Hi everyone!
Unfortunately, I must apologize for not writing recently (as every blogger does eventually). We’ve really hit the ground running this
semester, so we have lots to catch up on and not enough time to do it.
Luckily, I gave my kids a test recently,
so it’s been an easier couple days in terms of preparation.
Better Weather
Following Bob’s rainy visit,
we’ve had some of the most BEAUTIFUL days ever in Yongfeng and Xi’an lately. After
weeks of gloomy pollution, we’ve finally had some clear skies and sun. The four teachers managed to attract more stares than usual walking around our Xi’an
apartment complex. With the sun, some of us have started wearing shorts and other
leg-bearing clothing. Annie heard that Chinese people don’t like to show their
legs in spring, because the “地气” (ground vapor) is bad for your knees. So, even on these
super warm days (sunny and 75 degrees!), you won’t see a single Chinese person
without leggings or pants on.
On
the other hand, the warmer weather has been severely affecting the smoothness
of my 1st grade P.E. classes. Without fail, after three warm-up laps, my students need to peel off their heavy coats immediately. I don’t blame
them, and usually let them take “20 seconds” (more like 5 minutes) to run back
to the classroom and leave them in the room. However, some of them choose to stay instead, pulling their coats backwards and up above their
heads, so that they look like tiny winged creatures running in circles.
The sight is especially ridiculous when there is another P.E. class in progress.
Mr. Yang’s main activity with the upper grades is military marching, so the contrast is pretty funny (video of this to come).
Lei Feng Day
A
couple weeks ago, in honor of Lei Feng, a selfless soldier of the People’s
Liberation Army, Yongfeng cancelled classes to “做好事” (do good things) like Lei Feng would. I
refreshed a bit about the Communist icon of Lei Feng in the days leading up to
Lei Feng Day. I learned he was a soldier who didn’t live long, but his “self-sacrifice
and patriotism” became an important icon in the 1960s during the Great Leap
Forward. In cities and online forums, the idea of “Learning from Lei Feng” has
been become a bit of a joke. But, at Yongfeng—and other rural schools—the
tradition remains strong.
In the days leading up to Lei
Feng Day, there was a lot for us foreigners to learn about him. I
asked a group of my fourth graders to fold up some posters after science class. They
stayed in my room for almost 15 minutes, lining up the edges with such
precision that I thought they were joking. When I asked them what they were
doing, Annie (an outspoken fourth grader), told me “We are doing it just as Lei
Feng would! If it’s not perfect the first time, we do it again!” Even my first
graders had something to say about Lei Feng. They told me stories as told by their
uncles and fathers. When I asked them why he is important, their answers were practically
in unison.
When it came down to it, it
seemed like Lei Feng Day was an excuse for the students to run around, set up
our new tooth-brushing sink (!!!), and drag giant branches across campus to clean up
for Bob’s visit the following week. (Below are some pictures of special Lei
Feng moments with some of my students and me.) Annie and I even tried to
emulate Lei Feng by starting to work on the garden. We went over with tools and
tried to weed, but soon enough teachers came over to laugh at us city folks and
tell us the ground “wasn’t ready.” We tried, Bob!
Okay, that’s all I have for now. Here are some
photo updates of the students and of Bob’s visit!
"The Diplomacy of Mr. BOB"
Shaking hands with the Yu Cai Middle School Principal
I took this on one of my first days back!
4th Grade Skeletons project
David looking confused
Chen Jun Hong--wearing his sister's hand-me-downs I presume
First Graders!!
Ate this during only 4 days at Yongfeng...peanut butter is currency here
This was a funny story, one week Rachel returned to her room to find a group of teachers and strong sixth graders pulling a rope attached to a fallen tree outside her window...
just, what?
My students excited to miss class
4th grade body outlining for our systems unit!
Nils being himself
Lei Feng Day (My student Heidi's finger in the corner)
this was the Mr. Yang's idea--I guess he thought I needed a work out
