Not all students created equally

It's been quite a frustrating week at the uni this week.  Just when I think I've got a grasp on how to teach my guys, I'll have a couple of days when everything gets to me.  It's not that my students are bad people.  On the contrary, I think it'd be lovely to sit around and have a cup of coffee with them, but their study habits...whew.  It definitely takes some getting used to, and then some more.  I've taught students in China, Thailand and here, and I've taught a selection of Western students (as well as been one) when I was doing teacher training. The following comparison is very generalized.  It'd fail any anthropological evaluation and I can only pray that my former professors don't see it.  Of course, all students are not the same. I know that and you know that.   Having said that, here's my comparison.

                                                                               
                   

Western students	Chinese students	Thai   Students	Arabic students
feel embarrassed when they are   late and try to enter quietly and sit somewhere near the back of the room.	are never late.	will come to class 5 minutes late   and tell everyone how sorry they are, but...	walk into the class 5 - 15   minutes late, talking on the telephone.  Say hello to all their friends   and shake the teacher's hand.
do homework as quickly as   possible so they can go out and get drunk, or do it on the way to class the   next morning with a hangover.	will spend all night doing   homework, forsaking anything that seems remotely pleasurable.	will do homework with the help of   everyone in their social group.	homework?
will often challenge the teachers   ideas, sometimes purely for the sport of it.	believe everything the teacher   says, unless it is directly in opposition to their government or parents.	love to hear what the teacher has   to say.	think the teacher is quite   humorous.
like working independently, but   will work in groups when asked.	are fiercely competitive and have   real problems working in groups and sharing resources.	don't work alone, ever.	prefer working in a group,   especially if someone else is doing all of the work.
rewrite the information out of   texts using their own words, trying to collect a lot of quotes from different   sources so it looks like they read the books.	will copy information directly   out of a textbook.  It's already been written well once, there's no need   to write it again.	will write about something   totally different than what was assigned.	will copy information word for   word from another student who consistently scores lower than them on exams or   writing assignments.
hate getting caught cheating on   exams.	hate getting caught cheating on   exams.	hate getting caught cheating on   exams.	don't know why they can't share   information with the other members of their family, tribe, or city on exams.
will doodle or SMS their friends   when they get bored.	will fall asleep when they get   bored.	will talk with classmates about   what they did last night when they get bored.  Or ask the teacher what   he/she did last night.	will ask the teacher to finish   the class early every five minutes or so until the end of class.
will ask the teacher to clarify   directions for a task, want to know why they have to do it, and how many   pages, words, they are expected to produce.	will smile, nod and say they   understand when they have no idea what they are supposed to do.  They'll   then sit and stare at the task not doing anything until the teachers asks   them why they aren't working.	will smile, nod and say they   understand when they have no idea what they are supposed to do.  They'll   then sit and stare at the task not doing anything until the teachers asks   them why they aren't working.	will talk with classmates   throughout presentation of directions, then ask the teacher what to do.   This will happen for each section of the class.
will leave the mobile on vibrate,   answering only when it's an emergency and then being very discrete.	will turn off their phones when   asked, but occasionally forgetting.	will talk on the phone loudly and   explain to classmates what they are talking about.	will let the mobile ring (play a   song) and then loudly answer.  It's always "my father,   teacher."
want the teacher to respect them.	want the teacher to give them   good marks.	want to like the teacher.	want the teacher to like them.
are seen as butt kissers if they   help the teacher erase the board or carry books.	are seen as lazy dogs if they   don't help the teacher erase the board, etc.	want to use the opportunity of   erasing the board, etc to get to know the teacher.	isn't that what the teacher's   getting paid for?
like to discuss different aspects   of the topic.	like to listen to the teacher   discuss different aspects of the topic.	like to   talk	like to discuss anything other than   the topic - the teacher's plans for holiday, his/her last job, what they did   last weekend.