Day 3 - Miss. Communication

Some of you may have woken up early this morning and leaped onto your computer, eager to read our insightful and awe-inspiring TrAnnie blog entry for Day 2. If you did, you probably experienced what Annie and I did, disappointment.

Somewhere in the midst of our December blog planning, Annie and I failed to communicate how exactly we would organize the blogging schedule. This meant that yesterday's blog post was claimed by no one, another tragic victim of miscommunication.

I've been thinking about communication a lot lately. In fact, communication seems to show up in every facet of my life. I am constantly plagued with questions about how to effectively communicate with my students, boyfriend, coworkers and family. I am constantly questioning whether I am communicating enough or whether I am communicating accurately.

The pressure to communicate accurately has grown exponentially since I started teaching. If I miscommunicate something to my students, their perceptions of language and how to succeed in the English-speaking academic world may be shaped and altered in a negative way. On the other hand, reading and listening to a language learner's communication has definitely enhanced my interpretation abilities. I am much more likely to understand what someone is trying to say even when their meaning is foggy at best. Some excellent firsthand examples:

"And sometimes when the talk continue, my brain is out of work."  
(Interpretation: My brain gets tired of trying to understand what people are saying after a while.)

Why are not they using the projectors instead of the old machine with light???  I don’t know even its name :)  The which looks like the alegator :))
(Interpretation: Why are they still using old-fashioned overhead projectors instead of modern, digital projectors?)

We think that is because Gay marriage against part of Bilbo.
(Interpretation: We think the Bible is against Gay Marriage.....spelling is hard)

I have practical experience of touching a candle’s flame.
(Interpretation: I am not the smartest student in the world. I stick my fingers into candle flames.)

So while my communication sending skills may still have some work to do, my interpreting skills are definitely on the up and up.

Though I am not a communication expert by any means, I do know one thing. Always assume the other person means well - Assume that your student is brilliant and just doesn't have the language to express their incredible idea; Assume that your loved ones are making suggestions because they love you and want you to have the best life possible; Assume that people are making bad choices because you don't fully understand the situations they are in. Assume the best and communicate your little heart out.