tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31373488036129885752024-02-07T17:27:01.879-08:00The Little Red BookDiscoveries made teaching English as a second language in China.Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-10947564224925888962014-10-04T11:41:00.000-07:002014-10-04T11:41:24.174-07:00The Little Red Book Goes Public<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHz7B-aJBtO4icerJuAVzc9qmDbEy1I1GELejKM9lbiPNVM6iSQa6WPPu7zSjg7pOioim6Dc5nm13f9wqylonLobGEF3HZ9U3FDLAY7b8tFHmlXHvX8ijMvnUX84QifAfD43wBwOIyAY/s1600/Little+Red+Book+Cover0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHz7B-aJBtO4icerJuAVzc9qmDbEy1I1GELejKM9lbiPNVM6iSQa6WPPu7zSjg7pOioim6Dc5nm13f9wqylonLobGEF3HZ9U3FDLAY7b8tFHmlXHvX8ijMvnUX84QifAfD43wBwOIyAY/s1600/Little+Red+Book+Cover0001.jpg" height="200" width="126" /></a></div>
What a charming surprise to find <b><span style="color: red;">The Little Red Book Teaching ESL in China </span></b>registered at the Vancouver Island Regional Library.<br />
<br />
"Frank, have a look. We made it into the library system," I said.<br />
<br />
He came over to where I was sitting and gave me a hug.<br />
<br />
"Oh, wow. Our book is in the system."<br />
<br />
I had been searching for my next good read from the online library site and recalled I had spoken to the librarian about having our book placed in their system. She explained that the head librarian would accept a copy of the book and his decision would determine its placement. Several months later, I saw our Little Red Book sitting on the desk of another librarian and I whispered to him that The Little Red Book was written by Frank and I and we are locals. He smiled and nodded but did not indicate whether or not the book would be placed in their registry.<br />
<br />
Sitting at my laptop with the window open to the VIRL screen, I took the chance and typed in the title of our publication. <b>Voila!</b><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://hip.virl.bc.ca/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1M12W43778149.17732&profile=virl&uri=search=TL~!The%20little%20red%20book%20:%20teaching%20ESL%20in%20China%20/&term=The%20little%20red%20book%20:%20teaching%20ESL%20in%20China%20/%20Susan%20Black%20and%20Frank%20Black.&aspect=subtab13&menu=search&source=~!horizon" title="The little red book : teaching ESL in China / Susan Black and Frank Black."><span style="color: #73318f; text-decoration: none;">The little red book : teaching ESL in China / Susan Black and Frank Black.</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">by <a href="http://hip.virl.bc.ca/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1M12W43778149.17732&profile=virl&uri=link=3100021~!629883~!3100001~!3100040&term=Black,%20Susan.&ri=12&aspect=subtab13&menu=search&source=~!horizon"><span style="color: #73318f; text-decoration: none;">Black, Susan.</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Victoria, BC : Trafford, c2008.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Black, Frank.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">ISBN: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">9781425159153<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">142515915X<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Description: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">103 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">No. of Copies Checked In: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Current No. of Requests: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">0<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Total Copies Owned by VIRL: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
We are sharing our excitement with you to express our belief in the theory by Dr. Seuss, <span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;"><b>"Fun is good"</b></span>. We had fun creating the stories for the book, developing the artwork inside the book, working with a brilliant artist in creating the cover, and going through the self-publishing process.<br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #e06666;">If you are a member of the Vancouver Island Regional Library or any other, you can request the book by searching by its <b>name</b> or by <b>Black, Susan</b>. </span></i><br />
<div class="bq-aut" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 6px;">
</div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-10305991264642237822014-09-05T12:50:00.000-07:002014-09-05T12:50:19.862-07:00The Chinese Theory of Space<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8705yx6VD0i7CEayNrcskwxlieFr3zI4O8BKyb5BQrB_Fs99B9E_gphnw-ODj5AZFp7gu6dDmnYnAlnjp4fSQ4w9K7SpkZ1jgvYVdFLTY5CB1bbtdlrj8zVPKkEvhGuGt0Ba_feyP3VM/s1600/Chinese+students+in+class.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8705yx6VD0i7CEayNrcskwxlieFr3zI4O8BKyb5BQrB_Fs99B9E_gphnw-ODj5AZFp7gu6dDmnYnAlnjp4fSQ4w9K7SpkZ1jgvYVdFLTY5CB1bbtdlrj8zVPKkEvhGuGt0Ba_feyP3VM/s1600/Chinese+students+in+class.jpg" height="135" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese Classroom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The students at this high school in China study physics and
know the theory that no two things can occupy the same space at the same time.
