Teaching Journey

The International Toothpaste Incident

2008-04-16T03:31:00.000-07:00

OK, now that I’ve got your interest. First an update on the entry ‘Pressure cooker’. My Junior 3, grade 9 friends tell me that they too, are under great pressure. They have to pass a cumulative test this spring to see if they will be able to continue at this school. If they are unlucky and don’t test well, they will have to apply at other, perhaps lower quality schools. This in turn reduces their chances at a top university. FYI.

Now on with the story. As I’ve mentioned before, we took a short trip to Beijing. The lines at the airport in Xi’an are dreadfully long. Patience is needed! Of course, do I have to mention to not step over the yellow line? After our wait, we are up to the bag scanner. From what I can see no one has been pulled out of line, they are scanned and on their merry way. Great, this should be quick!

Our collective turn arrives. Surprise!, we both have our bags searched. It happens that I had a small pair of moustache scissors in my shaving kit. These dangerous items were taken. OK, I understand security precautions, wouldn’t want me to go crazy and trim people’s facial hair at 30,000 feet. My bad. My traveling companion has no dangerous contraband, after his bags are also checked.

On to Beijing for tourist ‘stuff’. Now we head back. Same lines, a little smaller since Beijing Airport has added another terminal. We hit the security station and wait for our back packs to get scanned. Surprise, surprise! Guess who has the honor of having their bags selected for a search again! I really appreciate airport security but this was really ridiculous. Bags emptied again, the security person looking for anything to legitimize the search. Oh, bad boy! I had a small tube of toothpaste in my shaving kit (travel size). Must have been the wrong brand. I’ve got to say at this point, I was really mad. If others had received this level of service, I wouldn’t have griped, but….

So I said you’ve got to be kidding and went on a toothpaste rant. The person lost any interest in using English, pushed my bag aside, waving me into the airport, sans toothpaste. They rushed through my companion’s bag, pulling out his large bottle of cologne (man-stink as he calls it), shove it back in his bag and waive him on also.

Well, let me tell you, I really showed them! I bought another tube of toothpaste, same size, and same brand inside the terminal.

Go figure…
jeff

A Trip to Beijing

2008-04-13T03:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry it’s been a while since my last post. Time is fleeting!

We took a whirlwind trip to Beijing over the last weekend. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get close to the Olympic venues (still under construction) and it was hazy so distance pictures aren’t very clear. But we did see the Bird’s Nest and the Bubble Pool building. I’ve posted the new pictures.

The Temple of Heaven was our first stop. Very interesting in that the grounds are now a public park. Many retiree’s were playing instruments, practicing Tai Chi, and basically socializing in great numbers. The temple area was very beautiful with vivid colors and immense architecture. A high point for me was finding a small lizard in the trunk of a hemlock-like tree on the grounds (I know, it takes so little to amuse me!). Tiananmen Square was smaller than I expected. I remember thinking how large it seemed seeing it during the student lead riots many years ago. I can still see the image of the young man stopping the tank by standing there alone; I am still amazed at his bravery.

The lines at Mao’s mausoleum were very long and our guide was less than interested in us walking through to say ‘Howdy!’. So we crossed the square into the Forbidden City. One of the clearest images I have is of the guards at the front yelling at the crowd, waving their arms for us all to hurry and move in. Of course, there wasn’t that much room left to cram more people into this artifact. It was very interesting to here some of the uses for the different sections. Much of the buildings were under renovation before the Olympic rush. Unfortunately, our timing was bad and the crowds were enormous. In the City, you enter from the front, walk through and exit at the rear of the complex. The small gardens at the back of the complex were very enjoyable.

A quick trip was to the Summer Palace. Really a short trip but with the worst traffic snarl I have had the pleasure to ever see. When we got into the palace grounds it was a bit of a let down. There were so many people there (a holiday) that at times you stood still waiting for people to start moving again. There a couple of nice pictures posted.

After we left the area (after dodging beggars and entrepreneur salesmen), we had a brief rest and went to the Red Theater to see Chun Yi and the Legend of Kung Fu. This was an enjoyable evening. The show, designed for western tourists, was full of martial arts choreography and percussive music. Since we hadn’t walked enough for the day, we walked the 40 minutes back to the hotel. A cool clear evening.

The next full day was the visit to the Great Wall. It truly is a wonder to see. The section was at the JuYongGuan pass. The pass is very steep and high, not an easy climb. I’ve posted many photos that give a perspective of the height and the effort put into building this Wall. On another note, it was splendid to be away from a city, to see trees and breathe fresh air. It took me 2 hours to climb up to the peak and back. A side trip back took us to the Ming Tomb.

