My apologies for the absence of blog postings – I have been kept busy the last two weeks teaching Gao Er and Gao Yi classes, respectively (these are equivalent to our junior and sophomore classes). As noted in an earlier post, the class culture greatly differs from what I am used to. However, this time I wasn’t teaching a set curriculum. My presentation consisted of a virtual tour of Boston, a run through of the different colleges and universities in the area, my family and interests, a tour of DSMS, what I teach in 7th grade English, pictures of my classes (yes, kids, they loved the pictures we took before I left!), and a sample poetry lesson that incorporates music. When I have run out of time during my lesson with the Gao Yi (year one) classes, the students have closed the doors and windows, urging me to continue. Since some of the students are host siblings for the Bears, the feedback I have received is that they enjoyed how expressive and animated I can get.
Most of the time, at the end of the presentation, I gave students an opportunity to ask questions. The most common one I fielded was why I didn’t speak Chinese even though I looked Chinese. What I tried to emphasize was that my family (grandparents) immigrated to Boston in the 40s-50s and that we have been situated in the US for a while. As a second generation, I was raised to be bilingual until I attended public schools. It was at that point where switching was too confusing for me, which is why my parents decided to just use English at home. Even though I know some Chinese, I haven’t been able to communicate with people in Hangzhou since I know Cantonese, which is very different from Mandarin (my F block can concur with this since it was exemplified when a student and I counted to 10 in the different dialects). Although my explanation probably didn’t fully satisfy their curiosity, it was what I could do to best explain why I didn’t know any Chinese. After learning this though, several students attended English corner with the sole purpose of teaching me SOME Chinese. Despite my best efforts and their encouragement, I have been failing miserably (much to their amusement). Students have been trying to teach me simple phrases like “Thank you” and “Goodbye”, but with my short-term memory, I would forget it within fifteen minutes.
What I think I will miss most about Zhejiang Hangzhou High School is the teaching schedule. I taught between two to four classes for the English teachers each day. Although the school day begins at 730a and ends at 450p, teachers only teach two classes a day. While classes are only 45 minutes long, there are 10-20 minute breaks in between. When teachers aren’t teaching, they are able to spend the rest of the day grading, planning, running errands, or taking naps at their desks. Did I forget to mention that lunch is an hour long!? I don’t know how I am going to get used to our shorter lunch periods again when I get back home! Despite the more relaxing pace, the class sizes are big, which can be stressful, especially considering how much grading needs to be done. After teaching classes of approximately 50 students, I understand what it is like to have a class where you have to focus on delivering a curriculum by a certain time (teachers need to prepare their students for Gaokao, which is a college entrance exam) and need the class cooperation (this means students are expected to listen and just take notes).
This past Sunday, the Bears and I were invited to attend a show at the school by the Chinese literature teachers. Graciously accepting this invitation, we were then asked to perform “Auld Lang Syne” and recite “The Arrow and the Song”, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. After divvying up the song and poem, we quickly rehearsed before we took our seats for the show. Not knowing what the show was about, we got ready to expect the unexpected. It turned out to be a variety talent show where students showcased Chinese literature. Students recited famous Chinese poems, sang popular Chinese songs, and did skits in COSPLAY! If you are not familiar with cosplay, or costume play, it is where people dress up in costumes that resemble anime, manga, or any other character from a virtual world. The costumes were elaborate and, from what we were able to deduce from the crowd’s laughter, the skit was pretty funny. It was by far the most interesting school performance that we have ever attended.
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