However, the principles seem distorted by the way passengers are packed on a bus.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The wheels on the buses go ‘round and ‘round all through the
town. A bus starts its journey every seven minutes or so in Jinyang, a suburb
of Guiyang, a city with a population of approximately 3.4 million.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today it appears that there is an attempt to break the world
record for the most people gathered in one place. The passengers continue to
pour onto the bus.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQph0mP-vmHovypyD6q2HcCNgYsku_Fb6Q9m8BcWBYsX7w4lptm2_GEp_AHctm4Ly16KWhF7YnjBFOdq-YQhhbdXvcrH7Lx1_u2ZsZrpekt0tKtrlzVYjqCMVxI6hpoWj_OcJR-9uC0U/s1600/View+of+another+bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQph0mP-vmHovypyD6q2HcCNgYsku_Fb6Q9m8BcWBYsX7w4lptm2_GEp_AHctm4Ly16KWhF7YnjBFOdq-YQhhbdXvcrH7Lx1_u2ZsZrpekt0tKtrlzVYjqCMVxI6hpoWj_OcJR-9uC0U/s1600/View+of+another+bus.jpg" height="126" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Passing Bus from our Bus</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The bus driver opens its doors and without
notice my husband and I are engulfed by a bullish crowd who want in at the
same time. Using their elbows and knees as prods, the huddled throng pushes it way
through the narrow passage. Arms extend to push money into its metal coffer. The
army makes its way to the back of the bus losing some of its mass to empty
seats. I cling to my husband’s shirt and am pulled to a sitting position. The
passenger count is fifty-three. The bus doors swish close and with triumphant
force it pulls away with its load. The people on the bus go up and down all
through the town.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the next stop the bus forces itself to a halt with a loud
squeal and opens its large mouth to allow aboard twelve new passengers who <span lang="EN-CA">jockey for overhead handles and seat
backs to steady their stance. The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep, all
through the town.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_DKPMjslueZMGOT9qUsHkE028ETW8uH0isSGN6zW9yIM4RzkU6Fr8NeICszdSGqSXV4abFCMz9zs4MIPdiR0KNGriMZcBcj6aMAmIeKLrmWLdsYvAmB7xNuILAv63D5V2VfvH7wCexg/s1600/Bus+tops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_DKPMjslueZMGOT9qUsHkE028ETW8uH0isSGN6zW9yIM4RzkU6Fr8NeICszdSGqSXV4abFCMz9zs4MIPdiR0KNGriMZcBcj6aMAmIeKLrmWLdsYvAmB7xNuILAv63D5V2VfvH7wCexg/s1600/Bus+tops.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our Double-Decker Bus</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-CA">At the next terminal, thirteen passengers climb on board. One is clutching a black plastic bag that reveals its contents with the swish of a tail and the rank odor of fish. Passengers stare at the bag's owner and move
this way and that to avoid contact. Another passenger boards with a bamboo cage
covered with a flimsy cloth. When it is set down it clucks. The motor on the
bus goes chug, chug, chug, all through the town. The noise on the bus is waa,
waa, waa, ring, ring, ring, talk, talk, talk, in a language that is incomprehensible
to us and at a decibel that is ear-drum shattering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA">The faces
of the passengers are expressionless save for the girl who smiles generously at
us, the foreigners. We return her kind gesture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA">We are
English speaking, reading, writing and listening foreigners who are seated
comfortably on a crowded bus amazed at the attempt to achieve a world record
for the most people in one place at one time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRh4fZPYt5-OmdPdq3LviW3PotzBSP2_xSa_Jy3FYHI7fqp77FX_1n5vs8kCJ6mTd3tnZZeH4jlZ8o8qKj-LkoA8iiKzHgjhz595fQxaBXav8jkylpxUoz1djOOaHnK261hQig3KE_9Tg/s1600/bus+stop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRh4fZPYt5-OmdPdq3LviW3PotzBSP2_xSa_Jy3FYHI7fqp77FX_1n5vs8kCJ6mTd3tnZZeH4jlZ8o8qKj-LkoA8iiKzHgjhz595fQxaBXav8jkylpxUoz1djOOaHnK261hQig3KE_9Tg/s1600/bus+stop.jpg" height="200" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Bus Stop in Guiyang</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA">The bus
grinds to a halt and we get off with a short-lived sense of freedom as we are
again engulfed and swept into the flow of the sidewalk crowd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-28940036980539700022014-03-09T18:37:00.000-07:002014-03-09T18:37:51.980-07:00Do You Believe?<h3>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">For our weekly </span><span style="color: orange;">English Corner</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">, we would prepare
questions that would provoke and encourage conversation among the students. At one
particular session, we asked, <i>“Do you believe you will learn to speak English
very well?”</i></span></span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Yu Yi, a confident young man, shared his
interpretation with the rest of the group.</span></span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">“First, I like English very much because I think it
sounds well. So, I think and I believe I can learn it very well. More
important, English is useful to my life. I can use it to make friends and I can
use it to chat with foreign friends so that I can understand other countries’
cultures. With this aim, I must learn it well. I learn English by doing
listening, reading, writing and speaking. I always watch the English program on
the television or on the radio in order to practice my listening. I also read
some English newspapers and magazine so that I can speak well and have a nice
voice. I’ll remember some sentences when I’m watching a movie or reading. This
can also help my writing so it is necessary and interesting. When I want to
relax myself, or when I am in a good mood, I’ll read some English. This is the
most interesting thing to me. Learning English is a hobby rather than a
responsibility to me. I am interested in it, so I believe I can learn it well.”</span></span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: normal;">Yu Yi went on to be a welcome volunteer at the 2008
Olympics held in China.</span></span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwLGumygOXjbU8I2Jmg6l_1QdIk0mEefIM49W_Dv3x0BVtY1DSkGLaRBohRrWEtTXzoW0rvigrqrDYDmEP94VBvTugnOrnsCdF2xUhtpls_vYBPLjKjX6UncRcsfwNtVmztbn15k26nU/s1600/Frank+teaching+a+song+at+English+Corner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwLGumygOXjbU8I2Jmg6l_1QdIk0mEefIM49W_Dv3x0BVtY1DSkGLaRBohRrWEtTXzoW0rvigrqrDYDmEP94VBvTugnOrnsCdF2xUhtpls_vYBPLjKjX6UncRcsfwNtVmztbn15k26nU/s1600/Frank+teaching+a+song+at+English+Corner.jpg" height="255" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank presenting a question at English Corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-p4twnkeIei32d5xqkKIa8nosBUPXztg4PfiP4JBWCRax6sbwC3i072hCi1uOvRYCgjnbHKf5iLDDmm9vXwRjlOuzJoDMXFioo1E5ZL6awbzq6Fn90Vjxz5QRfwKnhCt8KTtxYWUsfA/s1600/English+Corner+with+Steve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-p4twnkeIei32d5xqkKIa8nosBUPXztg4PfiP4JBWCRax6sbwC3i072hCi1uOvRYCgjnbHKf5iLDDmm9vXwRjlOuzJoDMXFioo1E5ZL6awbzq6Fn90Vjxz5QRfwKnhCt8KTtxYWUsfA/s1600/English+Corner+with+Steve.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friend, Steve, leads the English Corner group</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7FUjde2D_TkQtwlkKMMgYn6di29vkUdWOzuvNUDgFWPDNpuskZjoD_YSF5wzBNch32oNXvA_4WBlVui7WFnmTrOach1MjZLzS5MiGBb4H8uqw5QHzSlA0dvwHFFz0tC6zgAIOyz62Bs/s1600/Guiyang+Chairman+Mao+statue+and+Cultural+Centre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7FUjde2D_TkQtwlkKMMgYn6di29vkUdWOzuvNUDgFWPDNpuskZjoD_YSF5wzBNch32oNXvA_4WBlVui7WFnmTrOach1MjZLzS5MiGBb4H8uqw5QHzSlA0dvwHFFz0tC6zgAIOyz62Bs/s1600/Guiyang+Chairman+Mao+statue+and+Cultural+Centre.jpg" height="371" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank's sketch of the Chairman Mao statue and Cultural Centre (Guiyang)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"> </span></h3>
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</div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-62934893431576774632014-02-17T14:08:00.004-08:002014-02-17T14:09:17.501-08:00Being a Class Monitor<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8kYiGhn2cL43pLfwUaucHKT9_8BNKrd4T74o92bFG2BGFjdF4O_W4DvxUB62WFqgzIpiXiHGkCXic9NXUuvOttRuFp-k52VG8kyc4IO1XM2vFTIKR9dbQ3CnMUPeXOsv6zv071sqCi8/s1600/Susan+with+students.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8kYiGhn2cL43pLfwUaucHKT9_8BNKrd4T74o92bFG2BGFjdF4O_W4DvxUB62WFqgzIpiXiHGkCXic9NXUuvOttRuFp-k52VG8kyc4IO1XM2vFTIKR9dbQ3CnMUPeXOsv6zv071sqCi8/s1600/Susan+with+students.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan with Yue Yu (left) and Zhang Zheng</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Every middle school and high
school classroom in China is firmly structured and follows the communist
philosophy of duty.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> One of the communist system’s strongest advocates is the classroom <span style="color: #cc0000;">Monitor</span>.</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Meet</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Yue Yu, a </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">grade two student </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">in a high school in China. G</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
