First week of teaching!
Trip Start
Aug 24, 2007
1
5
16
Trip End
Dec 19, 2007
Hefei, China
Sunday, September 9, 2007
First of all, to all you teachers (especially the younger grades), I HAVE SO MUCH RESPECT FOR YOU!!! It is so much work to get lesson plans together and then to make sure that I have everything I need in the classroom so that I don't waste time having to run to the office and get it. I do a class every morning with nine 2-year-olds. 1) I find it so heartbreaking that these kids who are so little have to live at this school with hardly ever seeing their parents. They are disciplined by being yelled at and hit and they really just need some love. One little girl came over to me the other day with tears streaming down her face. I picked her up, sat her on my lap, and just hugged her and rocked her for about 10 minutes. The crying stopped almost instantly and she didn't want me to put her down when I had to leave. They are adorable kids! Anyway, my 3rd and 4th grade classes (which are the age of American 1st and 2nd graders) are huge! Well, I guess they're not really that big, but when I am told, as an English teacher, to try to get every kid to say something every minute, There is no time for anything else! Many of the kids already had English names, but I got to name quite a few of them (of course, the had a little book with a handful of names in it and some of them only wanted a name if it was in the book, and they wanted to choose it, so needless to say, there are a couple of names that I wanted to use but just couldn't because they were too picky). But they are fun kids. My 3rd graders are pretty rowdy and they don't understand as much English as I thought they would but that's ok. I just have to postpone some of the lesson plans I had for them while I catch them up on some basic reading skills.
Anyway, it's so fun to be able to walk around campus now and go play ping pong with my kids on their break or hear "Teacher, teacher!" From across campus and see one of your kids running toward you to give you a big hug. These older kids just need love too. They love giving hugs all the time and it is so cute!
Well, I'm going to Shanghai this weekend because the school has a long 4-day weekend every couple of weeks. We're going to see a Women's World Cup soccer game (double-header, actually...Argentina v. Japan and Germany v. England!). I will write again sometime when I get the chance after that! I love you all!
Comments
World Cup, right on!
How fun to get to go to the soccer game! Even though your brother and father would die of shock to think that I would be excited about a soccer game, I think that it is really cool. You are going to influence those kids so much, too! It is wonderful that you can give of yourself and love those kids. We love you! Have a grreat time.