Scott Van Devender versus the School

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Regrettably due to my busy schedule and a lack of internet connection, I was unable to blog. It took a while, but I am finally settling down in Shenzhen. This means that I finally get to start posting relatively more often, especially with my plethra of office hours. So where do I begin to talk about my new China adventure. How about at...

DAY 01: THE START OF CLASSES

The night before classes start, relatively 9pm, I was finally given my class schedule. I will be teaching 2 classes a day. One week I will teacher Junior 1, and the next week, I will teach Junior 2. This will make for some easy lesson plans. The school has 8 forty minute periods a day, which means my school wants me to be at my desk for 6 periods a day or 20 hours a week. Fortunately my contract limits me to 10 hours a week of office hours. I didn't like manning the desk that long anyway. I need to be up and about, but it gives me time to do stuff like blog. Unfortantely, I cannot Facebook or Instagram because these websites are blocked in China.

Anyway, the morning started with a flag raising ceremony. The staff and students stood outside, ordered, and silent. Six students dawned in red with white gloves marched in front of the assembly carrying the flag. They folded it, and handed it to someone at the base of flag poles. The national anthem began playing as the Chinese flag was being raised. I could hear every student and every teacher singing along. Then a blue flag was raised next to it while a different song began. I am still unsure of what this flag symbolizes. This ceremony is performed every week.

After the ceremony, the students returned to classes. I wandered around for a bit because I still hadn't been given an office. Eventually, one of the teachers spotted me wandering lost and confused. She was able to find me an office. It had no chair or computer, but with time, I was supplied with one. My office is in the corner. The shelves are stacked with old textbooks, random manga, and what appears to be a tennis racket sized electric fly swatter. The door to the outside is literally right behind me, and I can see the 5 start hotel of the Pavilion when I look back.

This place really shows a value for education. Students must test into Shenzhen Experimental School. It is one of the top schools in a city of 20 million. The rate into high school is 100%. From a Western standpoint, it is believed that all students would get into high school. In all actuality, only 40% of junior students end up into a high school. If you fail to test into a good high school, some pay to go to vocational schools, while most just don't go. It helps me to understand the importance of working hard, the importance of education. If you don't seize the opportunity at higher education, you're doomed at a young age with medial labor.

I taught during periods 2 and 3. I began showing them my ridiculously long name: 28 letters. I told them to call me Mr. Scott. I feel my last name would be impossible to say, especially given that most Westerners don't seem to get it right. I had 40 students and a computer at my hands. I created a powerpoint to show them my lesson. The computer was in Chinese. It took more time than it should have, but I got it up and running. I was able to execute my lesson plan with very little hinderance. My students' English is already very good, well better than I thought it would be. They were almost at the level of my Beijing junior students.

Later today, I get the opportunity to speak with the head of the English department. She already told me I have to be at my desk all day, and she informed me that I must do an extra-curricular activity, which my contact teacher hinted would be drama. At least it's a fun topic, but we'll see how I impliment this.

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Photos

Through the Back Gate
At the backgate: You can see the track, and the teacher dorm to the right.

From my doorstep:
From the front door of my dorm. There is the actual school building to the right and a few basketball courts below.

The Door at Night
The Futian skyline overlooks the Shenzhen school, which appears empty at night.