rade two in <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region>
can be compared to grade <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">eleven</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region></st1:place></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Yue Yu’s dut</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">y</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">is</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> to observe</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> and report</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
the overall conduct of </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">the </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">students</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> including the subject
study leaders, the group leaders and student on duty, to the school's head teacher. The monitor
is also responsible for reporting on the foreign teacher. Yue Yu </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">report</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">s</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> absence, misbehavior,</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> inappropriate language,
inappropriate topics, </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">late arrival,
unfinished homework</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> and</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> homework not handed in</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Yue Yu takes her duties as </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">monitor</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> very seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“How did you get chosen to be the </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">monitor</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">?” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“The Head Teacher chose me to
be the </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">monitor</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> because I have </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">the highest marks in every subject”, Yue Yu said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OoReQpWXEsr6t01GAXpiNfiWd_vJ_COxrnNH0FuaJS4ljsJ_jOZbClxblzquFpMSx_-E2EOjgvfycXxR5JIkrphmQ7WmxscQPL4BSObCLcV3Gh3L8B7KPkrXeXg7WihhlGdVcf343ys/s1600/Students+learn+about+Vancouver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OoReQpWXEsr6t01GAXpiNfiWd_vJ_COxrnNH0FuaJS4ljsJ_jOZbClxblzquFpMSx_-E2EOjgvfycXxR5JIkrphmQ7WmxscQPL4BSObCLcV3Gh3L8B7KPkrXeXg7WihhlGdVcf343ys/s1600/Students+learn+about+Vancouver.jpg" height="273" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monitor leads study on Vancouver, Canada</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">Yue
Yu’s English is a band score of 4 IELTS. IELTS stands for <span style="color: #6aa84f;">International English
Language Testing System</span>. It is a test of English language skills designed for
students who want to study in the medium of English either at university,
college or high school. Yue Yu’s band score of four indicates that she is a ‘Limited
User” and that she has basic English language competence that is limited to
familiar situations. Yue Yu has frequent problems in understanding and
expression and is not able to use complex language. </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">This is good news </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">and bad news </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">for
</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">the teacher</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, because part of Yue Yu’s responsibility is to report
</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">the teacher’s</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> words and actions in the classroom to the Head
Teacher and you want her to comprehend your meaning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The duty of classroom </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">m</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">onitor is described by </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">Peng Wen Juan</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, a Chinese English teacher, this way:</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 30.05pt; margin-right: 36.3pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In
my opinion, the job of the monitor in a class is to be a good example and a
good guide, to lead the class to having a good attitude towards studying, and
also help teachers to have good classes.</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> </span></i><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">best wishes!</span></i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 30.05pt; margin-right: 36.3pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">Peng Wen Juan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 30.05pt; margin-right: 36.3pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 30.05pt; margin-right: 36.3pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-54351831271126070662014-02-08T10:26:00.000-08:002014-02-08T10:31:27.751-08:00You Are Cared For<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Every high school class in China has a <span style="color: red;">Monitor</span>. His or her
duty, as described by a Chinese English teacher, reveals its purpose. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">“In my opinion, the job of the monitor in a class is to be good example and
a good guide, to lead the class to having a good attitude towards studying, and
also teachers to have good classes.”</span></i><br />
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></i>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
On March 13, I stayed
home from my teaching job at Tianjiabing High School. My flu condition had
reached a crescendo where I couldn’t talk. I relayed a text message to the
Foreign Teacher’s office and advised them of my condition. I slept most of the
day and woke the following morning refreshed and ready to be with my students.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JFHoz9WL-mND4wCMkLOmO3Oqna4ww1VccJirXE8SxkjqkIIDMeAcN59DntLB3Euo_Dtyz92z5j5MuxnIFXPPhf7JZKnTf6d30BPpq30CnUn2VEp_FujY8RPG6VIcSI2x5GC87-fB5bM/s1600/Susan+singing+at+English+rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JFHoz9WL-mND4wCMkLOmO3Oqna4ww1VccJirXE8SxkjqkIIDMeAcN59DntLB3Euo_Dtyz92z5j5MuxnIFXPPhf7JZKnTf6d30BPpq30CnUn2VEp_FujY8RPG6VIcSI2x5GC87-fB5bM/s1600/Susan+singing+at+English+rock.jpg" height="248" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan teaching song at English Corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I walked into Class No. 8 and was greeted with happy faces
and a solitary note atop my desk at the front of the room. I glanced quickly at
the message and absorbed that it was written with compassion and concern for my
health. The Monitor, Jammy, expressed her unease for my having removed my coat
days before.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“Dear Mrs. Black,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Are you alright now?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>There are lots of changes of the weather in spring in
China. So you must pay more attention to the weather. You can’t take off your
coat when feeling a little bit hot. Because it may be colder. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>So you’d better wear more and not take off your coat. Or you
will catch bad colds and feel sick. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>It won’t be good, right?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Love, Jammy.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUKZ4py5fdLHb4T8juc-LQUZdKaS6uAM-RfHB86Q1m-cKeaCczjZfrG05fgXQB1CDkNYynggIC4-C03oU3MO9GrW9XQKZI7Z0Kk-ElILaIgcHGZDIdpUU6SK9jEFhsfsJ4KdZH-vs5mU/s1600/The+Uygur+students+at+Tianjiabing+High+School.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUKZ4py5fdLHb4T8juc-LQUZdKaS6uAM-RfHB86Q1m-cKeaCczjZfrG05fgXQB1CDkNYynggIC4-C03oU3MO9GrW9XQKZI7Z0Kk-ElILaIgcHGZDIdpUU6SK9jEFhsfsJ4KdZH-vs5mU/s1600/The+Uygur+students+at+Tianjiabing+High+School.JPG" height="224" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank entertains the students</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lovely Jammy cared. The classrooms in many of the Chinese
schools where Frank and I taught did not have heat so we learnt to wear a warm jacket. My
mistake was, after having climbed five flights of stairs to get to Class 8, was
to remove my jacket and teach in a cotton blouse.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Your students care. They don’t want to have their classes
interrupted, nor do they want your English class replaced with a math class.
