Happy Thanksgiving!

Count your many blessings name them one by one... the old hymn rings through my head as our Thanksgiving week winds down. I could list pages and pages of things I'm thankful for, however, I'll list a few. In my room I have a "Thankfulness Tree" that I wake up to each morning and I'm reminded of the many blessings I've been given.

 

I'm thankful for...                                                    

... clean water to drink.

... Papa's Grace while I am undeserving.

... Smiles and Laughs!

... the 350 students I've been entrusted with this semester, the 120 students I had last year and the students I'll have in the future. I'm grateful that each of them have a story.

... family.

... friends around the globe.

... the opportunity to live in close community, to experience His Body.

... music.

... the way our friends clap on all different beats and meters when they make a joyful noise for Papa.

... language (or lack thereof). 

... kids.

... heat in buildings.

... easy-peel Mandarin Oranges. (Yes, they do have them here!)

... His forgiveness.

... the ability to feel pain and to know joy.

... El Roi and the way He listens and responds.

... His character and His desire to be KNOWN.

... YOU!

Please enjoy the video from our Thanksgiving Celebration on Monday. It was very special to host these students and some of my teammates in my home. It's our privilege to see how Papa is ALIVE here! The song my student plays is apparently a popular Chinese song from last year.

We have so much to be thankful for! 

 

If the embedded video doesn't play, the video can also be accessed here.

Begin with the end in mind.

Begin with the end in mind.

I remember this phrase was reiterated during training last year. This year as I am again preparing to teach courses I’ve never had before I am reminding myself of the statement’s value. I remember last year during the middle of the semester when it hit me- I have to grade these guys!

How do I grade them?

How do I evaluate their learning?

What have they been learning?

What have I been teaching?

Feel overwhelmed, I did! I still do!!

So, I told myself I’d be different this year! I would begin with the end in mind. I had hoped to know what I would be teaching and a little about my student’s level and interests before I met them on the first day of class. Suffice it to say, that didn’t really happen. So here I am sitting, struggling over what direction to take the courses and what I should do for lessons on Monday. I’m feeling the pressure! 

This semester I am teaching all non-English majors. Some of my students have English levels that allow us to have extended conversations, others I can’t even get to speak to me. They are studying all different majors (ranging from law, finance, and virtual reality to underwater acoustics, mechanical engineering and topics they don’t even know how to say in English). Thus, their interests and motivations for learning English vary also. I had hoped this semester I would have smaller class sizes. 

I honestly don’t know how many students I actually have because the class rosters haven’t been set by the school yet. The school told me the students can kind of choose the section of the class they want to be in (aka shop for their teacher from among all the foreign teachers) within the first few weeks of school, then the school will give me a roster. 

So for now,  I have a list of the names of the people who decided to come to my classes for the first week. We’ll see who chooses to come this week!

I’m not sure if you’ve ever taught a class before or if you’ve ever been given an almost blank slate that includes a textbook with over-expressive British speakers that sound a little too enthusiastic and asked to prepare a class for a large, mixed levels class. If you have, perhaps you can empathize with my present situation. Or perhaps you’ll look at me and wonder what the problem is and why it is Saturday night and I don’t have a plan for class on Monday. For those of you in the later camp, let me try to explain.

It’s not that I’ve been ignoring the need to make these executive teacher decisions. I’ve been thinking about them a lot. Possibly too much! I’ve been watching video clips to choose ones appropriate to use in class and I’ve been working on creating meaningful homework assignments. But, then I pause, sit back and ask myself if it’s actually doable. 

Do I actually have 600 minutes to listen to students’ video or audio files of conversations in the first quarter alone? Not to mention second quarter!

Can I actually expect my students to look up these video clips online and to come prepared to discuss them?

And, how the heck am I going to grade all these students?

I know I shouldn’t get hung up on the fact that I have only 8 weeks with about 120 of my students. The school wants to utilize our foreigner-ness so, for my post-graduate classes I will only teach the students for 8 weeks, then I will teach a new group of students for the remaining 8 weeks. 

Begin with the end in mind.

You know, I think that’s what Papa did. He began with the end in mind. He knew the choices we would make that would break His heart. He knew the costs that lied ahead when He gave us the ability to make decisions. He knew how special it would be when we decided to return to Him.

Begin with the end in mind.

There is a feeling of urgency as I prepare these courses. For the post-graduate course I have only 8 weeks with these students. One week has already passed and the last week will be devoted to their final examination. So, we’re left with only six weeks. 

I want my students to learn in this course.

I want them to grow.

I want them to ask questions, to find answers and to ask more questions.

I want them to be challenged to think critically.

I want them to grow in their confidence.

Most importantly I want them to know Love and Grace.

With only six weeks and about 40 students in each class it doesn’t provide a lot of time for me to have one-on-one conversations to really hear from each of the students. I also feel like there’s not a lot of room for failure or flopped activities.

For example, the homework assignment I’ve designed to be worth 10% of their total class grade necessitates that I assign and explain the assignment this week and each week a group presents their assignment for a grade. I’ve never done an assignment like this, so I’m nervous that if it flops or it happens to challenge them too much there’s not a lot of extra time to regroup and to change direction.

Begin with the end in mind.

How do you begin with the end in mind?

I'll close with a poem I think I'm going to be using as part of my homework assignments this year. Perhaps it speaks more eloquently the thoughts I've just spewed out.

 

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

Robert Frost

Happy New Year!

Blogging has been on the back burner (if I still had multiple burners versus one hotplate). We've been busy having Thanksgiving and Christmas parties. 

Cathy and I worked with students to make almost 150 sugar cookies. 

