Funny Student Stories

1: My opening routine this semester is to have a question of the day that we discuss by thinking about the answer, pairing with a partner, and then sharing with the class (think, pair, share!). It’s been a great way to get them thinking and speaking in English from the beginning of class. On my Mondays my question is usually, “what did you do this weekend?” and most students reply “I did my homework”, “I played computer games”, “I went to the park.” This particular Monday my new student, who is a lovely girl from Thailand that has a very high level of English, said “I went to a coffee shop and I drank coffee.” What a sophisticated weekend this little 4th grader had!
2: Another one of my higher level students that I teach also use to be in my activity class last semester(a special class I co-teach with a couple of my teammates once a week that has an English focus but we can basically do whatever we want. This semester we are doing a “through the decades” theme which has been a lot of fun! We teach a song and dance from the time period and talk about some of the major events and inventions during that particular decade…I’m in charge of the dance each week so we’ve done The Charleston and swing dance for the 1920’s and 1930’s!). This particular student is one that always makes me laugh and we can actually have a full English conversation, however he is not in my activity class this semester. I saw him in the hallway the day after our first activity class of the semester and said “Why are you not in my activity class anymore!? I will miss getting to talk with you.” Very sincerely he replies in his cute Chinese-English accent “Ms. Katie, I know, I know. I am sorry I have signed up for a different class and I cannot be in two places at once, you see. You teach me for regular English class this afternoon though, thank you very much!” And off he went down the hallway as I am laughing to myself.
3: Our office shares a wall with the 6th grade boys bathroom and one day we were all focused on lesson planning and such so it was pretty quiet until we hear a 6th grade boy belting out “We are the world, we are the children” opera style. People of all ages in this country just love Michael Jackson!
4: Another funny but mischievous story is of a student in my class who drew on my pants. I am laughing right now because it’s so ridiculous! I was leaning down to help her with an assignment and I sort of felt something on the back of my leg and she smiled a little smirk at me, but I didn’t really think anything about it as I was trying to get to the other 32 students in the class to help them too. When I got home from school I noticed the big black pen line down my khaki pants and immediately knew who the perpetrator was. I put the pants in a bag to bring as evidence to confront her with the next day. I found her between classes and pulled her aside in the hallway and asked her if she had drawn on the pants. I had a note prepared for her to copy that my roommate helped me compose (we were laughing the whole time as we wrote it) that said something along the lines of “Ms. Katie, I am sorry I wrote on your pants. I know it is difficult to get pen out of clothing. I was not being respectful when I made the choice to do that and I will not do it again.” She denied her actions, but then I started singing the “Honesty Song” we have been learning, as honesty is our character focus this month. I asked her “Are you being honest and telling the truth?” She continued to say she didn’t do it, so I figured if anything I scared her a little bit and got the chance to share with her a little more about the importance of honesty.
Even though they can be troublesome at times, I am incredibly thankful for my student’s laughter, hugs, and the joy they bring to my life. I will miss their cute Chinese faces and the funny way some things translate when they speak. I don’t want to take for granted this precious time I have left with them this semester!

A Snowy Start

Time flies when you are having fun! During my month of off school, I was keeping busy by traveling around Beijing and Hong Kong and attending our organizations annual conference in Thailand to gear up for another semester of teaching! My parents were able to come and visit me during this time and I was so thankful they made the trip to see me. Although the students had already gone home for the holiday prior to their arrival, it was great for my family to tour the school, and to meet my teammates and fellow Chinese teachers. They got to see a glimpse of my life here and experience Chinese culture!
This past Sunday night came with sounds of rolling suitcases and parents dropping off their children to begin a new semester. Thus far, things are going very smoothly…a little too smoothly. I was expecting my students to have a hard time transitioning back to speaking English since the majority of them don’t speak it at home, but they have jumped right back into the language. I was only away from China for a couple of weeks, and it was hard for me to come back and begin speaking Mandarin again, so I have been very impressed with them. From my teams experience last semester, our school often likes to change the schedule, often times at the last minute, but we have only had a couple of changes this week so we have been pleasantly surprised! It has definitely been great reconnecting with our Chinese co-teachers and students and I am excited to continue investing and building wonderful memories this semester!
One thing that challenged me from our conference was that “students do not see all the preparation you put into a lesson, they only see you for the class period you are teaching, so what are you putting more energy into?” Last semester I think I was doing great with the planning of every detail and being over prepared, but by the time the class period came to teach the lesson, I was exhausted. My goal this semester is to be more balanced in this and to be more conscious of my energy level and enthusiasm during my classes. I have already learned from last semester that I really don’t enjoy teaching EFL as much as content subjects to elementary students in the States, so this makes this goal more difficult, but I know this is what He has given me to do in this season, and I want to do it well. I want to be more balanced in life in general as well. I am seeing how being a first year teacher can be all-consuming if you choose for it to be, but already this week I am doing better- I have not brought anything home with me from my office to work on after school. (Ok, one class of grading but that is all!) Honestly, I feel a little lazy, but I know I will be a better teacher if I am balanced.
Our first weekend back into the semester has been one of much needed rest as I’m still adjusting, getting the swing of things. On Saturday morning I awoke to snow- it may not stick around for too long but I’m enjoying the beautiful view out my window!

