Another lesson in intercultural relations

This evening I began a new Adult Elementary 1 class and I just so happen to have one of my old students, Trung, from an Adult Beginner course I ended about a month and a half ago. Trung was always a bit of a pain because he was way more advanced than the other students and he acted like he knew it. He would purposely ask questions and say things that the other students could not understand to prove that he knew more than they did. Somehow Trung had been placed in the wrong level from the start. Another issue I had with Trung was that since he felt like he already knew everything that was being taught he would talk to the other students while I or another student was talking. That always kind of pissed me off. I told him to quiet down, and he would for a few minutes, but then he'd go right back into it.

Anyway, when we both found ourselves again in the classroom together I thought, "Oh boy, not again." As in the last class before, he talked to the other students while I was trying to explain an activity, or while another student was talking. I decided that I was going to nip this one right in the bud! Because it was the first day of class I let them go ten minutes early, but I asked Trung to stay behind. I told him that just because he was in my class before does not mean he can just talk while I or the other students are talking. I explained that it was impolite and I asked if he would "please" not do it anymore. He stopped me and said, "Vietnamese teachers never say 'please' to their students. They just tell them." I thought about that for a second and repeated myself without saying "please". He appologized, said he would stop, and walked out.

I felt somewhat triumphant after that. I walked into the teachers' room and told the few that were there what had just happened. One teacher explained to me that in Vietnam people rarely say "please". They bluntly say or ask whatever they want without trying to be polite about it. Good to know.