 

For New Years we had intended to have a delightful meal from the one bus stop away restaurant (that has a Chinese version of mashed potatoes and gravy) followed by floating lanterns. However, when Audrey had an unexpected trip to the hospital plans were changed.

 We still ate supper at a restaurant. Only we only ventured as far as "The End" a restaurant just off our campus that has the friendly Ba Bao dog. The French teachers joined us for the festivities. Afterwards we watched "UP," and finally the night finished with us making two kettles worth of boiling water. I'm glad we didn't get any noise complaints called on our cheers at the snow. 

Check out the video for some very tired teachers excited by this natural phenomenon. 

Happy New Year!

Let it Snow!

The sound of shovels scraping the sidewalks awakens me in the mornings now. It is winter time in Harbin. Sometimes I forget I am living and working in a foreign country. The sounds of the shovels remind me of shoveling snow on the farm back home. Now it is the same freshmen who I teach in the classroom who are armed with shovels and brooms. 

This is one class of students out sweeping the rain before the snow came. Notice in left middle ground, Money's mittens attached with a string. In the middle Briana always needing to be seen. Middle background is Charles with a broom (he's the one who called an American restaurant during class).

Their class picture with the shiny shovels and brooms.

I taught them the word shoveling the same day I was teaching shortened speech. 

Example:

What are you doing? -> Wat'r ya' doin'?

Yesterday, when I asked them how the were doing, the students answered. "I'm so tired." <in a very whiny voice>  Knowing I always ask them "Why?" They told me, "We were clean snow." <insert them gesturing in their seats the motion of sweeping and shoveling>

Taking advantage of the opportunity to review, I said, "Oh, you were shoveling snow." I was met with puzzled looks. Slightly disappointed they didn't seem to remember the word, but not fully discouraged I said it again and wrote 'shoveling' on the board. The class did the "Ohhhh" sigh as they all said "SHOV' LIN' " 

Only one of the reasons I enjoy my classes, because they now actually understand my accent and whether they realize it or not, they are starting to sound a little more Kansan every day!

Stay warm! Lora

Teacher, you must be hungry!

Two chicken sandwiches in one day ... in China! What! I don't believe it!

Today I stayed working late at the office. I was preparing lessons plans for next week's classes. At 7:00 pm I realized I'd forgotten to stop for supper. (Generally the students all eat supper 5:00-5:30 pm, after then they are back in their classrooms to study until about 10:00 pm). Walking back to our dormitory I debated with myself if I should take the time to make supper (I had some tortillas I could fry to make burritos, but the process would have taken at least 40 minutes to make one burrito) or if I would get something dou bao (to go) from the cafeteria. It is rare to see someone eating alone here.

I settled on this little chicken sandwich shop that had pictures of chicken sandwiches and smile potatoes.

Do you remember these? 

I've seen these more than once at western style restaurants. Frankly they make me feel like a child, but sometimes giving your food ketchup beards or ketchup mohawks is fun!

How to order food in China when you have an extremely limited Chinese vocabulary: 

1.  "Ni hao! Wo yao (I want) <insert stretching to point to a picture of a dish that is on the wall>" The ordering process is successful when they ask you to give them money or they say the dish and you answer with nodding and a, "Dui, dui (yes, yes)". 
2. The process becomes confusing when they start asking questions. Generally, these questions are asking something simple. They're not asking you to explain deep, theoretical concepts. They're asking you: "ketchup or no ketchup?"and "pepsi or hot milk?" or maybe "what is your job?" If you can understand a word in the question, go ahead and attempt a response. However, when the words in the questions surpass your Chinese vocabulary (they often will), proceed to Step 3.
3. Respond by standing dumbfounded, with a slightly panicked, extremely apologetic, shoulders shrugged, troubled look as you say, "wo ting bu dong, doy bu qi."
4. This will result in the questioner giving you an apologetic smile. Or, it may result in them being visibly annoyed and under their breath, but still definitely audible, sighing and complaining about how the foreigner doesn't speak Chinese. 

Tonight, ordering my chicken sandwich the cook chose the later. I always feel bad when I can't communicate. I feel guilty that I don't speak Chinese. I was so grateful for the random Chinese girl who was willing to share her English and Chinese skills to help me answer the man's question ("No, I don't want black or white hot milk." - was the answer to the question). After establishing that we were both eating alone tonight, we decided we'd eat alone together. I had a fun time getting to know Karen!

But, Lora, you said you had chicken sandwiches twice! Why yes I did! 

A student had missed my invite to supper earlier. After asking if I was in my room and establishing that I was not sleeping, he called to tell me he had purchased drinks for his other foreign teacher and me. He wanted us to come pick them up. Only he'd bought more than just drinks. He bought us each complete meals (chicken sandwiches, popcorn chicken and hot milk). We told him, "Tracey, you didn't have to do this." His response, "I know you work very hard. I thought maybe you are hungry."

Thank you Tracey! How thoughtful!

First Day in the Classroom

First day of teaching, well, micro-teaching (doing a 20 minute lesson) is complete!

Here's a song that's been on my mind the past few weeks. Written by Chris Rice the song is about little Joe McGuffrey who experiences the difficulties related to a series of first days at school. If you search the song online, it's easy to discover probably only children younger than twelve listen to it, but I feel it's applicable as many of us are experience first days!

Metacognition

I haven't had the same experiences as Joe and I don't have a ton of medical bills, but I do have the realization that I have a lot to learn. I thought I knew enough about teaching and about life to "get-by", yet I'm realizing how little I really do know. Today, I realized that lesson plans really are useful and that more planning before class means there is a smaller chance of being caught off guard while in class. 

Here's to a good practice round in the classroom!
(The paper is one of my props from the degrees of disagreement I did a lesson about.)