1st Grade P.E. Drawings

The other day I took over for one of the teachers and ended up having two first grade P.E. classes. I decided to take it easy during one of the periods and had the kids give me some feedback in the form of drawing our P.E. class. I couldn't help but post some of my favorites here :) Naturally, I think their representations of class (and of me) are hilarious! 

陈子桐

宫佳瑶
I'm assuming that's me--check out that hair

武姝岑
It's so cool how some students' stick people look like the character "足" (foot)

陈兴

陈理浩: such a great student!
Plus, he drew me as Big Bird, so that's cool too

 More Pictures!

Highs and Lows

             I initially chose to teach 6^th grade English, because I thought I would relate better to older students. I've since learned that this assumption is far too simple, and often flat-out wrong. Within my first week here, I learned that I would also be teaching 4^th grade science and 1^st grade P.E. Seeing such a range of ages each day keeps me on my feet as a teacher, and I've learned to use very different styles with each grade. 

I feel like our obsession with our students fluctuates by grade on a given day. Annie, Lin, Rachel and I spend most dinners chatting about our students and all of the adorable and ridiculous things they say. Our conversations usually go something like this, "My sixth graders were really getting on my nerves today." "Why? I was loving the sixth graders, it was the second graders who were driving me nuts." Sometimes our off days with certain grades overlap, but so much of it depends on our moods on a given day. This is something probably every teacher deals with, but it's nonetheless hard to get used to the extreme highs and lows throughout each day.

            When I'm feeling like a rock star, first grade is my favorite. As I approach the classroom, the kids slowly start to realize it's time for P.E. class, and you can hear it with their high-pitched calls "Miss Gabi!" or "P.E. class!" (体育课!). I've tried several times to teach them to sit quietly just as they would with any Chinese teacher, but nothing can get them to settle down. If I'm not in the mood for this, their greetings sound even louder and higher-pitched than usual (kind of like having a hangover). When giving instructions, I circle around the room very quickly, pretending that the most routine activities are mysterious and exciting. For example, every day the kids run three laps, and every day I act like it will be the most magical adventure of their lives. "First! We're going to…suspense…suspense…so much suspense...RUN LAPS!!!!! Who can run laps the best?!!?!"

             If I were to teach my 6^th graders the way I teach my 1^st graders, they would think I was insane. Once, a few of my 6^th graders were outside watching as I taught the first graders, and I actually felt embarrassed. I felt like Big Bird caught wearing sweat pants at the grocery store. I didn't want my 6^th graders to think I was some sort of phony. With English, I get down to business quickly. My kids help run the class, from collecting homework to helping set up and keeping track of team points. I definitely have goofy moments, but at 12 and 13 years old, a few of my 6^th graders act too cool for that. As the students get older, they respond much better to responsibilities and being taken seriously. I recently implemented an incentive that if students turn in 10 consecutive assignments, they get to spend time in the computer room.  Today they used the computer to respond to their pen pals. Since I started this system, I haven't had more than two students fail to turn in an assignment. 

We teachers recently started a tutoring program, in which several of my best English students tutor both 4^th graders and some lower-performing 6^th graders. Once we've paired them up, the students quiz each other on vocabulary words, and help them work through English problems. I can't help but smile watching the students help each other succeed. In those moments, I imagine myself as a teacher from one of those inspiring teacher movies, leading the kids down the path of knowledge and cooperation—that or Barney, I guess.

I won't go into detail on the 4^th graders (I aim for Miss Frizzle, naturally), but they're somewhere in between. Not quite angsty yet, but old enough to be given real responsibilities. Put simply, if I'm in the mood to dance "Yongfeng Style," the 4^th graders take the lead (see my video below for details).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtTI7HaK8kM&feature=youtu.be

December Pictures

Some photo updates of the school recently!

first graders playing slap-the-leaves

I used my parents' heads in a little English activity for the 6th graders! They thought it was pretty entertaining

 Rosa, Heidi, and Joy

"English Friends" (英语朋友) tutoring: 

Alex (new student this year), Otis, Mark, and Johnny

 Sean and Harry

Lana and Betty (shout out, June!)

Eva and Joy

More Otis...he's an awesome tutor

A Little Something for the Fellows Back Home..

My grandpa has had some setbacks recently and I decided last week that I would make a video to send some love back to the states. As I was watching it I got thinking the former fellows might enjoy watching the kids ham it up as much as I do. So, here's a little something for you guys to enjoy! They're so darned cute!

