Teacher’s School

ME & I
Teacher’s School
Learning Material

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 Teacher’s School

My name is Chan and I am from Korea. I am

currently studying Finance and Economics at
Hong Kong University. I was raised in Seoul
and when I was 18 I moved to Hong Kong to
take my university study. I am planning to work
on my English communication skills as well as
my major to work in Wall Street. I recently
found out that I should have completed more
activities to qualify for applying in New York. I
actually feel lost but I don’t want to be
depressed with this issue instead of figuring out
what to do.

• What is your major and why did you choose to study?

• Where were you born and raised?
• What is your dream and when do you think you will make it come true?
• What do you think would be challenging in the process to success?
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What is the first thing you want to do when you achieve your goal?
If you can turn back the time, what decision would you like to change?

Learning Material
Why do you think there are students who choose a major that they don’t like?
If your job doesn’t make you happy when you are 40 years old,
what will you do about that?

To understand; solve:
‘Have you figured out who caused the problem?’

“Depress / Depression”
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 Teacher’s School

I used to watch movies with my friends or

family before. One day, there was a movie I
wanted to watch but none of my friends
joined me since it was a horror movie about a
haunted house. So I had to watch it alone. It
was actually great so I have been going to the
cinema on my own since then.
Aside from watching movies, I am also fond
of listening to music. Being exposed to
several genres of music makes me creative
and positive. That’s why I love doing this!

• What are the things that make you happy?

• Is there anything that you want to try to do in the future?
• If one full day is given to you, what would you like to do?
• How often do you have time to enjoy your hobbies?
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Do you think Koreans have less free time than other nationalities?
If you can earn money by doing your hobby, do you think it’s good?

Learning Material
How many percent of your salary can you spend for your hobby?
What kind of activity do you think is good to have with family and why?

Besides, except for…

‘Aside from Sunday they have not gone out for months’

“Expose / Exposed to”

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 Teacher’s School

It was my first day in the apple farm. People

told me to get a white-collar job but I chose to
try working as a farmer in an apple farm near
our house. First duty given to me was to pack
apples that pickers brought in boxes. I never
thought that such a simple job can be so
stressful. I thought it would be as easy as pie but
then, doing the same thing for 5 hours was
really tiring and boring.
I had to quit after a few days but I don’t regret
trying it because I won’t ever know what it is if I
don’t have the guts to give a try.

• At what age do people usually begin to work in your country?

• Is having over-time common in your company?
• What plans have you made for your retirement?
• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
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Which job would you never do and why not?
Would you like to work in an office? Why or why not?

Learning Material
Why do you think building a good relationship with co-workers is needed?
If you are the boss of your company, what kind of person would you hire?

Very easy or easily

‘That math problem was easy as pie’

“White-collar job”
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 Teacher’s School

I have a long wish list. The first thing I want in

my life is my father to be back. He passed away
when I was only 2 years old. I wish I can
imagine myself spending a good time with my
dad but I can’t. I can only draw his face in my
mind when I see him in old pictures. I know it
can’t happen but still, I really wish he’s here.
Another wish I have is to move to Jeju Island. I
am getting tired to living in this concrete jungle.
Once I retire, I will have a simple life in Jeju
Island. It would be great if I can have a tiny
farm where I can pick some fresh vegetables.

• What are the top 5 wishes you have, and when do you think it will happen?
• Do you wish you were younger? Why or why not?
• What kind of ability do you wish to have?
• Do you wish you lived in another country? Why or why not?
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Is there any wish that you had and made it come true?
Do you wish to live forever? Why or why not?

Learning Material
Do you think making a wish list can actually help you make it come true?
If genie appears and grant you 3 wishes, what would those be and why?

To die.
‘My grandma passed away when she was brought to the hospital’

“Concrete jungle”
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 Teacher’s School

I had to live by myself for the first time in my

life when I moved to LA because of my school.
Packing, planning, the excitement of exploring a
new city, the sadness of leaving family behind,
the joy of making new friends, the responsibility
of having to take care of myself, having to travel
alone, getting over the homesickness and
eventually getting used to it. It was a beautiful
chapter in anyone's life.
First experience of doing something alone is
very challenging and memorable at the same
time. It is truly the best foundation of life.

• When was the first time you went to grocery shopping alone?
• Why do you think first step is very critical?
• When did you first eat raw fish(Sashimi) and how was it?
• Where is the first place or country you traveled alone?
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When did you first have a part-time job? Did your first job go well?
How would you describe your first day in your current work or school?

Learning Material
What's the most recent thing you did for the very first time?
If you buy a house for the first time, what are the aspects you would consider?

