Has anyone been in this situation...I cannot find any suggestions on this topic. 

Sophia

 Once again, it depends on your focus and I �ve had these frustrations in China WAY TOO MANY TIMES...One day, I �m supposed to KNOW EVERYTHING about Global Warming. The very same day, I �m supposed to KNOW EVERYTHING about the NBA....Later in that day I �m supposed to KNOW EVERYTHING about the correct usage of gerunds...And then finally at night, I �m the SAT expert....Cripes Almighty! It is mental gear grinding....I feel beastly at the end of the day, like one of those water buffalos dragging a plough...Psychologically drained, making mistakes all over the place and getting the lash for it...but getting the job done one way or another. That �s the way the Chinese run the show here. I fight it when I can.

 I satisfied my conscience by coming to terms with my responsibilities. Here in China, for me, it is mostly just a practical application of English conversational skills based on what the students have been learning in their educational systems from Chinese teachers prior to crossing paths with me.

There are so many entry points into such topics..."drama", "playwrights", "theatre", "dramatic themes", or the one-by-one, the plays themselves...You could micro-manage these plays forever... So first decide what your responsibilities are (If no one dictates to you your focus in detail, it is simply up to you...Find something you enjoy because you are going to get paid for doing it. How awesome is that! If the students see you enjoy it, they might just follow suit.)...Any one of these plays could be a college course in itself.

 

But if you are teaching English as a general application or something akin to practical usage, then you might want to use the plays as just as backdrops for a much broader topic or in a larger context. Show a clip...Read a passage..or have the students act out a scene.

 

"Salesmen" might be a great opportunity to role play "sales pitches". I can think of some funny games there...Give them funny things to sell. Or find an engaging way of discussing "family dynamics", "American family dynamics", �social pressures on the family unit�, �infidelity�, �failure�, �being washed �up�  or �suicide�.

  

"The Crucible" - a role play for "court room proceedings"�Make up absurd cases that the students have to prosecute or defend...Or discussing  "justice", "persecution",  ï¿½superstition�, �allegory� �witch-hunting� in terms of McCarthyism, or even grounding the idea of "witches" in reality could be interesting for the students (What if witches were REAL? Should society prevent supernatural persuasions on those who cannot defend themselves from such persuasions? Should voodoo practices be outlawed? Why? (What about practices such as �muti� which is a practice in certain African societies using children�s organs to enhance one�s ego�If that is their culture, does the rest of humanity have a right to prevent it? Etc. ) Animal sacrifice? Human sacrafice? Why has society moved away from such practices..or has it? So on and so forth.) �...

 

Honestly, not familiar with "All my Sons".

 

 In terms of using English, it might invoke responses out of the students that are genuine and their own...They might be so compelled to say something that they will forget about whatever insecurities that they might have about using English. In China, I decided that was my challenge, to get the students to breach that mental barrier. Everyone has a hard time when it comes to being perceived as "fools" in the eyes of our peers. That being said, being socially ostracized is a powerful weapon in its own right. Many lives have indeed, been ruined by the perception of their peers....(Think of "to Kill a Mockingbird" to some extent.)...