We followed the trip with a show called Beijing Chaoyang Theater Acrobatics World. Very enjoyable circus like show again meant for western tourists.

During our open time, we walked through the New World Mall. Typical brand names and close to brand name clothes mostly. The prices were crazy high, above the reach of most of the Chinese I have met and most Americans.
Funny thing, though. This mall has an indoor ice skating rink. So we decided to take a picture of it. I snapped a shot and as Josh was getting to do the same, Security Man swoops in yelling that there will be no photo taking. Heaven forbid that the western world know about such things! Imagine if we had Malls with ice skating rinks!

Should have taken that as an omen. Tomorrow: The Great Toothpaste Incident

Until then,
jeff!

A star is born....

2008-03-30T05:07:00.000-07:00

New photos of the Ban Po archaeological site attached. Nicely preserved prehistoric village and burial site, deep in the heart of the city of Xi'an. It is remarkable how often new sites are found in this major metropolitan city.

I had requested to visit other schools during my stay. This past week I visited the Jinyuan International School. The 'International' refers to the style of architecture of the community , not any diversity of students or teachers. It is a very new school, around 4 years old with an elementary, middle and senior high school. I wasn't allowed to observe any classes so I can't speak to any difference or similarities in teaching style. Like my school, this is a well financed school. "Anyone" in the nearby neighborhood can apply for admission to any grade. I couldn't get an anwer as to the cost per year at the school. Of course, anything above grade 9 has to be paid for privately. Remember: China has compulsory education only through grade 9.

A first for me: as we (an administrator , my handler and I) were leaving the high school to walk across the community to visit the kindergarten, we were stopped by one of the community guards and warned that I was not allowed to take photos. Needless to say, no 'photo-ing' happened.

I am supposed to visit a school for homeless children that is run by a Christian relief agency. If you are not a member of a Christian church, you are not allowed to enter the compound. I hope this pans out, but I won't be surprised if it falls through.

I was teaching my class this past Thursday with a few additional teachers observing. My lesson included several demonstrations I used to try to bridge the language barrier with my students. The observers enjoyed the class so much that they told the Director. He met me after lunch asking for permission to film the class for the school to use in the future.

After a quick call to my agent, I said, Go right ahead! My class was filmed (the students behaved too well) and I should receive a copy to bring back home. Kind of scary, the idea of seeing oneself teaching in an ESL environment.

We have a short week this week, Friday and Saturday are holidays. So Josh and I are heading to Beijing for a 4 day tour of the sites. Hope to have many new interesting photos to post soon.
take care!
jeff

So, I gave this test..

2008-03-20T05:57:00.000-07:00

You would have thought I would have remembered my own math. Oh well, the 360 tests were given (no scantron here). I tried to use questions we had reviewed in class, questions I had used to present concepts and questions we had used for homework.

Grades were about typical for any 7th grade class. One-third did well, 1/3 forgot to wake up that morning and 1/3 were somewhere in between.

In order to work on students english skills, I will be spending more time working with students speaking and reading ability. This will be focused on the science topics (Matter) using the text. I've already begun to spend more of the class time with students reading aloud and asking each other questions. Always a question of balance..

Posted new photos of the Qin Terra Cotta warriors.
Enjoy!
jeff

Testing and the 7th grade

2008-03-10T04:57:00.000-07:00

I have been asked about the impact of the Senior 3 test and my students. As I mentioned earlier, everyone is aware of the test. The countdown clock is easy to spot (close to the bathrooms and w.c. on the 4th floor).

Let me give an example of the impact of testing on my students. We just finished a unit on Energy (Forms, Fuel, Electric Power Generation, Alternative Energy). As we finished, I said that the class needed to be sure all homework was finished so we could have a test over the unit next week.

Well, it was as though I had threatened to take their kitten away! Big eyes, absolute quiet, and an incredible look of fear on each students face. At first I thought it was just one class. After having the same reaction from each (6) class, I knew I needed more information.

When I returned to the office, I asked one of my peers about testing. I was told it is not common practice to give tests over a unit of material. As a matter of fact, no test is given during the term, nor are quizzes.

So the reaction of the students is genuine. The only test they have experience with is the 'do or die' test at the end of the term. From what I can gather, this is the same for all classes, all subjects, all grades.

Now, to me, this is significant pressure on very young people. One chance to pass! No wonder they were afraid. Instead of a chance to see what they have learned, they see a test as an ordeal.

