Mid week reflections
It is 1:15 on September 24, 2014 in Changchun, Jilin
province, China. After rains overnight
that left big puddles on the track around our sport field, the sky is clear and
blue and the sun is warm. There
have been so many sunny days in Changchun both this fall and last. The temperature is about 20 degrees.
The sun is rising later these days, of course, so I did not
get up until after 5 am. As I was leaving the building at 5:30 for a short run
on the track, our friends and mentors Carol and Roy Kirby were returning from
their morning exercise. They both
start by walking briskly around the 330 m track. Carol then continues to walk
or jog while Roy goes through a Tai Chi routine he has done for decades. Oh, they are both over 75 and that was
the start of their day that includes at least four hours of teaching each to
classes of nearly 100 students.
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Then back for breakfast with David who had also risen a bit
late for him at 6:00. Oatmeal with
bananas, toast and marmalade, coffee.
As usual I headed up the hill to teach first. Today I wore a black
skirt, the red Olympics t-shirt from 2008 and a black cardigan jacket.
Great classes.
I have the privilege of working with the freshman students who have
stronger English skills and started the program at level two (whatever that
means.) As all you teachers know,
there is nothing like routines to help both students and teacher and we are
starting to get some good ones in place.
Of course it is National Holiday week starting on Saturday and almost
all the students are going home. After the holidays we are together for three
more weeks, then an exam and then everyone gets a new teacher, level, book and
classroom. Like so many other
things pedagogical here, it doesn’t make too much sense to a foreign teacher,
but one can find good parts to any process.
So the morning for both David and me consists of two
different classes for the same course.
His students have a big mid term exam on Friday, so today was the second
o f two review classes. He has been fortunate enough to be assigned (for the
second year) a superb TA, Sophia.
Today she delivered the review class, given in English on Monday, in
Chinese to ensure that students really understood everything. She is an extremely
capable young woman with exceptional English, cross- cultural and organizational
skills.
David usually waits for me outside my teaching building,
perched in his characteristic posture on the side of the porch. Today he wore
his China red shirt with a very attractive red and black tie. What a handsome
fellow. We walked hand in hand down the hill for lunch. The students think we are
either funny or cute … the old foreigners holding hands outside.
Yogurt and fruit for r lunch, then David went back up the hill
for another 90-minute class then an office hour. Wednesday is his very busy
teaching day.
I watched him go, then spent more time watching three little
families playing on the sport field (now dry.) Three toddlers, three grandmothers
and one mother. The children here
are so, so adorable! The little
ones often stare at us because we look so different and are encouraged by their
parents to say,”Hi,” or “Bye, bye.”
I just want to hug the little ones who remind me so much of sweet Nikka.
The children want to be hugged about as much as Nykka does when she is playing
outside– why stop when there are puddles to explore, stairs to climb and balls
to throw?
So now I will either have a nap, or walk to the grocery
store for some yogurt, or go downstairs to the coffee shop and do some
marking. Nap is winning. Thanks for reading.
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