Update on Previous Entry...

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So... Yesterday Jean had that meeting with Mr. Zhang. It went well, everyone left feeling listened to and respected. After Jean outlined his feelings, Mr. Zhang explained the school's side - that being that for the rest of this term they need a good teacher (Doreen), so they have time to find the perfect teacher for the second term. He promised Jean that Doreen would be back with him at the start of the second term (after the winter holiday) - and gave him a very expensive pack of smokes to seal the deal. Now... we know the way of Chinese businessmen - and that can be "tell them what they want to hear, change your mind later". Many Chinese do not believe that is lying... We are hoping this is not the case, all we can do is pray and hope that he is a man of his word.

In the meantime, Jean will be teaching with Kevin, and working to handle two classes pretty much on his own. He will be the one organizing classes, preparing tests, and marking papers. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Payday is on Friday, and we can't wait! We are down to our last 3Y (no joke) - we misjudged our budget a little this week. But that's ok, we'll be fine. We are looking forward to doing some necessary shopping this weekend. I am in need of a dressy winter jacket and some warm comfortable boots, and Jean needs some new jeans. We're both starting to lose some serious weight, and the clothes we brought with us are just not doing it anymore. Hopefully we'll be able to find what we're looking for.

Today we had the privilege of attending an English Teachers Competition. These teachers have come to Wuhan from all over China to compete for the honor of Best English Teacher in China. We watched 5 thirty minute classes - all of the students are from different classes in Wuhan. Jean's students actually got to participate yesterday. Two of the teachers were very interesting, the other three bored us to tears. We got some good ideas, and it was really neat to see how Chinese English teachers use multimedia techniques in their classrooms. One teacher had the most colorful words and pictures, the kids couldn't keep their eyes off of them. The other teacher use her voice, always loud or quiet, high or low, the kids were always looking at her, following her with their eyes. Very good ideas, we'll be able to use them in our classes for sure.

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