OK, OK, our students see tests as an ordeal, too. But they (usually) don't have to wait for the end of the term to deal with 12 weeks of material all at once. Personally, I would like to test more often to see if I, as a teacher, am getting through to my students. How else do I know if I need to change my style or re-teach a unit? When I raised this point, the response is that 'we must move on to cover the material that will be on the test'. (Sounds vaguely familiar)

So I decided to do a test anyway. (Even though it doesn't count.) I asked how to get copies of my test once it was ready (6 classes of 60 each, multiple pages). Well, the procedure is to (1) ask the head teacher (2)convince the head teacher I need the copies (3) get her permissionto ask for a form for the headmaster to then ok (4) take the signed form to the print room in the next building (5) have the form reviewed (6) que up for printing (7) wait for delivery some time...

Not a teacher friendly process. So, at this time, my test (that's not a test) will be presented via power point. I will have to eliminate the short answers and focus on multiple choice and true/false, perhaps a fill in the blank with a word bank. Flexibility is my middle name.......

I've posted new photos of the SUAHS campus. Spent last Sunday at the Qin tomb/terra cotta warriors, and the Banpo people (prehistoric) museum. Very enjoyable, pictures soon to be posted.

I have added an automated alert so I can get attached comments. I still can't see or respond to them on the blog, but I will receive notice and can add a response in the next blog. That was the motivation for this blog.

Until next time!
jeff

Pressure Cooker

2008-03-06T04:36:00.000-08:00

I must share that the exam stakes for the Chinese senior student are enormous. The senior 3 national exam will determine if they get into college and if the college is a top school or a lesser status school.

Status of the school will help a new graduate get a job. At this time in China, there are many more graduates than there are entry positions. Xi'an alone has over 40 different Universities!

So, the pressure is great. The countdown to the exam has begun. In front of the Senior 3 office is an electronic board with the countdown to the test. All day it ticks down the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks in large red numbers. A in-escapable constant reminder....

A senior student I've been talking with shared with me that the school is having a psychologist visit the seniors to talk about this stressful time.

I'm told that the suicide rate for late adolescents is very high. However, most web searches for "chinese adolescent suicide rate" seem to be blocked or at least 'not available'. Believe me, I checked a lot of sites.

Information from the China Daily English language paper showed 3.6% of all Chinese deaths are suicide, approximately 300,000 per year. Another 2 million people attempt suicide. Suicide is the leading cause of death of people aged 15-34.

Sobering numbers? Read this: 20% of Chinese high school students have considered suicide and 6.5% say that they had made plans to kill themselves (www.english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/6259729.html) .
In China, suicide is not always looked at as a mental health issue, but as a spur of the moment escape from problems and more of a rural or women problem.

Food for thought.

School days

2008-03-03T05:13:00.000-08:00

The daily school routine begins at 7:40 with study sessions (7:40-8:00 and 8:00-8:20). The head teachers are the ones who have to be at the school by this time to supervise the students. 8:30 begins the first class and they run until 12:00 noon. Lunch and rest break lasts until 2:30 when classes begin again and run until 6:00pm. The school week runs from Monday to Saturday. Saturdays are short days until they get close to examination time.

Teachers must always be available during the day if they are needed for additional class coverage, meetings, etc.

Teachers are contracted/paid based on the performance of the students in exams at my key school. It is typical for a teacher to be paid 12 months salary with a 13 month pay based on the performance. A starting teacher just out of University will earn about 1000 rmb per month, approx. $139 US per month.

Many of the teachers I've met have expressed frustration by the 'teach to the test' emphasis of most schools. Schools are rated based on the scores on the national standardized tests. The same comments are made by teachers back in the States, concerned over the rush to use standardized tests to judge the value of schools and teachers.

ShaanXi Affiliated High School, my school, is a key school. This means that the student scores on the national exams are among the best in the province. Everyone is very proud of the number of nationally ranked graduates and is dedicated to continuing to maintain key status.

It is also common that students will live in dorms at their school. This even includes the primary aged students. This is considered a necessary sacrifice in order for the son or daughter to get a head start on the majority of their peers. At my school only a small number stay in dorms during the week, most do go home.

Extra curricular activities, things we see as important to the development of our children's social skills, are not available at my school. No music, art, athletics or clubs. They are seen as taking away from study time, a distraction. Most parents support the elimination of these distractions.

Compulsory education is through 9th grade. Exceptions are allowed if you live in a rural area and are needed to work on a farm or if it is too far to the school.

