First full week!

 I have officially been in China for one month now, teaching for one and a half weeks.  So much has been packed into this time that it seems impossible that it has only been four weeks, but I’m thankful to have this Saturday off and take some time to process all that is going on!  The autumn season is upon the city of Beijing, lifting the grey smog, and allowing a beautiful blue sky and cooler temperatures in.  For the month of September, I am focusing on Sleeping, Eating, Pr., and Teaching and I’m learning that these basics are enough for now!  I am continuing to adjust to teaching English as a foreign language, getting to know my students, and getting to know my Chinese co-workers.  Sometimes I expect for relationships to develop faster and to be successful in the things I do on the first try, but I have to remember I am a new teacher, I am in a new culture, and there is a language barrier that requires even more patience!  

I need to provide my students activities and lessons that allow for oral language production, as I am a native speaker and they can have great benefit in learning how to communicate with me and each other.  Coming up with games and activities that give them the most practice is still difficult at this point as I am getting to know the varying levels of English amongst my students within each class.  Some things this week I thought would be good activities failed, some miserably, but I am learning.  I am use to teaching one class of about 25 students and getting to be with them all day.  Teaching four classes of about 32 students and trying to fit everything we need to cover into 40 minutes is challenging to say the least.  I know that when my students can’t understand me, they begin to tune out and that is when the talking and other discipline problems begin.  I totally get that- I sometimes tune out when we’re in a meeting where they are only speaking in Chinese.  Why bother to listen and pay attention if the person talking is making no sense to you?  Ironically enough, my students and I are going through the same thing, in a way, just in reverse. I need to be better at transitioning between activities and engaging the students so there is less time for them to easily get distracted.   Although the language barrier is frustrating at times, I am intrigued by how we were created with different languages and tongues and I’m thankful for the opportunity to get to learn Chinese while I am here. However, there are many ways my students communicate with me beyond language.  There is not a lack of feeling loved and appreciated as their teacher.  As soon as I walk in to set up for the class they immediately come to say “hello teacher!” and to give hugs.  They also want to touch everything I bring in with me and help set things up. 

I have also been getting to know my two Chinese co-teachers who also teach these students English throughout the week.  They took me out to dinner at a local restaurant here this week and it was nice to be out of the school environment and ask about their lives outside of being a teacher.  They work very hard and are very busy all the time.  That particular night, they had to return to teach another class that evening and one of the teachers lives an hour away from the school.  I live right on campus and have fewer classes than they do so I feel a bit spoiled.  Although we all speak English, there is still a communication barrier and I’m not sure they always understand what I mean so I have to be patient in asking the same question in a variety of ways and being ok with misunderstandings.  In the Chinese culture, if you are the one inviting someone out to a meal, they will pay.  There is no splitting the bill.  It felt weird to let her pay for my meal, but she replied “This is the Chinese way.”  I look forward to cooking an American meal for them and having them over to my apartment.

Friday was also Teacher’s Day in China.  Students bring gifts to show their appreciation for their teachers and it is made rather a big deal compared to The States.  The school had a banquet dinner at a hotel last night to celebrate.  There were over 200 teachers there from the primary, middle, and high school.  Many speeches were given by administrators, performances including singing and dancing (my team performed “Lean on Me” as a last minute request), and toasts were given at individual tables (you always want to have something in your glass at a Chinese banquet so you are ready for toasts!).  It was a very nice event and new experience for all of the foreign teachers!