WOW!!
Today something amazing happened!!
Last year there was this one student that I dreaded teaching because she was incredibly hard to be around. She would come into the teacher's room and just stare at me sometimes, and she would refuse to talk in class. I offered to help her once and she said she didn't need my help because I wasn't a real teacher (I am positive I speak English well enough to help her even if I'm not a "real" teacher).
So I mostly just ignored her.
Well! Today she was sitting front and center. I always start my classes off with a game of Criss Cross where I ask a question and the students answer and when they get the question right, they can choose down or accross and that row sits down. Today I asked the question "when is your birthday?" and she actually raised her and and volunteered to answer the question! Then she actually did it properly! Not only that, but she did the class activity (fillig out a worksheet and interviewed her classmates to fill in the chart) and was able to read her answer when asked. I am absolutely amazed by this! She still doesn't make eye contact with me for more than a second at a time, but she seems to be trying this year!
Last year the other English teacher and I were both worried about her, but if she keeps going the way she is now, she should do alright! So I'm hoping that this wasn't just a fluke and that it will continue for the rest of the school year.