After the 9th grade, high school costs the family money. To attend a key school costs even more. One must also undergo an interview before accepted into the key school. Of course, the other choice is any public school that you may find. Being poor limits the availability of high quality education, unless parents are willing to make great sacrifice. Many do, but others still can't make the financial committment.

I will be asking to visit some schools that are not 'key' and a school for developmentally disabled students. Hopefully I will be able to experience the rest of the Chinese educational system before I leave.

Take care!

Let's set the stage

2008-02-27T04:33:00.000-08:00

Traffic. What can I say about the traffic in China? The worst traffic you have ever been in doesn't come close to China. Where we see 4 lanes of traffic, the Chinese will see 6 or 7 lanes, maybe even 8! It takes a special person to drive in China: nerves of steel and a desire to be a NASCAR driver who believes in togetherness.

You see, traffic sign, lights, lane lines, directions are only suggestions. You can choose to 'obey' or even notice then or not. It is also required to stay within 12 inches of the nearest car, bus , truck or motorcycle. By the way, I mean 12 inches in all directions.

The motorcycle drivers amaze me. They will be weaving through crazy traffic with 4 people on the bike along with assorted packages.

Can you remember back to a time when pollution controls weren't standard equipment on cars, etc? That time is still now here. The blue-grey exhaust, with a slightly sweet burning petroleum smell, hard to forget if you grew up during those days.

Let's add into this mix pedestrians, bicyclists and push carts.

This is where I come in. The school that I teach in is in an older inner-city neighborhood. A little rough (I do avoid walking by the 911 Bar any time). The Head Master has mentioned that I should always be safe. I agree! Safety is very important when in a foreign country and you don't speak the language.

So, yesterday the school bought me a new bike to ride from my room to the school. Sweet! It's a blue Pantech with a bell (out of my way, walking people!) a basket (don't make fun, it's already came in handy bringing food/water to my room) and a book rack. Number of gears, speed you ask? Well, this horse will go as fast as my legs want to go!

Now we have to consider the traffic. The good news is that Xi'an has less traffic than Guangzhou. The bad news, the same guy taught everyone how to drive. (License? Auto tags? Again, merely suggestions)
I do my best to keep with the other riders and avoid the busses! All-in-all, it really makes a difference in the time spent walking back and forth from the room to the school!

You have to understand, teachers report at 8 am and work until 12 noon. We then break from noon to 2 (reporting back at 2) with class starting again at 2:30. The school day ends at 6. So, everyone leaves from noon 'til 2. Riding beats walking!

Again, can't see the blog so if you have a comment, jefhntr@yahoo.com.
see ya!

Week 2 Teaching

2008-02-26T04:20:00.000-08:00

The real work has begun. I have an office (really a desk in a room with 9 other members of the English Department), complete with a chair and a view of the Big Goose Pagoda. I have also been given the use of a laptop while in the office. I feel a little awkward about it, I am the only one with a computer so I've offered it to any one in the department who wants to use it!

Being a native speaker has made me the resident English language 'expert'. Have I ever mentioned that I am a Natural Science major? None the less, I can usually answer the questions raised by the English Department (ED) staff; sometimes can't quote the rule but I explain as best I can.

My students are 7th grade level. I have 6 classes each with about 55 students. Most of the students are excited about a 'foreign' teacher and I am different from the norm. Not just in my dashing good looks, but also in presentation style. My experience in observing my peers here is that they stand on the stage (front of the room is raised about 18cm.) and present the lesson. Very traditional. My style is to be animated to keep the students attention, move about the room and use anything in the classroom as a teaching aide. So, there have been many wide eyes as we got used to each other.

The biggest challenge is the vocab level of the students. The book we are using was developed in Hong Kong and really is too advanced for the students. So, I develop the lesson plan, implement it and change it on the fly. Don't get me wrong, the key information doesn't change, but the words I choose and the amount of explanation will vary beyond what I had imagined.

This week I'm using both Powerpoint (PP) and the chalk board in order to keep the key points in view as I define, describe, draw or act out other words or terms.

I have had many observers in the classroom. Most of my ED peers, the Director (Mr. Zhang) and the vice-principal Mr. Liu. Tomorrow several senior level English teachers will observe me as well.

Long post, so this one must end! I am writing the blog 'blind' (can't access the blog myself) so if you have followup questions or suggestions send them to my e-mail jefhntr@yahoo.com.
See ya!

Connecting again!

2008-02-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

Finally an internet connection I can call my own. It is really surprising to me how adrift one can feel without a way to send and receive messages. Gee, what did we do before e-mail!

