City School and Country School

Normally at the end of summer I'm a bit nervous about starting the new school year.  It seems like a lot of set up tasks are looming and the process of getting acquainted with new students seems to give me butterflies.  This year has the added complication of lots more students than back home (350 students in Hsinchu vs. 50 in Fryeburg) and English names that students may not even recognize when you call them.  Learning about each other is a big part of what I usually do in my classes.

   

In the first few days of introduction I usually share somethings about me.  This year I showed pictures of E.T., the Hulk and Ronald McDonald and asked them which one they thought was most like me. Then they talked to their partner about things they like, reported it back to me and then we did a bit of comparison.  A song ended my first class, of course. We sang a little rewrite of the Inkspots classic, Java Jive.  "I like coffee, you like tea, somethings are different between you and me..." accompanied on a new mandolin I picked up from Nancy's antique shop in Decorah in August.  Thanks Nancy, it's been a big hit!

My classes are 7th, 8th and 9th graders, Jr. High in Taiwan.  I meet with each class only once a week for 45 minutes, but their regular English teacher is also in the room with me.  This creates important continuity for the students as their teacher and I can plan lead-ins and follow-ups to my class period with them.  My co-teachers are really great and it's a luxury to have two teachers in the classroom!

I've also been learning some of the differences between city schools and countryside schools by teaching at one of each.  I was told that city kids would likely have had more English learning opportunities and therefore be more advanced in their language skills.  In fact, I haven't found such a great discrepancy.  What I have noticed is that the country school students are more eager to interact with a foreigner, most likely because they have less contact with foreigners in the countryside.

It's been a busy, but enjoyable first few weeks.  I'm getting to know my office mates as well.  We recently played a pick-you-feeling card and laughed as we shared.  This weekend we're on a 4-day break for Mid-Autumn festival and then head back to school for a longer run.  If you see the full moon, remember we are looking too!

Best wishes to all my colleagues and students back home.