To overcome or master
‘I will get over the fear of having a job interview someday’

“Homesick / Carsick”
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 Teacher’s School

It’s been 5 months since I came back from

summer vacation in Hawaii. Until now I cannot
move on from the fantastic time of my life. I
spent mornings without doing anything and it
gave me time to think about my life. I guess I
really needed that time. I had a bowl of rice
noodle soup for lunch and took a nap on the
beach. It was ultimate peace.
Sometimes, putting myself away from the usual
routine helps a lot in making a wise decision or
life plan. At the same time, it is a great
motivation to work hard as well.

• How do you like to spend time during vacation?

• Did you enjoy your last vacation? (How was your vacation?)
• When and where are you planning to have your next vacation?
• What was the best food you ate during your last vacation?
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Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?
Does accommodation matter a lot to you when you travel abroad?

Learning Material
If your family go on a vacation, what is your role or job usually?
If your friend asks you where is good to have a peaceful vacation,
Where would you recommend?

Continue moving or progressing; also go away

‘Now, let's move on to the next story.’

“Ultimate”
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 Teacher’s School

There is no doubt that owning a real estate

provides emotional security especially for the
one who is owing it for the first time. The
feeling to acquire your own house that too for
the first time is no less than achieving
something you can never express and the cherry
on the cake moment is when you buy it with
your own earnings. It's a WOW feeling!
Thinking of where to place each furniture, what
color to choose for the walls of each room and
which room to use as a future baby room. Those
are one of the best experiences we can have.

• Can you describe your dream house? How would it look like?
• What changes would you like to make to your current home?
• At what age do people usually buy their own house for the first time?
• Which part of the house is most important for you?
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Would you like to have fence around your house? If so, why and how?
Do you think buying a house is better than saving in a bank?

Learning Material
Is it better to rent or buy? Give reasons for your answer.
Make a list of the 10 most important things you would look for when choosing
a house to live in.

The initial time

‘I saw Ben swimming for the first time.’

“Real estate”
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 Teacher’s School

My brother and I must have been between ages

5-7; we were playing in our balcony. Often, we'd
take a break just to gaze on people and things,
since we were small and we’re just discovering
things. One Sunday, a beggar came near my
house. She was a frail, old lady and was asking
for alms in a loud voice. My brother and I had
never seen anyone like this. To our innocent,
young minds, her voice and her pleas sounded
hilarious. We broke out into laughter, unable to
control ourselves and it has become the worst
regret of my life. I can’t forgive myself.

• Did you have a happy childhood?

• What is the best/worst memory you have from the childhood?
• What were some embarrassing situations when you were a child?
• Have you ever been absent in school even if you were not sick?
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Describe the first memory you have of going to school.
Do children today eat too much fast food and don't play enough sports?

Learning Material
What childhood memory has had the best impact on you?
How are you similar to your parents? How are you different?

To look at someone or something

‘She gazed sullenly on the ruin that had been her home.’

“Hilarious”
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 Teacher’s School

Tim has been my friend for 15 years and he

knows about me more than my family. Once we
both liked the same girl in high school. When
we found out that we couldn’t stop laughing and
we said “Let’s see who wins the trophy!”.
The funny part is that the girl we liked ended up
being with another boy that we both didn’t like.
I guess our friendship is meant to be kept well.
When Tim got a job in Google, I was happier
than himself. I think a true friend is really
someone I can be completely happy for when
there is a great achievement like that.

• Do you have any childhood friendships that are still strong today?
• What life lessons did you learn from your friendship?
• What type of people do you get along with best?
• Do you believe that there is an end to any true friendships?
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What behavior of others hurts you most?
What are some good opportunities to meet new people?

Learning Material
Do you believe your parents should be your friends?
Have you ever liked a close friend? If so, what happened?

Destined or fated to be something.

‘I was meant to be rich, but something didn't work right!’

“Complete / Completely”
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 Teacher’s School

Bruce Lee is my forever hero and super star

until this point. There are a lot of great people
over the world but the reason why I admire him
a lot is because he doesn’t believe in limit. He
spent his life to prove to people that we actually
have great potential. Here’s one of his words I
always keep in mind.
“If you always put limit on everything you do,
physical or anything else. It will spread into
your work and into your life. There are no limits.
There are only plateaus, and you must not stay
there, you must go beyond them.”

• Who is your super star and why is that?

• Is there any quote from a famous person you can remember?
• Do you think celebrity is happier than ordinary people?
• Have you tried copying a celebrity you like?
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Would you like to be famous ? Why or why not ?
Why do you think adolescents need to have heroes?

Learning Material
What are the pros and cons of being a celebrity?
Which celebrity would you like to meet? What would you do if you could
spend a day with this person?

To trust or have faith in someone or something

‘You must believe in your own abilities.’

“Plateaus”
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 Teacher’s School

Stress is a silent killer, it works like slow poison.

