October
Friends,
It’s October and the fall season is upon us here in Nanchang, China . Our hosts continue to help us get settled in and assist with details of living in China . I’m enjoying teaching, finding new restaurants, and trying to hone my Badminton skills as I continue to learn what it means to be a teacher in a foreign county. Please forgive me in advance if there are Chinese characters that make their way to this message. I have a school provided computer that has Mandarin language installed on it.
National Day Holiday : (Sept 29th- October 6th)
Joey traveled to the port city of Shenzhen (near Hong Kong) while I stayed here in Nanchang . The National Day Holiday is equal in importance to our Independence Day. I made it a point to keep the calender free for students so we can spend quality time with each other.
One of the highlights I had this week was to visit a students hometown for two days. The village is one hour outside of Nanchang and it was a nice change of pace for me. My student invited me to a Chinese opera performance that took place in the village center. I was able to ask the actors/actresses (through the assistance of my student) about their makeup, roles, and history
of Chinese opera.
Badminton: I have had several opportunities to play badminton with my students and they took me to "school" by making me run around the court for the bird. A person can practice Badminton on the street, in a gym, on the playground, and a empty basketball court. One student and I (not one of my own) practiced badminton in my living room and had a fun time for the few minutes we hit the bird around. No TVs or furniture was harmed during our practice time. I plan to study the game of badminton by watching more televised matches.
Class Monitor: These students are our link to our students in matters of attendance concerns, class activities, class pace, and other details. If I (as a teacher) want to plan a class activity I don't go directly to the students. I have to go through the monitor for communication details. This system works if we're aware of how we should utilize the monitor. The class monitor is also the spokesperson for the class if my students want to plan a class activity and want to speak to me.
Xian Retreat: Joey and I are planning to travel to Xi'an in November to meet with the other members of our China teaching team. 43 of us will convene from all corners of China to spend the week relaxing and discussing how our teaching is going. The first time I traveled to Xi'an was in November of 2003 while I was a student in a semester study program.
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Listed below are examples of activities I'm using to reach our students:
Vocabulary Walk: This activity takes place in a local department store where I point out items to my students and provide them with the English words that correspond with the item. I held this activity last month and it was quite an experience for both the students and I. We had a grand time walking around and exchanging English and Chinese words of the items I pointed out.
Circle-Up: Each Friday I hold a “circle-up.” The students and I form a circle and share a highlight of our previous week. I also invite the students to share concerns, hopes, and what kind of activities they would like to see occur in our class. The first time I conducted this time I shared about how the American Pioneers used to “circle the wagons” after a journey.
Walk and Talk: This activity consists of students signing up to talk with us in a social setting. A popular event that my students and I enjoy is going out for Chinese lunches and dinners. If it’s a dining situation the students choose the dishes and invite me to try each of them. There is a abundance of spicy foods in the southern provinces of China and I'm tried a number of them since I've arrived in Nanchang.
Once again, thanks for taking the time to read my update. Our students continue to amaze us with their eagerness to learn as we try our best to meet their English needs. I’ll look forward to sharing about the Xi’an retreat with you in the next update.
Brian
It’s October and the fall season is upon us here in Nanchang, China . Our hosts continue to help us get settled in and assist with details of living in China . I’m enjoying teaching, finding new restaurants, and trying to hone my Badminton skills as I continue to learn what it means to be a teacher in a foreign county. Please forgive me in advance if there are Chinese characters that make their way to this message. I have a school provided computer that has Mandarin language installed on it.
National Day Holiday : (Sept 29th- October 6th)
Joey traveled to the port city of Shenzhen (near Hong Kong) while I stayed here in Nanchang . The National Day Holiday is equal in importance to our Independence Day. I made it a point to keep the calender free for students so we can spend quality time with each other.
One of the highlights I had this week was to visit a students hometown for two days. The village is one hour outside of Nanchang and it was a nice change of pace for me. My student invited me to a Chinese opera performance that took place in the village center. I was able to ask the actors/actresses (through the assistance of my student) about their makeup, roles, and history
of Chinese opera.
Badminton: I have had several opportunities to play badminton with my students and they took me to "school" by making me run around the court for the bird. A person can practice Badminton on the street, in a gym, on the playground, and a empty basketball court. One student and I (not one of my own) practiced badminton in my living room and had a fun time for the few minutes we hit the bird around. No TVs or furniture was harmed during our practice time. I plan to study the game of badminton by watching more televised matches.
Class Monitor: These students are our link to our students in matters of attendance concerns, class activities, class pace, and other details. If I (as a teacher) want to plan a class activity I don't go directly to the students. I have to go through the monitor for communication details. This system works if we're aware of how we should utilize the monitor. The class monitor is also the spokesperson for the class if my students want to plan a class activity and want to speak to me.
Xian Retreat: Joey and I are planning to travel to Xi'an in November to meet with the other members of our China teaching team. 43 of us will convene from all corners of China to spend the week relaxing and discussing how our teaching is going. The first time I traveled to Xi'an was in November of 2003 while I was a student in a semester study program.
======
Listed below are examples of activities I'm using to reach our students:
Vocabulary Walk: This activity takes place in a local department store where I point out items to my students and provide them with the English words that correspond with the item. I held this activity last month and it was quite an experience for both the students and I. We had a grand time walking around and exchanging English and Chinese words of the items I pointed out.
Circle-Up: Each Friday I hold a “circle-up.” The students and I form a circle and share a highlight of our previous week. I also invite the students to share concerns, hopes, and what kind of activities they would like to see occur in our class. The first time I conducted this time I shared about how the American Pioneers used to “circle the wagons” after a journey.
Walk and Talk: This activity consists of students signing up to talk with us in a social setting. A popular event that my students and I enjoy is going out for Chinese lunches and dinners. If it’s a dining situation the students choose the dishes and invite me to try each of them. There is a abundance of spicy foods in the southern provinces of China and I'm tried a number of them since I've arrived in Nanchang.
Once again, thanks for taking the time to read my update. Our students continue to amaze us with their eagerness to learn as we try our best to meet their English needs. I’ll look forward to sharing about the Xi’an retreat with you in the next update.
Brian
posted by Brian C. @ 7:55 AM
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