Jingshan School Days

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Dear Friends and Relatives,

Our teaching has gotten into full swing now. Additionally, the Jingshan School has generously provided our group with several regular classes on various aspects of Chinese culture, such as Chinese language, Tai Chi, martial arts, caligraphy, art, crafts, and Chinese history and geography. If we have a free period, Brian (AKA BG) and I have adjoining desks in the English office which is our home base. The other English teachers are very friendly and frequently ask us questions about the fine points of English grammar (such as which choice in a multiple choice test is preferable) to which we do our best to respond. This busy school schedule has interfered BIGTIME with my blogging.

In school the classes have about 46 - 48 students each. The students sit at utilitarian desks arranged in straight rows, and various teachers come in and out all day. The classes are 40 minutes long with 10 minute breaks in between. During the breaks there is pandemonium, but when the music plays and the teacher steps up (literally: there is a raised platform with an AV console!) and says " Shang ke," the class snaps to attention. Later, music marks the close of the class period and the teacher draws the lesson to a close and announces "Xia ke!" which means "class is over." (I have really gotten to like this formal opening and closing routine!) There is also a 25 minute mid-morning exercise period for the whole school. Twice a day the students do eye exercises believed to prevent them from requiring glasses.

I am "Ms Hou," since all Chinese names are one sylable and a three syllable name like Holzheimer would be incomprehensible. I teach first and sixth grades, and a single class of "special" fifth graders, who have tested well in math. ("special" means advanced here.) First graders can learn English with songs and nursery rhymes, and my older students are enjoying Green Eggs and Ham right now.

Chinese students study very hard. As you might imagine their education does not encourage them to think independently or do small group projects. There are very few of the extracurricular activities we emphasize so much in our country. Students must memorize huge amounts of factual information to pass rigorous exams in their senior year. Pass, and one will be admitted to one of the few universities. Fail and there are no fall-back "safety" choices or second tier colleges one can settle for. Your education is over: your fate is sealed. Chinese students do not have much in the way of social lives: fraternizing with the opposite sex is discouraged, and student life means hours of homework and studying and preparing for exams all the time. Furthermore, since every child is an only child the students seem very young by comparison to their American counterparts. The Newton/ Jingshan Exchange is one of the few departures from this strict program I have seen. Brian's and my task is to teach in such a way as to both follow the curriculum here and also open some eyes: walk the fine line of "covering the material" but also make it unique enough to make a difference.

The time is flying by. I am leading a busy social life outside of school and have had many wonderful experiences. I'll write more about some of that next time!

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