#Onething: "Nice to see you!"

#Onething comes from Anne Hendler's informative blog about teaching English. She wrote of how we should take time "to pay attention to what happens in a day, reflect on it, and share it." Here's something from today's classes:

I walked into the a class of 3rd grade middle school girls and amid the chorus of enthusiastic greetings, one girl called out, "It's nice to see you!" I smiled and said, "You too!" 

It was indeed nice to see her and the rest of the class. Better still was how she remembered to say "Nice to see you!" instead of the usual "Nice to meet you!" She remembered that in English, we say "Nice to see you" to someone we've met previously. Many Korean learns of English have trouble with this distinction, so I was pleased at her remembering what to do.* I've been mentioning the difference between "See you" and "Meet you" for some time now, but it's still sinking in. The co-teachers have also been explaining this difference to the students, but as the saying goes, "Old habits die hard." English is full of quirks, so it's difficult to blame the students for not knowing the things native speakers or experts know.

Carry on, everyone.

*This is because the Korean equivalent expression doesn't change. (As far as I know.)