Apologies for the blurry clips at some point. I'm really not much of a videographer.

http://youtu.be/OUigOWe3hsA

A Note on Teaching Music

In previous posts I believe I mentioned that I am teaching 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th and 6^th grade music. Two months ago, I would have said I had bitten off a little more than I could chew. Teaching music was difficult not only because it required me to tap into a much different skill set, but also because, due to the relaxed nature of an elective subject, class misconduct evolved from quiet murmurings between students to outright fights between students (at one point escalating to something that resembled a sort of Ultimate Fighting match… kicking above the waist included). Fortunately, as I have solidified my style and authority as a teacher, my music classes have become less daunting and, at times, quite fun. Nina, who taught music last year, spoke truthfully when she said that although music was often the most difficult class to plan, it was often the most rewarding.

The program’s purpose for having the fellows teach classes other than the typical English class is to give students a more “rounded” education. So often in China classes such as music and art are set-aside for the core subjects: Chinese, math and English. For example, the fourth graders at Yongfeng rarely attend music class because their music teacher, who is also their Chinese teacher, uses the class time to further review Chinese content. As such, the importance of our elective classes as a creative outlet/escape is greater than ever.

This semester, the goals for my music classes have been to 1) provide students with an opportunity to get those creative juices flowing and 2) in the spirit of the liberal arts, help students realize that studying music does not just exercise artistic skills, but skills from many different subjects as well.

The pictures and clip below are from a project I did with my 1^st and 2^nd grade music classes. After a few weeks of studying the notation and value of quarter rests, whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes, I asked the students to write their own four beat compositions. Rhythm, note value in particular, can be easily related to math problems. For example, a half note (2) + a quarter note (1) + a quarter note (1) = 4 beats. Therefore, part two of the project required students to correspond their notation with a numerical note value. The enthusiasm and success of the project was exciting for the students and myself. Enjoy the pictures and clip! 

Second grade rhythms:

http://youtu.be/aHLJ7g7mVEU

First grade rhythms:

HAPPY GOBBLE GOBBLE DAY From the kids!!!!!

                                                        Thanksgiving Thank You cards

                                                   Zhao Lao Shi and the 6th graders

                                                          In process of making their turkeys

                                                         I'm all done!

                                              Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Cooking for the Local Teachers!

On Tuesday, we cooked a western meal for the local teachers at the school. This dinner was inspired a couple of weeks before when a few of the local teachers spontaneously cooked dinner. We found out that we were not alone in our cravings for something other than the daily servings of cauliflower and radish salad. We chose a simple dish, penne with tomatoes and spinach cooked in olive oil. We hoped that classic Italian would not only be easy to execute, but also be accepted by the palettes of our Chinese colleagues.  Lin, Gabi, and Annie lead the pasta effort and I transformed the bread we eat everyday into a garlic butter masterpiece. We also served homemade chocolate chip cookies that I baked in the toaster-oven the weekend before.  The result was delicious and very reminiscent of home.

Yang Laoshi, Chen Laoshi, Xue Laoshi, and Li Xiaozhang enjoying freshly made garlic bread!

At 5:30, after the last kids left school, we began to cook dinner. By 5:35, hungry teachers started hovering in the kitchen and asked us excitedly when we would be serving dinner.  At that point we were a long way from finishing, but I appreciated their enthusiasm and eagerness to observe our cooking techniques. Like most kitchens in China, the kitchen at Yongfeng does not have an oven. Instead the bread we eat is baked in a round machine that looks like a very large Panini press. I coated the press in butter and toasted the bread until it was crunchy. Cooking the pasta; however, was far more exciting. The local teachers helped us light a fire in the huge outdoor cooking pot. The chef uses the pot everyday to cook lunch, but seeing the fire burn against the night sky and knowing that we were responsible for putting food on the table made the process all the more thrilling.

The fire burns while we wait for the water to boil.

Gabi, Annie, and Lin prepare to cook the pasta.

For the most part, the meal was well received. The biggest complaint was the flavor wasn’t strong enough. We know this not because the opinion was voiced, but because we watched several teachers add the cabbage and 辣椒(pepper) we normally eat to the bowl of pasta we served. I was worried that the cookies might be too rich for the teachers, but those seemed to go over pretty well too. The night was definitely a success.