Here
are some quick updates to the various goings-on at Yongfeng. So much has been happening
lately, I don’t even know where to start...
One
thing that has changed the dynamic of this semester is the weather. Everything
is happier with the sun and longer days. Next years’ fellows, don’t despair
first semester, the cold nights will make you cherish every beautiful day in
Spring and Summer that much more. Everything is green, and it smells like
blooming flowers all over the Yongfeng campus. Even Xi’an has even seen some relatively
clear days, too! Sometimes the students are just too hot to do anything for too
long in P.E., so that means a lot of heads-up seven-up and random dance parties
(see video).
Children’s
Day:
Every
grade is preparing their own performance for Children’s Day, on June 1st,
so everyone is very busy. I couldn’t help but laugh at the performance my 1st
graders will do. Their homeroom teacher has made sure each of them correctly
display “spirit fingers,” and precisely the right amount of body and head
jiggling. Check out that video below too, you won’t regret it. Unfortunately, the Children’s Day preparations
and rehearsals means we’re constantly fighting for times with the kids to
tutor, brush teeth, and rehearse our own English play.
Charlotte’s
Web:
For
our performance of Charlotte’s Web—which will take place when Bob arrives in
early June, we could only choose 20 students, 5 from each grade (3rd-6th
grade) to be actors. The turnout for auditions was huge, meaning we could only
spend a couple minutes auditioning each student. The audition script included the
following (we made the script much simpler so it would be easier for our
students to understand):
Narrator
1: Wilbur is scared. He looks at Charlotte.
Wilbur:
Is it true?
Charlotte:
Yes…
Wilbur:
I don't want to die! I want to live!
Charlotte:
I am going to save your life, Wilbur.
Wilbur:
How!?
Charlotte:
I don't know. But I promise.
At
times the auditions were painful to watch, but mostly they were hysterical. I’ve
never thought of how hard it would be for students to insert emotion into the
English lines. They tried their best, but it usually came out sounding pretty
strange. Most students got so caught up in the lines that they sounded like
little robots. We only chose students who put effort into the acting of their lines. I’ll compile some
footage of the auditions soon.
6th Grade Spelling Bee:
I
recently challenged my 6th graders with the first round of a “Spelling
Bee.” I was pleased to see that about half of them made it to the next round,
including some underdogs (I’m looking at you, Gary and Betty!). Just like the
auditions, the Spelling Bee created an unfamiliar situation for my students,
who aren’t used to being under this kind of pressure in English. It was so entertaining
watching each student rack his brains for the correct letters of some very
simple vocabulary words. As Colin tried to focus on the spelling of “fever,” it
seemed to help him to cross his eyes. I had to hold myself back several times
from mouthing the correct letters to my students. So painful!! I tried to capture some of the nervous energy in the pictures:
Gary
Allen
Mark
Peter (he missed a letter and then ran out!)
Ruby (clearly one of the last standing)
Betty
Betty still thinking...
Tom
Laura
Harry
Saying
Goodbye
As the weather gets warmer, it’s
hard not to think about the fact that spring semester is coming to an end. We
just had our midterm exams, and there are only about 6 weeks left of the school
year at Yongfeng. At first I pushed the thought of goodbye out of my head, but
in the last week I’ve started allowing myself to think about it. Saying goodbye
to my students will be one of the most painful experiences of my life, and I
can only make myself feel better in small ways...
1. training next year's students in both dental and library projects, so I know they'll run smoothly
2. making sure my 6th graders know how to use their email accounts
3. promising to visit again soon
I truly never thought that a year teaching these
students would change me so much. I went from seeing them as misbehaved evil
students to admiring each of them from afar for their hard work, to feeling a deep love
for each of them. These are the first and probably the only students I’ll ever
teach, and for that I’ve become more than their teacher in my mind. I’m
so thankful that this program has given me an opportunity to touch and
hopefully change some of their lives for the better.
As the year comes to an end, we’ve all
begun to have thoughts about the future of Yongfeng, and exactly what we brought to it this year. The tests have put me in a difficult position, as I know
that is the main way I’m being evaluated by local teachers and the principal.
And, as much as I hate the tests, I know that they are a logical assessment for
my progress this year. I know I could have improved more, and I can only hope I left my English students
with knowledge they’ll hold onto past the final exam. Has my
inexperience hurt my students’ development in English? Should I have pushed my
science students to learn more? With such a young program, it’s too soon to
tell, and may be too difficult to quantify in the future.
On
the other hand, my disillusionment with the tests has made me even more
motivated to pursue projects outside of class. In my eyes, the Spelling Bee,
Tutoring Groups, Dental Hygiene, and the Final Performance provide students with
paths to success alternative to the exams. Similarly, they give me an
opportunity to help the Yongfeng program outside of strictly improving English
exam scores. After preparing for our presentation to the Education Bureau in
March, I’ve come to understand the important role that extra-curricular activities play
in building students’ confidence. With the local teachers being assessed
entirely by their scores in Chinese, Math, and English, there isn’t much
incentive to spend time planning a meaningful science, P.E., music, or art
class.
At
this time, my goals lie in making the Dental Hygiene Project efficient enough that
this year’s 4th and 5th graders can run it next year
without too much help from foreign fellows. I’m also struggling to find a way
to tell each of my 6th graders—who will graduate this year—that they
can and should break out of their difficult situations. That their self-worth does not rely
entirely on being number one or two, and that I see a unique strength in each
one of them. Leaving them makes me tear up whenever I think of it, and Heidi
and Niki (who are luckily two very mature 6th graders) have already caught me with tears running
down my cheeks.
Last Thoughts
One
of the most important changes we’ve made to the program this year is in our
(mostly our program manager Su Yan’s) dedication to creating continuity between this year and next
year. We’re already started coaching next year’s fellows by subject, grade,
and projects. This is an advantage we have over most programs like ours, and I’m
confident it’s going to make being a first-year teacher at Yongfeng much easier
for future fellows. I’m also excited because it means I’ll be in more contact
with the fellows (and students!!) next year, when I’m having reverse culture-shock
in the States.
Sorry
for the long-winded blog post. It’s been a while, and like I said, there's a lot going on now!