Xin Nian Kaui Le

I hope everyone is having a great 2011 so far! As many of you are coming off of holiday breaks, I am just about to begin mine. This is our last week of school until February 21st. I gave my final exams (oral, listening, and written) last week and whipped through the grading of 136 exams and calculating final grades so most of my work for the semester is done and yes, it is a good feeling. Although we are still “teaching” this week I expect to have some of my classes taken from me as the students are busy preparing for finals in other subjects. I am planning for whatever lessons I do get to teach this week to be a fun time of reflection for my students and me. I have put together a slideshow of pictures from this semester and I want them to reflect on the things they learned in our class, what they have liked about it, and what they want to learn about next semester. I will also be giving out awards to the students who got a 100% on the final exam and an A in my class which hopefully will serve as a reward for these students and as motivation for the others who did not do so well.
Looking back over the semester, I know I have grown an immeasurable amount as a teacher and a person. The first couple of months were not easy and I often questioned if I could really handle the differences in educational systems and cultures. Now, not a day goes by that I don’t give him thanks for this amazing opportunity to be living, working, and serving in another country. I know it is not something to take for granted that I get to be surrounded by some the most beautiful children in the world (troublesome at times, yes) and do my best to live out each day focused on how I can pour into their lives and the lives of my co-teachers. I am sure next semester will have challenges, but overall it is going to be so nice to come back from the break knowing my students, knowing the curriculum, and having a better understanding of how the school runs and how to communicate most effectively with Chinese co-teachers. I anticipate that having a stronger grip on the teaching side of things will allow me to be even more focused on relationships and I look forward to seeing his faithfulness continuing as he has already opened many doors. One fun goal I have for next semester is to get more involved in the dance department and maybe assist in some dance classes that my 4th grade girls attend. I’m not going to lie, as “the foreigners” we already get a lot of attention and our High School Musical performance, “We’re All in This Together” that we did for the school last week pretty much made me feel like a pop star! I miss dancing so it will be a way for me to live out that passion and spend more time with my students.
There are a lot of exciting things going on during the break and it will be nice to take a mental break, but I will definitely miss not seeing my students for over a month, so I will be spending as much time as I can getting extra hugs and time with them this week. My parents will be arriving on January 21st and we will spend 10 days in Beijing and then 5 days in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year! I can’t wait to see my family and for them to experience China. I am also excited to get to see how the biggest Chinese holiday is celebrated, especially since it will be the year of the rabbit and I am a rabbit according to the Chinese calendar. My parents and I will depart each other in Hong Kong, as they will head back to The States and I, along with 700 other teachers from my organization, will be travelling to Thailand for a mid-year conference. I can’t wait for the warmth and nature of Thailand (city life in Beijing is fun, but I haven’t seen much green or trees in several months now) fellowship, and time of refreshment!

Tis the Season

Merry Christmas to all from China! The last couple of weeks have been the busiest of the semester so I really have not had time to think too much about the fact that this will be my first Christmas away from home. I am also very thankful because my parents will be coming to visit me in just a few weeks! China has definitely taken in the commercial side of Christmas. Our school decorated the hallways with Christmas trees way overdone (let's just say too much tinsel and plastic ornaments can be tacky). We even had a life-size singing and dancing Santa Claus in the courtyard. We were able to teach the reason of the season and share the nativity story with our classes. For some students, it may have been the first time they have heard His name which is an awesome thing to get to be a part of!
Last night we had an English performance of songs, dances, and skits that we have been working very hard on for the past couple of weeks. I have learned that Chinese people are very serious when it comes to performing and they work very hard to make a great show. Acts included Justin Beiber's "Baby", Backstreet Boy's "As Long as You Love Me", and a scene performed from Kung Fu Panda. I will have videos to share when I return to the States if anyone is interested! I was in two of the acts with my 4th graders as a narrator for a scene from the story "Ali Baba" that they have been reading in class, and a song I had taught them this semester "The Respect Song." The Grand Finale was a dance performed by the Chinese English teachers and the foreign teachers, "We're All in this Together" from High School Musical. It was a fun day of helping the students get all done up (they even put stage make up on boys here- it's quite funny) and performing with them.
Today my teammates and I went caroling to our students in the cafeteria, singing "Jingle Bells," "Joy to the World," and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." It was awesome to see the smiles and joy on our students faces and to hear them join in singing with us. We will be spending Christmas Eve tonight with one of our Chinese co-teachers and here daughter and I am planning to make Chicken Parmesan :) Tomorrow we will be together as a team at our team leaders apartment, joining with their family's tradition of having a taco lunch, playing games, and watching Christmas movies!

"Very beautiful! Very beautiful indeed!"

