Week 5

After my first day of teaching I think I quickly adjusted to the routine at Fu-Shing Junior High. However, since I am working at two schools I had another first day, Thursday, at Shin-Jhong. Its taken more adjustment to get used to the new environment and different school culture. Shin-Jhong is a significantly smaller school with only 3 classes per grade in comparison to Fu-Shing with 25+ classes per grade.

So what am I doing here exactly? Teaching English! My required course load each week is 20 hours of classes and around 35 hours per week of time in school. In Fu-Shing I am teaching 4 - 7th grade classes (here it is called grade 1), 3 - 8th grade classes, 1 English Club, and 2 Staff conversation classes (although so far no one has signed up except for one person so we'll see if that actually happens). My English classes at Fu-Shing are the extra English class (they have English usually 4 times a week but my class is their 5th one) so there is no coursebook and I get to teach whatever I feel like teaching. This can be a good and bad thing but I think it is mostly good because the topics can be more fun and random.

As for Shin-Jhong I will be teaching 3 classes of 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. Since I will be teaching the regular English classes I think our schedule and topics may be more restricted. However, I feel that the smallness of the school means I can get to know all the students better. So far I've noticed really energetic and loud classes and then some pretty calm quiet classes.

This week I have been generally introducing myself to all the students using a game similar to 2 truths and a lie. However, I have changed it into 10 statements about myself and students have to guess if they are true or false. In some classes the students have asked me questions to try and figure out the answer. These have led to some funny questions and answers in general.

One universally hard statement for them to answer is one where I say I am from the United States of America. Almost all the students guess that it is false. They do not believe that I am from the USA because I look like them. I take their unbelief as an opportunity to let them know that even if I look similar to them I was born in the US and it is possible to be Chinese American. One group of students tried to guess and asked me where my parents were from. I answered Taiwan and then they asked about my grandparents to which I replied China. This thoroughly confused them all and they still guessed false... I am pretty sure that they were complaining in Chinese that my family history was too complicated.

One popular question has been "How old are you?" and the guesses have ranged from 11-32. I attempted to explain how 11 would be younger than their current age but they just stared blankly at me during the explanation. Another one is "Do you have a boyfriend?" a question that I reply with a question at times like "Do you think I have a boyfriend?" or an emphatic "Yes, I have 10 boyfriends!!" and students look suitably shocked or surprised. However, one student in Fu-Shing shocked me with his answer once. He said "I met your boyfriend at the tea shop." Being confused at this response since I do not have a boyfriend I asked him for the name of my "boyfriend" and the response was Kevin (one of my fellow ETAs teaching in Taiwan). So now apparently to this class/student Kevin is my boyfriend.

Another statement I made was "I like green milk tea." and I was surprised by the directness of the following questions I was asked.

1.) Do you like milk?

2.) Do you like green tea?

My LET and I cracked up and couldn't stop laughing at the students desperation to find out the answer in this simple activity.

On another note I wanted to leave you all with some funny statements that our LETs (local English teachers) said during training. I forgot to add it earlier but reading a fellow ETAs blog I was reminded of the ridiculousness of the statements and couldn't resist sharing. Here are some for you to enjoy!

"You know, she is a conservative woman, but naturally, there is a fire in her..."

(this was said in reference to Lotus one of the teachers on the Academic Advisory Panel who is a really sweet middle-aged lady)

In a lesson planning session where we were brainstorming for a birthday party. One of the LETs suggested that we add as presents sexy underwear and male strippers for Lotus. The other LET in our group then suggested that Dr. H (our academic advisor) be the stripper and that we should include a whip as a present.

- this was particularly hilarious since the LETs saying this would not strike you as people who would EVER say something like that sexual.

Another group presented their plan for Hello Kitty's birthday. The previous day we had to make a lesson plan using rates for a hotel room and looking at the amenities each suite included to practice using authentic materials aka realia.

"What is Hello Kitty going to get for her birthday? It was something we talked about yesterday.... a hotel room with her boyfriend!"