Nee Hao!
It appears I've created a pattern here. Here it is again on Sunday evening, and I find myself updating my blog. Sunday nights seem to be the best time for me to write on this thing, for it is then that I usually have the most time. Not to mention I'm usually in a pretty good mood on Sunday nights, considering that at that point I've had a whole day and a half away from teaching to "let my hair down" so to speak. So if you're looking for updates on this thing, Sunday nights are probably your best bet.
In my last post, I talked about how I was given the advice to utilize Sundays to do something fun and exciting. Well, at least for this week, I ignored that advice. Today was a very lazy day. But it was also very therapeutic and necessary. I got up late this morning (thanks to a very late Saturday night), caught the tail end of the Giants game, FINALLY got around to doing some laundry (was literally out of clothes earlier this week), cleaned a little, read a little (The Art of Racing In the Rain has the won the "which book AJ will read first out of the multitude he received from his loving mother" contest. Enjoying it thus far), took a nap, and I guess just enjoyed "the art of doing Nothing" (copyright, 2010 Fresh Ginger blog :) )
I guess there are a number of reasons I decided not to adventure, and rather to just take it easy today. For one, I went out last night and had a miniature adventure then--one that involved making some Mexican friends outside of 7-11 (swear it wasn't as ghetto as it sounds), and hanging out with them until 3:30 in the a.m. Another reason is that my health seemed to be suffering a little bit today. No doubt part of it was the drinking until 3:30, but another likely factor was the ridiculous amounts of second-hand smoke I inhaled last night as a result of my first live music experience here in Taiwan (so many cigarettes, so little ventilation...).
And finally, I think I was just worn out mentally from the the non-stop rain we experienced this week. For those of you not aware, Typhoon Megi pretty much ripped Southeast Asia a new one this past week. Here in Taiwan we didn't really experience any of the actual typhoon, but we definitely had torrential downpours of almost biblical proportions every day from Monday through Friday. It honestly seemed like it was never going to stop (I was about a day away from building an ark). I was actually excited for all the rain at first. It was like that friend that was coming into town and you were all excited to see, thinking they would just stay with you one night--only to find that they'd brought all their belongings with them and had absolutely no time-table for getting the hell out. So long story short, the rain definitely wore on me. But still it was hard to complain too much about getting a little wet here and there and having to bring my umbrella everywhere when, in the Philippines, thousands of lives were being destroyed. And even here in Taiwan, people had died from a collapsed temple. Needless to say, that perspective was helpful in me not losing my mind completely.
So if you were expecting a post detailing a Sunday escapade, I'm sorry to disappoint. But really, considering I didn't do jack squat today, doing so wouldn't result in anything nearly as entertaining or enlightening as last Sunday did. Also, I must warn you that if you're looking for pictures, you're going to be doubly disappointed. Duibuqi. I told myself I was going to start carrying my camera with me wherever I went just so I would no longer miss shots I really wanted to capture (sometimes of Taiwan's natural beauty, more often of the very strange and amusing things I've seen the locals do here). But unfortunately Typhoon Megi put that plan on hold, as I was too scared to bring my camera out in fear that it would get ruined. So try back next week. I'll hopefully have some exciting new shots by then.
Instead of writing about today, I've decided to blog a little about my first few weeks as a Hess teacher. Particularly I'm going to focus on my students, since after all, I've spent the majority of my last two weeks hanging out with them.
The Subjects:
I'm not going to lie--for the most part, I'm loving these kids. Sure sometimes they're a little much to handle, but it amazes me at how energetic, happy, and willing to learn most of them are. This is especially mind-boggling considering that I usually see them after they have already spent around 8 hours in Chinese school (they go hardcore here..no wonder they're going to take over the world). And I love the balance I have in my schedule, where I start with the uber cute, young kids and then end with older kids who I can joke around with more and with whom I can actually teach things and have more in-depth conversations. But that said, here are some of the funnier/weirder things I've noticed about my students as a whole, younger and older alike.
These kids are Gamers.
I suppose this shouldn't be shocking news--I mean who doesn't love to play games? But these kids take it to a whole other level. Nothing gets these kids quite as excited as battling each other, or getting the shot to throw the sticky-ball or battle Teacher Andrew in a little Paper-Scissors-Stone (Asian equivalent of "rock paper scissors"). I don't think I've ever seen more fierce competition in what should be a friendly learning or review exercise. When one team gets an answer right, that team erupts so loudly that I momentarily forget that I'm in a classroom and not instead at some sold-out sporting event. And if that team gets the answer wrong, the devastation on their faces is pretty apparent. Unfortunately I found out the hard way just how serious they take these games last Monday during a game of Phonics Tic-Tac-Toe. When one of the girls mispronounced a word, I was forced (for the sake of calling the game fair) to say that she missed it and move on to the next team. Well, it was at this point that the water works began (lesson learned: be VERY gentle with that young one). I think a part of me died when I started seeing tears roll down that poor girl's face. Way to go AJ. Only a week into your career as a teacher and you've already made your 1st student cry. Proud day.
Teacher AnDREW, not AnGEL.
Truthfully I haven't been able to figure this one out yet. Without fail, when I've introduced myself to every one of the classes I've had so far, a large number of them will insist on calling me "Teacher Angel", and then will inevitably start giggling afterward. Of course I'm flattered by the compliment (if that is indeed their intention), but I'm still baffled as to why they choose to give it.
"Teacher, sorry I'm late"
I LOVE this. Apparently this dialogue has been drilled into these kids since Day 1. Even if the kid's not even late, they'll still say it. And if a student does walk in late without saying it, the rest of the kids are quick to show that kid where he's screwed up, as they point to me and say "tell teacher you're sorry you're late!". It's so funny how routinized and scripted the whole thing is that it's hard to even be mad that they are indeed late. Instead I just have to hold back the laughter and say it's alright. Though I think I am going to start screwing with some of the kids, and stare back at them all seriously and just blatantly tell them "No. Apology NOT accepted."
Placing faith in the (Super Money) economy.
So before I continue, I have to explain the concept of "Super Money" to you all. Super Money are these little paper cards that are awarded to students for doing well in class, on quizzes/tests, etc. If they accumulate enough Super Money, they can actually buy things from the school. Anyways, these kids love love love Super Money and basically treat it like an extension of themselves. If I mention that Super Money is involved, their ears immediately perk up. Conversely, the threat of taking away their cherished Super Money has been such an awesome tool for getting kids to behave and listen. If any student is acting up or creating problems, I simply just threaten to start taking their Super Money. The look on their face when I say this is usually priceless--a mix of fear and determination to stop screwing around. What a great motivator for getting them to behave, and especially for getting them to go to the bathroom during break time (I've recently instituted a Super-Money "bathroom tax" with some of my younger kids).
Pop goes the culture.
Among the numerous things these kids like in the world of Western entertainment, probably the most amusing is their fascination with Sponge Bob Square Pants. I swear at least 15 different kids said they were dressing up on Halloween as either Sponge Bob, Patrick, or Squidward. Truly amazing. Also, they love Yahoo!, and have clearly seen many of their advertisements, because whenever I've asked students their favorite websites they always respond "yahoooooooooooo". And oddly enough, NO ONE knows who Justin Bieber is here. And let me tell you, that is such a relief after spending a month in Cambodia, where that pubescent little tool was treated like royalty.
So I was actually planning on writing some about the tendencies I've noticed about myself as a teacher. But seeing as it's getting late and this post is getting to be on the long side, I think I'll save the next section (The Sensei) for a later post, probably to come tomorrow or Tuesday. Stay tuned.
