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Published: April 4th 2006
The JingShan school is more than just a high school. It includes an elementary school, a middle school and a high school. The kids are expected to attend this single walled off area for their entire 12 years of schooling.
In a search for new experiences and ways out of a whole day in one classroom, Mrs. Fong has done us the great liberty (figuratively and otherwise) by giving us each a new and improved schedule. This schedule is broken up into blocks of the day (each are 40 minutes) and some of the blocks have the names of two people from the American group next to the name of an Elementary class. So, during these blocks, the two Americans listed on the schedule get to leave the high school class and travel across the basketball courts to the five-story Elementary school building. At the Elementary school they are signed up to teach a class to children at levels anywhere between first and fifth grade.
The occasion usually breaks down as such:
After leaving the High school class, whoever else on the schedule and I make our way across the empty basketball courts, and into the elementary school building. We find our designated class after climbing up more stairs than necessary (the elementary school is larger than the High school). We always arrive early, usually getting there during passing time for the teachers. Walking through the building is fun enough. Little children skip and scream all around you, saying “Hello.” Upon reaching the classroom, most of the time we arrive before the teacher, so the little kids are wildly bouncing off the chairs walls and each other (the fact that two American’s just entered the room does not calm them down much either).
Now we have time to socialize with the Children. What I really love about them is that they haven’t fully realized that there are not many white guys that speak Chinese. This way, when I say something in Chinese, they don’t immediately respond with “oh, you speak some Chinese!” Instead, they actually answer my question and we have a conversation. They are also very patient. After we stand in the doorway for a little while, blocked from our seats by little children asking for our autograph and giving us hugs and poking our bags, the teacher will arrive and push her way through. She calms the class down quickly, and we take our seats in the back or sometimes front.
During the first half of the class we generally watch in awe of the English class. I was convinced after watching my first class of third graders that if they continued at this pace through middle school and High school and college that they would be fluent (or very good) by the time they graduated. The second half of class we get more involved: we participate in memorization games, read out a passage, or do something we prepared ourselves.
The two of us usually act out a children’s story for the kids. Depending on the level of English there are studying, we get more detailed, but generally just keep to the basic plot lines. Hansel and Gretel, the Tortoise and the Hare (we called it the Turtle and the Rabbit because we didn’t think they knew the other words), and the Three Little Pigs were all big hits. After class today, a little girl came up to me with a note that said “Niceto meat you.” It is a rewarding experience.
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Michaela Yule
non-member comment
You're such a nice boy :-) Your blog makes me miss you