But maybe set up a scenario where another student is "hurt" and see if they can call an ambulance successfully.
1 comment:
That's a pretty good test of proficiency in a foreign language. After all the Korean grammar and vocab I picked up, would I be able to provide basic communication between a hurt English-speaker and a Korean paramedic (and vice versa)? No, not at all.
In Korea's case, it's interesting you brought up "hindrance." We've met people who think themselves good at English---whether b/c of NSETs who simply praise any attempt at spoken English, or b/c of years of "study"---but who really aren't. This seems a nationwide phenomenon.
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