My work is complicated enough to give me a
hard time but dealing with my irresponsible co-
workers is way harder than my task. Sometimes
they just push their work to me without feeling
guilty and I think I am already very close to my
limit. I haven’t left office on time since last
month because of unfinished work that our
team was supposed to finish.
Lacking personal time is horrible for a person
like me. I badly need an efficient way to deal
with my stress. Otherwise, I might drop my job!

• Have you been under stress recently?

• How do you get control of a stressful situation that is getting too tough?
• Can alcohol cure stress temporarily?
• Tell 3 things that you think it’s a must to have when you are 60.
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What is the most stressful experience you have ever had?
What is the most stressful job you can think of?

Learning Material
Is being single less stressful than married life? What are the pros and cons?
Which would you choose: A stressful job with very high pay or a relaxing job
with considerably low pay?

Used as ‘If not’

‘Start at once, otherwise you will be late.’

“Lack / Lacking”
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 Teacher’s School

Over 350 million people suffer from

Facebook Addiction Disorder
Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) is a term
introduced by US psychologists for those who
are addicted to Facebook and their life is really
affected by their uncontrolled activities on
Facebook. The most common effects are the
loss of productivity, the inability to concentrate,
the superficiality of friendships as well as
isolation in the extreme cases.
It has been said that approximately 350 million
people are suffering from the disorder.

• Do you agree that SNS such as Facebook or Twitter very addictive?

• Have you ever encountered an uncomfortable situation in SNS?
• What's something you don't like about Facebook?
• Do you think it’s difficult to get along with friends if you don’t use SNS?
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At what age do people start having their own SNS account?
What's the best thing about Facebook?

Learning Material
If you are the CEO of Facebook, what function would you like to add?
Do you think there will be a time that people get sick of SNS and close their
accounts all together?

Ahead or on target with one's work schedule or responsibilities.

‘Jerry can't seem to get ahead of his work.’

“Confidence / Confident”
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 A lot of our dark moments are times when we
sink into something out of our control.
I was accepted in a company that I had been
willing to join in 2005. It was the happiest day
of my life but then, things turned out to be
incredibly harsh. On the very first day, I got into
a bad car accident on the way to the office. I was
hospitalized for 3 months and the company
couldn't push through my career with them
since I haven't even started. The worst part is
that it took me one more year to find another
job after the accident.

• When was the worst day of your life?

• If you can turn back the time, what would you like to change?
• Do you believe in destiny? Why or why not?
• What do you think is the lesson learned from your worst day?
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If it happens to you again, do you think you can manage it better?
Who is the person you can rely on when things go wrong?

Learning Material
If there is a machine to turn back time, how do you want to use it?
What are the food, thing and activity that makes you feel good on a bad day?

To compel to accept
‘The Democratic majority pushed through the law’

“Hospital / Hospitalized”
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 Teacher’s School

If I can fly and be invisible, I would want to help

kids feel like Superman.
This would be an ode to my childhood.
Childhood always grasps such moments of
marvel and hope to be able to do what
superheroes do. I always wanted to fly. I still
remember myself dreaming of flying, I still do
sometimes. The freedom, the view, the
nonchalance - it gets to you and you want it to
continue. This vision is not commanded by the
rich or the poor. The vision is for dreamers.
That’s why it’s the first thing I will do invisibly.

• What is the special ability that you want to have and what would you do?
• If you can see if people are telling truth or not, can it make you happy?
• Do you think there are people with supernatural-power in reality?
• What are the places that you want to go if you can be invisible for 3 days?
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Why do you think a lot of people are into watching a super-hero movies?
If you can travel through time, what would you do?

Learning Material
What is the supernatural-power that might become a reality in this decade?
Do you think watching a superhero movies affect children in a negative way?

To think about something that you want very much

‘I dream of one day working for myself without stress from co-workers’

“Grasp”
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A few years back I had some beautiful old-

fashioned dresses that my grandmother had
sewn for me as a baby. I was planning to hand
them down to a future daughter if I had one. We
were getting ready to move. I put everything in
bags and went to stay with a friend, confident
that my mom would grab everything. Well, I left
the dresses in a dresser drawer along with
everything else I had collected for my future
children, and my mom did not grab anything
out of the dresser drawers. I guess she just
assumed everything I wanted was in the bags.

• What is the most precious thing that you want to have until your last day?
• What are the three things that you want to hand down to your child?
• Have you ever lost a thing that is very precious to you? How did it happen?
• When it comes to memories, what is the most precious memory you have?
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Is there any clothes you wear only on a special day?
What do you think can be a meaningful gift to give to your friend?

Learning Material
Describe the most important person in your life with supporting reasons.
Is there any place you want to be the only one to know about? Where is it?

