(re-post from jenderle.modevia.com)
Yesterday I was shown around the school and recieved my schedule right as we were leaving, my schedule only for today, 2 classes, starting at around 3:30. My "supervising teacher" told me I didn't have to be in the office when I wasn't teaching so I thought I'd show up around 1 or so and go over things before my class and update a few things. Its a good thing I showed up when I did. I was told the schedule for the first day of the normal work week, Monday, not the schedule of the day we were on, Friday. I actually had 3 classes today, the first one starting in about 30 minutes. Oh! And Sunday, we're on Thursday's Schedule, and probalby on Thrusday the kids will go home, but we don't know for how long yet.
I learned a lot today, in just my few hours of teaching. Each class definitely has itsown personality. Some love to talk, others, you have to pull it out of them. You have to be flexible and ready for anything. I changed my way of teaching as I got more familiar with the kids. I really had to change one class, as the power for the computer and the projector I was using for most of the class just decided to die on me, unexpected suprises. Improv! I think that's going to be the word of the year. You can really tell that the kids are really excited to see an American and that most of them really want to study English. It makes it all worth it.
It was really hot and humid most of the day. I could really tell about halfway through my first class when I looked down and saw I was sweating through my thick Cargo Khaki pants, it was hot! Shortly after that a rain storm moved in and cooled things down a little. I was still very hot after finishing my classes and sought to get home as quickly as possible, by passing the pots of hot water that were set out at the school for the teachers and students' enjoyment. To get to my school from the dorms I have to change busses. On the way home I missed my bus stop by a little. Luckily I brought my "Wenling Travel Map," which one of the teachers from last year thankfully had left for me. She also labled a few hot spots of important buildings and landmarks in English to help me out, which it surely did. I got home and enjoyed a nice cold bottled water from the store across the street from our dorm. I bought 2 bottled waters and a bottle of pop for 4 RMB (about $0.50) Can you buy bottled water for less than $4 dollars in the states anymore?
We celebrated our first day of teaching my going out to the park and shopping area again. We went to a few new spots. I do wish they had a few bigger sizes. We went by a Kappa Kappa store (mainly soccer stuff) a Puma store and something I'd never even heard of before, A Pepsi Sports store. Anyone want some Pepsi basketball shoes? Well, as long as you have feet smaller than about a size 10.
I was kind of looking forward to buying some T-Shirts that had some Chinese on them. However, almost every shirt has English on it, even though it may not always be spelled right. No class tomorrow! We might do some wandering around Wenling.
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