The first week spent in Guangzhou, the old city of Canton, was a blur. Our schedule was packed with places to visit. There was no time to rest let alone miss everyone back home. As a matter of fact, I don't remember a time when I walked as much as we did. Oh yes, and eating.. If we weren't walking we were eating. And eating. Did I mention that we were eating?

Our hosts were very gracious and wanted to be sure that we experienced all of the good things China has to offer. The New Year's celebration was overcome by jet lag. After having dinner and making dumplings (and eating dumplings), the travel caught up with us and we had to return to our apartments and sleep. I remember a huge cannonade of fireworks around midnight, but it didn't keep me up.

We enjoyed traditional New Year's excursion to the mountain (Baiyun) to walk up to the top and back. Enjoyed the rock (reflexology) path you had to take your shoes off to walk on.

Oh yes, let's not forget the weather. Imagine if you will palm trees, orange groves, flowers in bloom. Beautiful, right? Well this is the typical site, but the weather was cold! Layers of clothes and a coat, sometimes a knit hat to stay warm. Very strange combination!

Many of the cultural sites were entertainment oriented, vendors right and left. When you came across an artifact, it was worth seeing. One park was of miniatures of many sites in China. Kind of strange until you think about the fact that China is a huge country and travel is very expensive for most citizens. This approach is the only way for many citizens to be able to see or experience any of the historical sites. Still felt like Godzilla , though..

Now in Xi'an. Some difficulty with the housing situation. Mostly resolved now. The weather is like a typical Ohio winter, perhaps less than you are having this year!! I still must live in my coat. The room I have is heated, but any public building, store bank is not heated. The school is not heated, classrooms are often open to the air. I still remove the coat to teach, after, I move around alot! The dining hall and restrooms aren't heated either! BBRRR!

The day I arrived at the ShaanXi Normal University Attached Middle School, was my first day to teach. Jump on in!

It's about the Content

2008-01-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

One of the questions that has been running through my head since being accepted into the program is what content will I be covering. As of this morning, I have told the areas (see below).

4 energy
4.1 different forms of energy
4.2 energy changes
4.3 fuels
4.4 generating electricity
4.5 energy and us
5 water
5.1 water purification
5.2 further treatment of water
5.3 the water cycle
5.4 water conservation and pollution
5.5 dissolving
5.6 growing crystals
5.7 solvents other than water
6 matter
6.1 states of matter
6.2 particle theory of matter
6.3 the particle model
6.4 gas pressure
6.5 density
6.6 expansion and contraction

7 living things and air
7.1 what is air made up of?
7.2 burning
7.3 how does man obtain energy?
7.4 how do green plants obtain energy?
7.5 gaseous exchange in animals and plants
7.6 balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in nature
7.7 effects of smoking and polluted air on our respiratory system
8 making use of electricity
8.1 closed circuit
8.2 electrical conductors and insulators
8.3 electric current
8.4 voltage
8.5 resistance
8.6 circuit symbols
8.7 series and parallel circuits
8.8 fuses
8.9 household electricity
8.10 power of an electrical appliance
8.11 cost of electricity
8.12 the magnetic effect of an electric current
8.13 working principles of common electrical appliances

Now it really gets exciting! I will do some reading on the topics in preparation for building lesson plans. I will then develop the lesson plans when in Xi'an since I don't have access to the texts that are being used. The text is Secondary Living Science by Peter Doyle, John Ma and Benjamin Yung published by the Foreign language Teaching and Research press along with Pearson Education Asia, Beijing.

The challenge I will face is to teach in an ESL environment. So, in order to prepare for the lesson plans, I will also be seeking out ESL tools.

Jan. 15

2008-01-15T11:45:00.000-08:00

Well, here we go!
I want to offer this journal as a way to share this tremendous, exciting adventure!

Last spring, education students were asked if anyone would be interested in student teaching in China. (By the way, the school is Shawnee State University (SSU) )
Not being one to turn down a challenge, I volunteered. Initially there were many students interested, but it ends up with 4 of us going.

This journey is important because we are the first students from the US who are doing their student teaching in China. No pressure!

Prior to today's date, we have been meeting to prepare for the transition, to discuss ESL type teaching and to learn some 'survival' skills .

So, jeff, do you speak Chinese? Boy, never heard that one before. Actually none of the student teachers speak Chinese. We are all teaching at English language intensive middle and high schools.

My personal assignment will be at Shaan-Xi Normal University High School where I will be teaching sections of both 7th and 8th grades Science. I will be living on the campus of Xi'an Foreign Languages University and walking to my school.