You are an important participant in their lives. Take care and you will be
rewarded for your passion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXubI8lUx-_SmMjLmuzdFPOC-MRTX2PK8b5R38bm_8749T34PjlWBFYBWtSzwVV23nuRgZKd5cB3Z499sQVjlDb-t8xAy47VsZd7fBT41TC8pxazgqpISM3sxuDCe14sY2q7bwQo8N6is/s1600/Class+Monitor+note.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXubI8lUx-_SmMjLmuzdFPOC-MRTX2PK8b5R38bm_8749T34PjlWBFYBWtSzwVV23nuRgZKd5cB3Z499sQVjlDb-t8xAy47VsZd7fBT41TC8pxazgqpISM3sxuDCe14sY2q7bwQo8N6is/s1600/Class+Monitor+note.jpg" height="320" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jammy's note</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-45420972326517979102014-02-03T15:19:00.000-08:002014-02-03T15:21:43.256-08:00The Student On Duty<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;">In every middle school and high school classroom in China</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">, there is a <span style="color: red;">Student On Duty</span>. His or her responsibilities
include erasing the blackboard for the teacher, sweeping the floors at the end
of the day, aligning the desks between classes, opening or closing the
curtains and windows, and other duties assigned by the Chinese teacher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Foreign teachers
don’t always know that you have a helpful assistant in your midst. I discovered
their existence one day when I was presenting a class under the observation of
Chinese English teachers. Before class, I filled the blank board with words and
phrases for the students to use to build sentences. After the fifteen-minute
session, I turned my back to the audience and began to erase the board.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">“Mrs. Black, Wang Jie Yu can do that. It is her duty,” one of the seated teachers said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A young girl came
to the front of the class and removed all the script from the blackboard. This
gave me the opportunity to scribble the second session’s tasks for everyone to
review. I thanked the young student as she took her seat and noted that I would
call on my <i><span style="color: red;">student on duty</span></i> in every class to help me out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Learning takes
place when one is able to enact social norms after having learnt them. A
‘transformation’ effected in a practical action must take place.</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> ~ Confucius<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5OgAUIEN6J6RvBQ4wXcNDQvmTi9z_mS6jCyb6mimOLwmz_2Tnc6hfTRShYyZs3liYouL8r14fQLblzn_1xeP9Bm4Sv1JUAOnIN2-KrdTUHg1ALJNXKg2pwUIukcXuPpKxqnTroqBK4o/s1600/Susan+prepares+for+next+group+of+students.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5OgAUIEN6J6RvBQ4wXcNDQvmTi9z_mS6jCyb6mimOLwmz_2Tnc6hfTRShYyZs3liYouL8r14fQLblzn_1xeP9Bm4Sv1JUAOnIN2-KrdTUHg1ALJNXKg2pwUIukcXuPpKxqnTroqBK4o/s1600/Susan+prepares+for+next+group+of+students.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Student on Duty supports the teacher</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nCiHES4EQOfDGZPcIWOhRXjhUR-lZjxciOfQY6WbQhZd4sqO_NS-YtN29m-X-xZnisIXt74a75QsdtXcZvhA-khAaWjjHSu6oEPzIsHSl6PhbYqmGy_48AMsvTPzk-vmyHy5IpXCkY0/s1600/Students+celebrate+New+Year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nCiHES4EQOfDGZPcIWOhRXjhUR-lZjxciOfQY6WbQhZd4sqO_NS-YtN29m-X-xZnisIXt74a75QsdtXcZvhA-khAaWjjHSu6oEPzIsHSl6PhbYqmGy_48AMsvTPzk-vmyHy5IpXCkY0/s1600/Students+celebrate+New+Year.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students on Duty will clean up after New Year celebration</td></tr>
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Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-34275259216198598952014-02-03T13:01:00.001-08:002014-02-03T13:01:57.887-08:00The Highest Duty of Civil Life<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiqb1C7KhwTGiLbZ-tfcY0l15_ersFzN4NcuKYVJdbQUxBw3A1rlD7uDYKmtF52henLRKyPP8LZwVfRjU10fQKkTeh-hykYh1sbf8CUkJHrwO7OuxZ1Nz0zapcf5BbdGQeiMfe9pEZSw/s1600/Susan+singing+at+English+rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiqb1C7KhwTGiLbZ-tfcY0l15_ersFzN4NcuKYVJdbQUxBw3A1rlD7uDYKmtF52henLRKyPP8LZwVfRjU10fQKkTeh-hykYh1sbf8CUkJHrwO7OuxZ1Nz0zapcf5BbdGQeiMfe9pEZSw/s1600/Susan+singing+at+English+rock.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teaching a song at English Corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Palatino, serif; font-size: 23px; letter-spacing: 0.1599999964237213px; line-height: 36.79999923706055px;">You can read an excerpt from my story published at DreamWave <a href="http://www.readwave.com/teaching-english-as-a-second-language_s20077">Teaching English In China</a></span><br />
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<i>Teaching English in China, to middle school and high school students, changed my outlook on youth. In Canada, I had left behind an excruciating experience with my grade 8 students, where one of the boys piled papers on his desk and set it on fire. That evening, I discussed with my husband that we take a teaching English as a second language course and head overseas. I had heard that the young people in China were respectful of their elders.</i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y1qxJ8y_aPdJ0RPSx7sn6FK9yJD8xU7jUXPBStmxoUlrhyphenhyphenlJF2nY-FDhOyFW8WH13XNyT1-xtOYIBi6UsfpW0jpBHGOXje512cBOfXu0yxrzi88Ulmx-NA1E_FviT3LNL-dc69KcsPk/s1600/Susan+teaching+fashion+in+China.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y1qxJ8y_aPdJ0RPSx7sn6FK9yJD8xU7jUXPBStmxoUlrhyphenhyphenlJF2nY-FDhOyFW8WH13XNyT1-xtOYIBi6UsfpW0jpBHGOXje512cBOfXu0yxrzi88Ulmx-NA1E_FviT3LNL-dc69KcsPk/s1600/Susan+teaching+fashion+in+China.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students prepare for a fashion show</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJGXHIdPy8OQo84ie3aHj48hDHh-vqBCt48hs4mHo2MyW6xAg_v-1tP1hzXBU9nNmB0yqDGlNABnmgZhv73AzR3cf0g4c5-jDk-7RNdYgyBepawCyYIO_Ck9BjA6wLgaFyuCj7-kNhdk/s1600/Susan+interviews+performers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJGXHIdPy8OQo84ie3aHj48hDHh-vqBCt48hs4mHo2MyW6xAg_v-1tP1hzXBU9nNmB0yqDGlNABnmgZhv73AzR3cf0g4c5-jDk-7RNdYgyBepawCyYIO_Ck9BjA6wLgaFyuCj7-kNhdk/s1600/Susan+interviews+performers.jpg" height="400" width="357" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan interviews performers</td></tr>
