december.
Friends,
Happy Holiday from China !!! I trust this update finds you preparing to celebrate with your family, friends, or students as it is with our China teaching team. The next four weeks will be fill of new experiences as I will be in Nanchang for my first Christmas and New Year.
Teaching Philosophy: I thought I would take a moment to explain how I'm approaching teaching. I've been here in China for four months and seen my strengths and weakness come out during my time in and outside of the classroom. I think the most important thing I can do with our students is be there for them as they progress through our course. I have vivid memories of my professors being there for me while I was an adult learner progressing through language courses, Theology, Math, English, and History.
Its my turn to be that presence with our students as we go through the many lessons and activities. I have to remind myself that even though our students come from a different country we're finding that time spent in formal and informal discussions we find that we have similar interests and hobbies.
Invitations: I have a good example that I shared this week of how I accepted and declined an recent invitation. My Chinese friend called me last Wednesday with a meal invitation for the 9th. On Thurs I received a wedding invitation from a foreign teacher neighbor for the same afternoon of the meal. Because Ive known the neighbor the longest I attended the wedding and had a wonderful time. The night before the wedding I called and gave my student friend a valid reason for not going to a meal with him. I shared this situation with our students and allowed them to discuss it without telling them I was the person that had this predicament. After a few moments of discussion I listened to a variety of reasons of declining and accepting invitations.
The question for you: What would you do in the above situation?
Holiday in China : The first hint that I saw of the holidays occurred when I was shopping in Wal-Wart and saw an aisle of decorations and gifts. The music section has an assortment of holiday music so I might have to return and browse the selections. The big holiday period however is the Chinese New Year which is called "spring festival." Just this morning I received a knock on my classroom door and Joey and his class were wanting to practice a holiday song for my class. I invited Joey and the students in and my class was treated to a mini concert. Weekly highlights like this make living in China full of memories and experiences.
Campus Evaluation: Last month our students experienced an all campus visit by the Chinese Board of Education. Its similar to the accreditation process used in American Universities. Since our students are Professors they were busy before and during the week the visit occurred. We didnt have classes during the evaluation period so our students can fully participate in the process. From the reports weve received the visit went smoothly so we can continue with our language classes. The expressions of relief on our students face when they came back from the week long absence was priceless for me to witness.
Fall Semester: Our Fall semester will be finished on January 12. A graduation ceremony will be held for our first set of students and present them with a certificate of completion. There will be speeches by two students, host officials, Joey and I. After the ceremony we will have an extended holiday break. Joey and I will begin the spring semester in late February soon after we have celebrated the Chinese New Year.
Thanks again for taking time to read my update. In next months update I'll share about the New Year preparations and our graduation ceremony. Thanks also to those of you who have donated to my support account this year. It means a lot to me to enjoy this privilege of teaching our students with the support of friends and family in the U.S. and overseas.
Have a safe and joyous holiday with your family and friends.
Brian
Happy Holiday from China !!! I trust this update finds you preparing to celebrate with your family, friends, or students as it is with our China teaching team. The next four weeks will be fill of new experiences as I will be in Nanchang for my first Christmas and New Year.
Teaching Philosophy: I thought I would take a moment to explain how I'm approaching teaching. I've been here in China for four months and seen my strengths and weakness come out during my time in and outside of the classroom. I think the most important thing I can do with our students is be there for them as they progress through our course. I have vivid memories of my professors being there for me while I was an adult learner progressing through language courses, Theology, Math, English, and History.
Its my turn to be that presence with our students as we go through the many lessons and activities. I have to remind myself that even though our students come from a different country we're finding that time spent in formal and informal discussions we find that we have similar interests and hobbies.
Invitations: I have a good example that I shared this week of how I accepted and declined an recent invitation. My Chinese friend called me last Wednesday with a meal invitation for the 9th. On Thurs I received a wedding invitation from a foreign teacher neighbor for the same afternoon of the meal. Because Ive known the neighbor the longest I attended the wedding and had a wonderful time. The night before the wedding I called and gave my student friend a valid reason for not going to a meal with him. I shared this situation with our students and allowed them to discuss it without telling them I was the person that had this predicament. After a few moments of discussion I listened to a variety of reasons of declining and accepting invitations.
The question for you: What would you do in the above situation?
Holiday in China : The first hint that I saw of the holidays occurred when I was shopping in Wal-Wart and saw an aisle of decorations and gifts. The music section has an assortment of holiday music so I might have to return and browse the selections. The big holiday period however is the Chinese New Year which is called "spring festival." Just this morning I received a knock on my classroom door and Joey and his class were wanting to practice a holiday song for my class. I invited Joey and the students in and my class was treated to a mini concert. Weekly highlights like this make living in China full of memories and experiences.
Campus Evaluation: Last month our students experienced an all campus visit by the Chinese Board of Education. Its similar to the accreditation process used in American Universities. Since our students are Professors they were busy before and during the week the visit occurred. We didnt have classes during the evaluation period so our students can fully participate in the process. From the reports weve received the visit went smoothly so we can continue with our language classes. The expressions of relief on our students face when they came back from the week long absence was priceless for me to witness.
Fall Semester: Our Fall semester will be finished on January 12. A graduation ceremony will be held for our first set of students and present them with a certificate of completion. There will be speeches by two students, host officials, Joey and I. After the ceremony we will have an extended holiday break. Joey and I will begin the spring semester in late February soon after we have celebrated the Chinese New Year.
Thanks again for taking time to read my update. In next months update I'll share about the New Year preparations and our graduation ceremony. Thanks also to those of you who have donated to my support account this year. It means a lot to me to enjoy this privilege of teaching our students with the support of friends and family in the U.S. and overseas.
Have a safe and joyous holiday with your family and friends.
Brian
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posted by Brian C. @ 10:14 PM
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