Fourth year

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The school year has started out more or less as usual. There are many new teachers. This year it seems as if we’ll have a primarily British workforce, though there are two new Americans and a new Canadian as well. I think there are also more people coming. The rumors of new apartments for this year proved to be false, but some of the apartments got very nice new furniture. Mine wasn’t one of them, but I defy anyone to successfully move any sort of large item in or out of here. I have too much stuff, and every drawer and cabinet is full. They did give me new bedding.

This year I’ll be keeping all of my grade three students as grade four students. This will be my third time teaching grade four. I’m becoming quite familiar with the curriculum. Thankfully the first page of the grade four book is a pretty enjoyable lesson on dreams.

I’m also teaching middle school. I went in two days ago to meet the middle school students, and found that many of them are kids I taught in grade four three years ago when I first arrived in Wuhan. I’ll be working with an entirely new curriculum and set of books for the middle school. It’s the school’s first time having a foreign teacher, and I’m the only one. I have a private office and it’s *huge*… almost the same size as my bedroom. I think it’s going to be more work, but I don’t doubt it will be interesting.

Most of the close friends I’ve made work at the Xudong branch of my school, and they’ve returned. I was able to go down to see them last night, and also bring several of the new teachers. Classes don’t start until tomorrow, so the daily schedule since I’ve gotten back has consisted of waking up and dressing, walking out for a late breakfast/early lunch with the newcomers, feasting for about two hours (lots of people means ordering lots of dishes to share between every one, paying very little money for it, and staying at the table for a long time.), walking around Wuhan all day, then getting dinner at around seven. We went to the pet market in the park one day, and one of the teachers bought a puppy. It’s the fluffiest little thing ever. It was quite unhealthy when she got it, but it seems to be doing well and getting into trouble now. I’ve been playing translator a lot, and that’s better than Chinese lessons almost.

I don’t think I’ll take Chinese lessons this semester, because there is no realistic way I’ll have time for it. This is a bit depressing, because I love taking Chinese lessons, but I have books enough to work out of on my own.

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Comments

[Bruce Jones]

Thanks for the update, we always like to hear what you are doing. Busy summer at the CC continues. Betty is out for a quick gall bladder surgery...should be back soon........Bruce