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Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-54042995721049870222014-01-23T13:22:00.000-08:002014-01-23T13:23:35.345-08:00Huangguoshu Waterfall Extravaganza<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0uvAjo2eojvI17OlEkd66S5eZniV1MJB8V19h5iEWlmjYTzucHFqQt9fl23Ii7QdPLIhFSpBVkmPPBiEEIVffNVEuK3oYflPFCP3sFy2puWxRCnXxJvSW1mVcJmqJBBSxhURgtyaYBg/s1600/Huangguoshu+Waterfall+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0uvAjo2eojvI17OlEkd66S5eZniV1MJB8V19h5iEWlmjYTzucHFqQt9fl23Ii7QdPLIhFSpBVkmPPBiEEIVffNVEuK3oYflPFCP3sFy2puWxRCnXxJvSW1mVcJmqJBBSxhURgtyaYBg/s1600/Huangguoshu+Waterfall+map.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huangguoshu Waterfall location</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">The world's third largest waterfall</span></b> cascades 60
metres and presents a luxurious spray of cool mist from various viewing vantage
points.</div>
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Our generous employers, at <b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Guiyang No. 1 High School</span></b> in
Jinyang City, Guizhou Province, paid the 90-yuan per person fee to get them and us through
the guarded entrance gate to the first viewing station, and another 30 for the
ride up the steep escalator after our tour.</div>
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The view at the bottom of the falls is breathtaking. The
water from the top of the mountain cascades with a tremendous force and fills
your ears with thunder. The large pool of water at the bottom continues to flow down a smaller series of drops until in disappears into the
deep forest.</div>
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Frank and I, along with several Chinese teachers and our
leader, Ms. Shelly, walked along the prepared path to a steep set of stairs
leading to the caves behind the flow. We ducked to avoid the low hanging
stalagmite and stepped carefully to avoid breaking what were left of the stalactites.
It was dark and a bit precarious for me but Frank was steady and encouraging.
We spent nearly two hours at the wondrous site. Guizhou province is a precious
location in China and a recommended destination for the explorative type.</div>
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Guizhou is a mountainous province with karst (limestone terrain), steep
gorges, warm summers and mild winters. About 35% of Guizhou's population is
made up of over 80 different ethnic minorities in remote villages: Miao, Bouyi,
Dong, Yi and Hui to name a few. The majority of China's population is Han.<o:p></o:p><br />
We are still in touch with dear friends that we met in Guiyang City.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">* our camera broke so I've borrowed some photos from the Internet.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqDa1A17ek8m8p2hKKuYZe8Q-TzibAnkdX3S-rI72ZPA0emmuEWrUtkT8QcFmMkP2DmKWQtWs3pvChgnvx1ZXv41HywDnYInoWXHUuumlMTAHX3-KOWCK79nRc4wIghCCqXi__f64ggI/s1600/Huangguoshu+path.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqDa1A17ek8m8p2hKKuYZe8Q-TzibAnkdX3S-rI72ZPA0emmuEWrUtkT8QcFmMkP2DmKWQtWs3pvChgnvx1ZXv41HywDnYInoWXHUuumlMTAHX3-KOWCK79nRc4wIghCCqXi__f64ggI/s1600/Huangguoshu+path.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Path to Huangguashu Waterfalls</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjzlaf7GKVkcqzcP7KpKZVByVfGcpE2YMUv_Tvgs5PVIS09GYsqkpsvCeN0uVLLzT5Ij35cxkElAd4eCCp7jHIoQVChuLYaep_jbT3h6qVUJmxC3LCLGOQ80QbnLHkZf3Acun_pL8BBc/s1600/Huangguoshu+gathering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjzlaf7GKVkcqzcP7KpKZVByVfGcpE2YMUv_Tvgs5PVIS09GYsqkpsvCeN0uVLLzT5Ij35cxkElAd4eCCp7jHIoQVChuLYaep_jbT3h6qVUJmxC3LCLGOQ80QbnLHkZf3Acun_pL8BBc/s1600/Huangguoshu+gathering.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the spectacular views of Huangguoshu Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6a8AGJsacmIdzcHwCvIP-5M3q759cmu9V14k18UkK4gJeBDShTypoXb0jTcwLXCqsdN-1_-9QS_D7pFRBFhRMy0w1ZiOw-MdqCc9WYU27Lo-_qMTmPaJ8O2csRWinlLDVrEPxk3FwNI/s1600/huangguoshu+cave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6a8AGJsacmIdzcHwCvIP-5M3q759cmu9V14k18UkK4gJeBDShTypoXb0jTcwLXCqsdN-1_-9QS_D7pFRBFhRMy0w1ZiOw-MdqCc9WYU27Lo-_qMTmPaJ8O2csRWinlLDVrEPxk3FwNI/s1600/huangguoshu+cave.jpg" height="224" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huangguoshu entrance to behind the falls</td></tr>
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Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-80402882132916329642013-11-26T11:40:00.000-08:002013-11-26T11:40:22.317-08:00The English Study Leader<div class="MsoNormal">
In all middle and high school classrooms in China, there
are as many Study Leaders as there are subjects to study. Write the words
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">English Study Leader</span></b> on the blackboard and ask for that person to identify
himself or herself.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPw1aHzdW44EMT3_-QcZNjNp5HSRKoX19FflXL6QDInL6fKPvLTqq95nEsPi4nv-m4Cg8iB8si6FQ_LKMeJ5v9LPl6eSh7MHUgk6g02EWd3HSBmthMnbtzALgHs3mNOooBKsqiKXX2MwE/s1600/Fly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPw1aHzdW44EMT3_-QcZNjNp5HSRKoX19FflXL6QDInL6fKPvLTqq95nEsPi4nv-m4Cg8iB8si6FQ_LKMeJ5v9LPl6eSh7MHUgk6g02EWd3HSBmthMnbtzALgHs3mNOooBKsqiKXX2MwE/s200/Fly.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheng Fei Xiang</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Meet <b><span style="color: #351c75;">Fly</span></b>, the English Study Leader in Class 14, Grade One.
