I have been quiet about my professional future since we have
moved to Shanghai, because I am under contract with a new employer but I don’t
know the specifics as to where I will be teaching.
I do know that I will be teaching oral English to Chinese
students in the Chinese public school system.
I had job offers to teach at private academies, but I figured if I was going
to live in China I might as well go native and teach in their public schools. I will learn next week where I will be
teaching during my job orientation.
In late July, my new boss called me and asked if I would be
interested in teaching Chinese teachers about Western culture and how we teach
English in the US. The training would be
held in a smaller town about two hours outside of Shanghai called Hangzhou. I am always up for a road trip, and I wanted
to get a peek into Chinese Schools before the first day of school, so I gladly
accepted the challenge. How difficult
could it be? Professional development
has been my life for the past five years. I had no idea what I was getting
myself into.
Parts of Hangzhou are quite beautiful. Luckily I was able to
catch a sunset at the West Lake area the first night I arrived.
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| A very large dragonboat floats on West Lake. Unfortunately, I did not arrive in time to take a ride. |
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| West Lake at sunset. When I originally thought we were moving to China, this is what came to my mind. |
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| A couple poses in traditional Chinese costumes near West Lake. |
Chinese folks are hard-core when it comes to professional
development. What started as a light
five-day training turned into a seven-day marathon of Western language,
cultural and teaching methods. Each day
from 8:30-4:30, students would learn about British and American holidays,
family structures, vacations, table manners, songs, games, teaching strategies
and more.
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Students celebrate Easter by bunny hopping around the classroom.
|
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| All students had to create Valentines to celebrate Valentine's Day. |
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| We review animal vocabulary by playing The Farmer in the Dell. |
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| I LOVE IT!!! |
I quickly learned the teaching conditions were a little
different than those in Dorchester 2.
(My former district.) There were
no SMART boards, iPads, or even Internet access in the classroom. There was a no smoking sign in the front, a
lovely vintage chalkboard with multiple colors of chalk for notes, and the
tables arranged in neat rows. Luckily,
there was a desktop computer circa 1995, a microphone, and TV projection system
so I was not totally out of my element.
(Even if the all of the computer menus were in Chinese.) After wondering
how I was going to manage, I took Chris’ advice and I pretended to teach like I
was on the TV show Little House on the Prairie.
Despite the different conditions, I taught a lot, learned a
lot, and had a tremendous amount of fun.
I was extremely impressed with the teachers. They were attentive, cheerful, and extremely
generous with their cultural advice and enthusiasm.
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| Sandy reads a newspaper article and prepares to share the details with her small group. I LOVE the South Park dress!! |
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| Sugar debates the advantages of eating organic food. |
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| Group Six completes their hand turkeys for Thanksgiving. |
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| My British Co-Presenter, Donald, chats about his recent holiday in London. |
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| My Chinese students were very generous. One bought me an iPhone cover the day after I mentioned I liked hers. I don't know what moved me more, the fact that she thought of me or the fact she presented it perfectly wrapped the day after my mini lesson on Western gift giving. Chinese folks don't usually wrap gifts. I was moved to almost tears. |
The week was a challenge, but I am so glad I had the
opportunity to work with such a lovely group of professionals! Next week I will have my formal job
orientation, and will finally learn where my career is heading.
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| I am going to miss my Hangzhou crew! |