Even though Christmas is not celebrated as prominently here, our team is still feeling the holiday rush as there are many end of the semester activities going on. Next week, we will have the opening ceremonies of the first annual English Festival that will last about a week at our school. The students will get to display some of their English writings, art work, and the festival will end with a performance of English songs. The school has asked me and my teammates to be a part of this performance by dancing to "We're All in This Together" from High School Musical. We have two weeks to learn the dance and have rehearsals with the Chinese teachers so we can perform it together! I know the students are going to love it and I will probably feel like a rockstar for a night.
I will be teaching my lessons about Christmas next week. It will be a time we can really share what Christmas is all about so I am excited for the opportunity to share hope with my students. We are going to be putting on a short Christmas play in our class called, "Christmas Around the World." I have looked up different Christmas traditions from different countries and I will be assigning students to different countries. They will become the expert on their country's traditions. We are then going to learn the song "Joy to the World." I am hoping it will be a neat opportunity for them to see He came for people of all nations! We will also be having a Christmas cookie decorating party with our Chinese teachers and hope it is a time of salty conversations and fellowship.
This past week I had two cute moments with students. A girl in one of my classes told me she had a dream about me the night before. Then, one evening when I was walking home from school, a 7 year old boy who is not one of my students said "Hello Teacher!" like all the students normally do when they walk by any teacher, but he continued "Very beautiful! Yes, very beautiful indeed!" What a great way to end my day!

Thankful in China

Well, Thanksgiving has been an extended celebration here in China. Turkeys, pumpkin pies, and casseroles were not lacking even though I am thousands of miles away from home. My first Thanksgiving feast was a week before the actual holiday when we had a traditional American Thanksgiving for our Chinese teachers. The Chinese teachers initially took very small portions as they walked along the buffet line, but then they saw the Americans plates were piled high and they too were soon eating like Americans. My second Thanksgiving meal was on Thanksgiving day with just my teammates at my wonderful team leaders home. I got to try sweet potato casserole with the marshmallows on top for the first time and we were able to watch the Macy's Day parade online after dinner. The third meal was this weekend when many English teachers from our organization annually gather. There were 80 of us and we all brought our favorite dishes. I made pineapple casserole, a southern treat! We ate, played games, and sang Christmas carols around the fireplace. Although, nothing beats being home, I continue to be thankful for the family and support He has given me here and the beauty of true community.
I also got to teach my students the story of Thanksgiving. To teach a very simplified and shortened version, I had different realia such as a pilgrim hat, a turkey, and a Mayflower ship and had some of the students act as I narrated the story. We then had a big turkey on the board and each student got a colorful feather to write something they are thankful for and they would then come and put it on the turkey. Many said they were thankful for their parents, friends, and teachers, including Ms. Katie.
My interesting experience of the week was having a whole class of students apologize to me. A few weeks ago I noticed some of the boys in one of my classes sticking their middle finger up at each other. Unfortunately they have probably seen some American movies that have this and although they don't know exactly what it means, I have been trying to tell them to stop. We were taking a test last week and one boy was choosing to not do his test and goofing off, so when I asked him to do his work, I got the finger. I discussed it with the Chinese teacher and she had him individually apologize to me, and then she wanted to the whole class to apologize to me for the overall bad behavior. So I walked in and she was yelling at them in Chinese as they were all standing up and had very shamed looks on their faces. In unison they all bowed to me and said "sorry" three times. I felt terrible for the ones who have never been anything but a help to me and I could not help but feel a little uncomfortable as I am not use to being bowed too. I know this is a symbol of respect in this culture and I truly do hope it changes their behavior, but I also want them to know I forgive them. "Oh, China" is all I can say sometimes!

"Move forward, and stop"

Recently I have been realizing that it sometimes seems my 10 year old students work harder than I do. Their typical schedule begins by waking up at 6:00am, classes from 8:00-12:00, followed by more classes from 2:00-4:30, and then sometimes they have evening classes. I have been a little under the weather this week and have been going to bed really early. I will be lying in bed and hear students outside my window “attention, move forward, and stop, 1-2.” This is a regular chant they say as they are walking in a line from one place to another. I look over at the clock and it’s almost 9:00pm. They continue this draining pattern 5 days a week...I’m exhausted just thinking about all the studying and work they do!
We have been studying an exciting topic…food. This week we learned words like chef, soup, carrots, celery, onion, mix up, cut up, serve, restaurant, and menu. I was able to show a cooking scene from the Disney movie “Ratatouille.” It fit all of the vocabulary so well and my students loved it! I love when students are learning but they don’t even realize it! My Chinese co-teacher that also teaches my students English is having some of the higher-level students act out a scene the story “Ali Baba” that they are reading in her class. She asked if they could use my apartment to film the scene, so today I had eight of my little 4th graders in turbans and middle-eastern costumes in my apartment. It was quite adorable and entertaining!
This week we will be another busy week of teaching and we are preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for all of our co-teachers on Friday. We have ordered the turkey and will be doing our best to create all of the traditional side dishes with the ingredients we can find. We hope to have a recipe station, share the history of the holiday, and share things we are thankful for as we take the opportunity to serve our teachers, share some American traditions, and The reason we are thankful!