His Chinese name is Cheng Fei Xiang and he conducts himself as English Study
Leader with pride.</div>
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“Please tell me your duties as English Study Leader”, I
said.</div>
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“I help all the other students with their English studies,”
Fly said.</div>
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“What things do you do to help them?” I said.</div>
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“When we have English study time, I make sure the other
students study well,” he said.</div>
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“How do you do that?” I said.</div>
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“I help the students write down English words,” he said.</div>
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“What else to you do to help the others?” I said.</div>
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“I help them say the English words,” Fly said.</div>
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Fly’s actions are a living display of a <b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Confucius</span></b>
philosophy; <i><span style="color: #990000;">“It is pointless to learn merely for the sake of learning.
Application must be the end and learning the means.”</span></i></div>
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The Chinese believe that it is education, which has been
responsible for the ascent of mankind and progress in society. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NO8WlTpojZ4rH1PjEAjchWdQGRnP67YzjG1m5oZg9PRjxEeuSvoK_9xw7kXJt4ncatXK-i23B1E7IJv2-i3yVXjZMz3W7UioWxCR1gNmkdgMvOWmdyDCbpEsyMWoNLbfScFHRBu3tCE/s1600/Classroom+artwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NO8WlTpojZ4rH1PjEAjchWdQGRnP67YzjG1m5oZg9PRjxEeuSvoK_9xw7kXJt4ncatXK-i23B1E7IJv2-i3yVXjZMz3W7UioWxCR1gNmkdgMvOWmdyDCbpEsyMWoNLbfScFHRBu3tCE/s400/Classroom+artwork.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classroom Artwork</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhOzmEJP_O_c0F6uYdoCYQcAYIIgag2EnGS6TlOuo2_VAr80zhwaOgfoNkakIzNyvYAJQ0BzrOl2Sahyphenhyphenn26qcamZo8HHgFB8mJe8Eg6fEA72QlH-Ih0vdyCBtax5ol7ZrT5lrFJmvtTY/s1600/Frank+at+Qidong+Middle+School.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhOzmEJP_O_c0F6uYdoCYQcAYIIgag2EnGS6TlOuo2_VAr80zhwaOgfoNkakIzNyvYAJQ0BzrOl2Sahyphenhyphenn26qcamZo8HHgFB8mJe8Eg6fEA72QlH-Ih0vdyCBtax5ol7ZrT5lrFJmvtTY/s400/Frank+at+Qidong+Middle+School.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank at Qidong Middle School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATSOPHMTxgUA561W8ZKyYU6eU1HYfala8nNnqe4kvxU8EdEvxNWtuZu-ofLwLefzFBygXaoPSqqussrXGe1dOlZXOVNjjdSYGNeA-PhpFN9GoOeLtynI6VNS3A3Cem5ImhRDEqWCD_iA/s1600/Susan+with+English+Study+Leader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATSOPHMTxgUA561W8ZKyYU6eU1HYfala8nNnqe4kvxU8EdEvxNWtuZu-ofLwLefzFBygXaoPSqqussrXGe1dOlZXOVNjjdSYGNeA-PhpFN9GoOeLtynI6VNS3A3Cem5ImhRDEqWCD_iA/s400/Susan+with+English+Study+Leader.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan with Penny, another English Study Leader</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_HOLplLYh-2zizOrIXmeC96ITPrJD6lpCoK4CKZ8ZCDLRjzuXAFbssiQctPZypC7iLV-9lIFJa6tbHHPVvs8juuGS_HjEDxdfDbqOLYSoeWvzdDTcBF9A0dn2uaY_5DQrFPwbO3Dfho/s1600/Susan+teaching+fashion+in+China.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_HOLplLYh-2zizOrIXmeC96ITPrJD6lpCoK4CKZ8ZCDLRjzuXAFbssiQctPZypC7iLV-9lIFJa6tbHHPVvs8juuGS_HjEDxdfDbqOLYSoeWvzdDTcBF9A0dn2uaY_5DQrFPwbO3Dfho/s400/Susan+teaching+fashion+in+China.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan using fashion as an English topic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-38995551561197340262013-10-15T17:19:00.000-07:002013-10-15T17:20:48.596-07:00You Are Old<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XzOm66c5aneR6QwAfTwsAq9JmSNQ0NTcApQzY5p6L_hKJ3M_Tn3t849-snwyzdmefHefXn9R6X5D_0LSJtjvzf_90lFPSEmahZJllEq9N99aRstC5JlLmMtR6wlpRL7_60yH3h_7xhg/s1600/China+pose+D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XzOm66c5aneR6QwAfTwsAq9JmSNQ0NTcApQzY5p6L_hKJ3M_Tn3t849-snwyzdmefHefXn9R6X5D_0LSJtjvzf_90lFPSEmahZJllEq9N99aRstC5JlLmMtR6wlpRL7_60yH3h_7xhg/s200/China+pose+D.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Emporer and his wife</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Friday, October 21, 2005, Frank and I were met by Lemon,
the Foreign English Teacher Intern, at the gate of Yichang No. 1 Middle School.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why have we been chosen to have our photos taken?” I said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You are old and every year the Chinese have a festival for
old people. It is part of the Chinese New Year celebration,” Lemon said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Together we travelled by taxi to the <b><span style="color: red;">Love Photograph Shop</span></b>.
Our hosts invited us to try on a formal North American wedding gown and tuxedo.
We accepted and returned from the dressing rooms in outfits that brought tears
to my eyes while reminiscing about our wedding in Canada a year before. Frank
laughed at how he looked in his ‘get-up’ as he referred to it. He asked the
shop owner if we could wear traditional Chinese wedding garments. The
accommodating proprietor instructed his staff to clothe us in outfits fit for
an emperor and his wife.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We stood in various poses orchestrated by the photographer.
