Luzhouren Christmas 2011
A lot has been going on out here in Central China. I have officially finished my first semester of teaching in China! I turned in all my grades yesterday and will only be helping Ash with some of her finals this week. Other than that, I will not be in a classroom again until February 20th.
It was a really fun semester and a HUGE learning experience. The cultural differences, the classroom management, my co-workers, the environment, the subject, and other factors made this term truly unforgettable. The students are a lot of fun also. I gave my 'Year 1' classes an oral exam, and it was really cool (and frustrating) to talk with them individually. I had seven classes with an average of 40 students per class, which made it extremely difficult to talk to everyone or sometimes even remember their English names.
Names were quite a challenge for me this semester, and it is one of the things that has been difficult for me to adjust to. It got better throughout the semester, and I can proudly say I have three classes almost completely memorized. Of course remembering their Chinese names is out of the question, except for the students with really awesome names like Silence, Milk, Nicole Kidman, or Eleven.
 |
| One of my classes |
Some students came to class already having English names, but many asked me to help them find one. I usually just picked some names of people I missed and let them choose. Some favorites are, Kathy, Zoey, Peter, Susie, Katie, Joanne, Shari, Sarah, etc. I kinda wish, though, that I hadn't given them all the same list because I have seven Kathys, which has its advantages and disadvantages.
Many of my students do not speak English, which is not what I expected coming in, and others speak semi-decently. I told one class they could leave after they finished a written final, and they were all sitting there picking their noses, trimming their fingernails, or texting about 45 minutes into it, so I asked them if they were finished. Almost in unison they yelled YES! I again told them to turn in their work and leave, and they were very confused by the word 'leave.' Sometimes I have to revert to speaking Chinese because they don't know what LEAVE means. English Education majors...HA!
Life is moving quickly. It is hard to believe I have already been here for half a year of major holidays that I would normally have spent with all of you...we are getting through it, though. Ashley and I had a very Chinese Christmas. Ashley did a great job of writing about it on her blog:
Thanks to everyone who sent Christmas Cheer and I hope everybody has a great New Year!
posted by Bob @ 11:20 AM
0 Comments