To transmit in succession, as from father to son

‘John handed his old shirts down to his younger brother.’

“Sew / Sewn”
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I was always afraid of aging. I wanted to achieve

a lot of goals every year so time flying so fast
was literally a big fear of mine.
Now that I am already at the age of 60, physical
strength is no longer what it once was. The
mind is no longer as quick and memory is no
longer as sharp. Now I feel I am way ahead of
the game. One great positive that comes with
aging is experience. Been there, done that.
There is certain confidence that comes from
living and learning the lessons that life has to
teach. It's a time of reviewing one's life.

• Are you afraid of aging? Why or why not?

• Share the story of your grandparent. How did they live their lives?
• What do you achieve by 60 and where do you want to be?
• Do you agree that old people are wiser than younger generation?
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Would you like to work until 60, why or why not?
What is the age that Koreans retire from their work?

Learning Material
What are the advices that you want to hear from older generation?
If you can choose to stay at your age or get aged, what would you prefer?

In front or advance of
‘The polls show that he is ahead of the other candidates.’

“Physical”
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 Teacher’s School

Can money buy happiness?

I guess my answer is "emphatically yes, sort of."
Money is a necessary component to achieve
happiness. Most of the time we spend (past the
education phase of our lives) is devoted to
acquiring money, which we use to get food,
shelter, medicine, and other physiological and
safety needs. However, it is truly depressing
sometimes. It seems that I am working harder
and harder but the quality of life does not get
better. Still, to buy things I need, I really have to
earn.

• Do you think money can really buy happiness?

• What is something that you have bought recently that cost a lot of money?
• What do you spend most of your money on?
• Do you haggle (bargain with the seller) when you shop?
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If someone gave you a million dollars, what would you do with it?
Have you ever owed money to people?

Learning Material
Is it bad if one person or company controls the market that it specializes in?
What are some of the different kinds of taxes your country has?

To give all of something

‘She has devoted all her energies/life to the care of homeless people.’

“Haggle”
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 Teacher’s School

How can I tell my wife I am terrified

about death?
I am experiencing a bit of a crisis, it's affecting
my life and wellbeing in general. I am
absolutely and unquestionably terrified about
my eventual and certain loss of consciousness
when I die and it's causing me a great deal of
terror and frustration in my day to day life. I'd
like to let my wife know why I am experiencing
this since it's impossible to hide it, but I don't
know how or if I should even bother.
If you were in my situation, what would you do?

• Are you afraid of death?

• Do you want to know the date of your death? Why or why not?
• Is there any person you would die for in order to save? Who is it?
• What would happen if you died?
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How does a person cope with death of a friend or loved one?
If you could choose how you were going to die, what would you choose
your death to be?
Learning Material
What do you think would happen if there were no death for human beings?
Is organ donation or transplants an option for you? Why or why not?

A large amount or very much of something

‘She used to talk a great deal about her childhood in Indiana.’

“Terrify / Terrified”
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 I am fond of pets. I have a pet dog. I call it Mimi.
She is two years old. She runs at an incredible
speed though she has very short legs. When I
had depression after losing my sister, Mimi was
the one who made me smile again. Mimi's
presence adds meaning to my life. It has not
only given me a friend to be cared by and to
care for, but also has made me a more
responsible and mature individual. But I know
that a dog's life span is very short, so very soon
it would have to leave me .Yet I keep praying to
let it be with me forever.

• What are the pros and cons of keeping a pet?

• What is the most unusual pet you have ever seen?
• Is there any animal you want to raise at home as your pet?
• What can children learn by having a pet?
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What are the most popular pets in your country?
Have you ever been bitten by a dog?

Learning Material
Think of some people you know. Which animals do they resemble?
Pets are considered to be a burden to most of the city dwellers.
To what extent do you agree?

To provide for a person or animal’s needs and to protect

‘Bob and his sister take turns caring for their elderly mother.’

“Life span”
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I have spent several months worrying things

that might happen in the future and realized
that still things are out of my control most of
the time. I only want to manage my health and
work well for the future. I have many dreams to
make come true and many people to share my
love.
Knowing the future takes the fun out of your life
and worse, you will be constantly worried and
planning for it. Live in the present and live your
“todays” to your fullest, and your future will be
taken care of.

• What type of job would you like to do in the future?

• Where do you plan on going in the future?
• Do you think the future will be better or worse for your grandchildren?
• What is the advice that you would like to give to younger generation?
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If you can know one thing about future, what do you want to know?
Do you find the process of preparing for future fun or interesting?

Learning Material
What are the three things that you want to tell your older-self?
Is there anything that does not yet exist that you would like to see invented?

To remove something from somewhere:

‘I've had a tooth taken out.’

“Constantly”
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