Afterward, the photographs were prepared and refined on a large computer
screen. We chose the ones we liked best and left with a computer disk and fond
memories of being old in China.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLI1Ncu0wGL5PEx9mk3lWDN1wdKp3UGbfCXe8QbvGtLhA5u1iOLbVTzaPomWrRfGGS6wzEKfbqbdATZxscc66d-rPtHsNWPGFBSgWWVlgiapaZwClCxSxXtzB9Raud7cWWOjDfUW1wmQM/s1600/Chinese+Photoshop_collage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLI1Ncu0wGL5PEx9mk3lWDN1wdKp3UGbfCXe8QbvGtLhA5u1iOLbVTzaPomWrRfGGS6wzEKfbqbdATZxscc66d-rPtHsNWPGFBSgWWVlgiapaZwClCxSxXtzB9Raud7cWWOjDfUW1wmQM/s400/Chinese+Photoshop_collage1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank and Susan in Yi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Rule No.6:</span> Enjoy yourself.</b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-6248428889352488002013-08-29T11:09:00.000-07:002013-10-15T17:20:16.812-07:00The Unbroken Rule<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2wIZgDGfcr9gEIjHE3rnvtImCBWnGfauHH-Td0i3PtmitO2vEHdqUlG7NShlgKBlLqCt4UnecekqOh_4enOQkYoKcJH2GC4eiOwu0zAAIhCMf3HygdJAeJ5WNbDsVj4B3Mxiesyus3A/s1600/Qidong+school+entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2wIZgDGfcr9gEIjHE3rnvtImCBWnGfauHH-Td0i3PtmitO2vEHdqUlG7NShlgKBlLqCt4UnecekqOh_4enOQkYoKcJH2GC4eiOwu0zAAIhCMf3HygdJAeJ5WNbDsVj4B3Mxiesyus3A/s320/Qidong+school+entrance.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quidong Foreign Language School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the rules issued by our employer in China was not
to take on work outside the classroom. For example, they didn’t want their
contracted English teachers moonlighting at other training institutions. At the
middle school in Qidong where Frank and I were instructing we were approached
by several of the parents who asked us to take on their child in private
lessons. We explained the company rule to them. They
persisted so we agreed to spend time with their child
if we could gather at various locations and conduct English Corners.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An English Corner in China is orchestrated by foreign
English teachers at libraries, restaurants and permitted public meeting sites.
The instruction consists of promoting general conversations on sorted topics.
The three ‘T’ topics to be avoided are Tianamen Square, Taiwan and Tibet. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPCTbmPRf3JGuHg42dywh3JyRTjBrxDDZOvMRnbqvT3XZH-D1tx61Agayxbw0RoA-SpX6jUhAtIJqMn6FLQYbBMaQQB-N3-8EgK7OPn2cb_bvjG7D063N93BvL54biJqHsAAVdHHbJOY/s1600/Qidong+students_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPCTbmPRf3JGuHg42dywh3JyRTjBrxDDZOvMRnbqvT3XZH-D1tx61Agayxbw0RoA-SpX6jUhAtIJqMn6FLQYbBMaQQB-N3-8EgK7OPn2cb_bvjG7D063N93BvL54biJqHsAAVdHHbJOY/s320/Qidong+students_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying a meal at a private setting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The topics we covered with our group of students included
western food and how to eat a hamburger with your hands, ♪ music ♪ , the good and bad of zoos, the power of family and the love of friends.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We enjoyed the students’ company immensely. Their rapid
conversation and upbeat energy kept us buoyant in a country with a great number of rules. One regulation we learnt from our students was that the ratio
of adult to youth or junior youth in public was two young people to one adult. For example, Frank
and I supervised six middle school students on our various outings. At a
restaurant, which is considered a private setting, we could be with as many as
eight students, but if we went to a public place, like a park or a shopping
centre, it was necessary for at least one or more of their parents to attend. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rules aside, we had a tremendous time with our students, inside and outside the classroom. We highly recommend that you take time to be with your students so that you may learn from them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfAQfOmC3q7hkmNJGDZqwbuunPX3dW0INZOxOiRV3RFhEmagiui_NGdwcDvqs9oD4ETWDcaNcaPD06W9Sam0ELASeTBTuWy9RMk8s6_WgCwuGwnxcyUsBV-r1YTJKSwD6omVJjnVo-Ds/s1600/Qidong+students_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfAQfOmC3q7hkmNJGDZqwbuunPX3dW0INZOxOiRV3RFhEmagiui_NGdwcDvqs9oD4ETWDcaNcaPD06W9Sam0ELASeTBTuWy9RMk8s6_WgCwuGwnxcyUsBV-r1YTJKSwD6omVJjnVo-Ds/s320/Qidong+students_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful students</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLhAVByXZGmfKLp8dL3xy73zvsnpOQHt_tYbUPgabwG_SmSzMXK6Mk_e-tyYAOGKxFIAo6uRhOZZEg6tGsKAoZ83-KiixJoG2gBzzSl_DV2BPQD1knyzFoG9t-wVUvQ54E8_P7uk6KgM/s1600/Qidong+students_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLhAVByXZGmfKLp8dL3xy73zvsnpOQHt_tYbUPgabwG_SmSzMXK6Mk_e-tyYAOGKxFIAo6uRhOZZEg6tGsKAoZ83-KiixJoG2gBzzSl_DV2BPQD1knyzFoG9t-wVUvQ54E8_P7uk6KgM/s320/Qidong+students_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curious about the food</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGawCCmMYaAe4_v4B6-8Mrn7KWVeYT6LxVyFJ_TjfFGNd991o3IroCQge8_W6tbWsqq-Fp_9xrv_fY130lgszQ94454eD6J81SOOJlVC488gJhZMQjCQrdQbNlWd8oNCC65JCNR0DL58/s1600/Qidong+students_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGawCCmMYaAe4_v4B6-8Mrn7KWVeYT6LxVyFJ_TjfFGNd991o3IroCQge8_W6tbWsqq-Fp_9xrv_fY130lgszQ94454eD6J81SOOJlVC488gJhZMQjCQrdQbNlWd8oNCC65JCNR0DL58/s320/Qidong+students_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello Mr and Mrs Black</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL719c5Ifdx9JJAXF2kvcDmcCDh-Psv8FOJZ6Ex2Ypp-JHZJ2oBuT3MTHmb1Ddm0dq922XhT1sYxwCV_aWjcPGJvaHUGaEjMS-QI8YIB50KVy2y45kzk5LTkt4YdsBSaN6Is2C6BFYWJo/s1600/Qidong+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL719c5Ifdx9JJAXF2kvcDmcCDh-Psv8FOJZ6Ex2Ypp-JHZJ2oBuT3MTHmb1Ddm0dq922XhT1sYxwCV_aWjcPGJvaHUGaEjMS-QI8YIB50KVy2y45kzk5LTkt4YdsBSaN6Is2C6BFYWJo/s320/Qidong+map.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Qidong, Jiangsu Province</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Rule No. 5:</span> Respect the rules.</b></div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-11986736383809716412013-08-19T12:17:00.000-07:002013-08-23T08:32:33.051-07:00Get to Know Your Group Leader<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxbxBu4NtXT9Kd4xSW1d2SX6Puj1nglXTX89DRHHJuaU8UT279nTpUYiis8ce_VI2xsJg-s_s1Mp6yZL4Km0hhNfagBBrrfnIPb11Ud2Mn99HQEtJ9QRos8-0N8Ii-S-aMmKg_gGbvjk/s1600/pear.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxbxBu4NtXT9Kd4xSW1d2SX6Puj1nglXTX89DRHHJuaU8UT279nTpUYiis8ce_VI2xsJg-s_s1Mp6yZL4Km0hhNfagBBrrfnIPb11Ud2Mn99HQEtJ9QRos8-0N8Ii-S-aMmKg_gGbvjk/s200/pear.PNG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Precious Pear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
To paraphrase a quote from Mao Tse Tung, "If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself. If you want to know the structure of a middle school and high school classroom in China, you must take part in teaching English as a second language in China. All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience."<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_natIEd7dZ2lZqQ_jpM8UzspeR8MFEGIuanCTQLzeVN5erOMIIcrrMWj605C0jaD8jxRH1jtqw63yzeEl1pl6BRfWVHQ5vUA_ZyjrQ4XIWYht9DFBLrvNuRn5gz5xOZw6JR_9cASOu74/s1600/Front+row+group+leaders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_natIEd7dZ2lZqQ_jpM8UzspeR8MFEGIuanCTQLzeVN5erOMIIcrrMWj605C0jaD8jxRH1jtqw63yzeEl1pl6BRfWVHQ5vUA_ZyjrQ4XIWYht9DFBLrvNuRn5gz5xOZw6JR_9cASOu74/s320/Front+row+group+leaders.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front row group leaders</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You will recognize the <b><span style="color: #38761d;">Group Leader</span></b> in your middle or high school classroom once all the students are seated. He or she sits in the first desk of each row. The number of Group Leaders you have available to assist you in your classroom depends on the number of rows set up in the room.<br />
<br />
The primary duty of the Group Leader is to collect the homework or in-class assignments from each student in his or her row and hand the work to the teacher. The Group Leader is also responsible for distributing hand outs to each student in the row.<br />
<br />
Get to know the Group Leaders in your class by asking their names and recording their position on your student roster. Like everyone else in this big world, the students love to hear his or her name. Also, your enthusiastic 'thank you' goes a long way in maintaining the Group Leader's support and cooperation.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Tip No. 4:</span></b> <b>Get to know your Group Leaders.</b><br />
<br />
<br />Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-14231540965848228422013-08-15T13:15:00.000-07:002013-08-15T13:15:13.452-07:00Tears of Joy<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0kMqdkOTfcPywug-pDW4KK-FopDA2Qi0gCpTezOYLxMgLsnCDfEykQ2Upg3dsM7WPuy3NFVAnKtafBPSptlYo7Dl-QCCzkRhP2Qe-LGhTLQAHN0vqsOoWHShrIMEV-K-3Naym4dh6AU/s1600/Train+tickets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0kMqdkOTfcPywug-pDW4KK-FopDA2Qi0gCpTezOYLxMgLsnCDfEykQ2Upg3dsM7WPuy3NFVAnKtafBPSptlYo7Dl-QCCzkRhP2Qe-LGhTLQAHN0vqsOoWHShrIMEV-K-3Naym4dh6AU/s200/Train+tickets.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Train Tickets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">All Aboard!</span></b> We boarded the train from Yichang, Hubei
province to Beijing. Our tickets had been purchased for us by our Yichang No.1
Middle School Foreign Teacher Administrator. We were told that our return tickets would have
to be purchased in Beijing. We were unaware that Frank had been assigned room
number 3 and I was allocated 13. Being separated from my husband so early in
our overseas excursion made me uncomfortable so I sat patiently on Frank’s bunk
until the conductor found a way to have us travel the 17-hour journey in the
same room. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After we shared conversation with a young Chinese girl and her mother, I
fell asleep to the repetitive clacking sound of the train rolling along the
tracks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0JIVRsienHUWEE48xyNIO_21hrGBmGaKgZIjtAq5HZUo-TOEt_4RbYU5YpDFjKKAvtJI-MsuB4Js57y9iPVw_X80a3IoHpbsxi0-WHtWuS_Z8JUro_saqNrNE-oRmv9TkzT8kCMffVc/s1600/Soft+Class+sleeper+compartment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0JIVRsienHUWEE48xyNIO_21hrGBmGaKgZIjtAq5HZUo-TOEt_4RbYU5YpDFjKKAvtJI-MsuB4Js57y9iPVw_X80a3IoHpbsxi0-WHtWuS_Z8JUro_saqNrNE-oRmv9TkzT8kCMffVc/s200/Soft+Class+sleeper+compartment.jpg" width="109" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soft Sleeper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning, we sipped on tea and ate oranges with our
roommates. From the window I admired the view of corn stacked on the top of
houses, posted signs in Chinese characters, old buildings, vehicles of various
makes and sizes and workers along the train tracks. Some picked up garbage with
bare hands while others used large chopsticks. It appeared that everyone was
working at something or travelling from some place to somewhere. We passed a
graveyard, cornfields and buildings crumbling because of the pollution. Those scenes became
very familiar to us in China.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once in Beijing, we located a room at the Beijing Rainbow Hotel. Our biggest
surprise was that there were no mattresses on the beds. In most Chinese motels
or hotels, you sleep on a box spring. We chomped on bananas and headed out the
door. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GHH-Q5IR2frgVfInKQoCU4MTU4-Ey4ESoY0JQDYQApOouOdrzmpV9ihvl6RHVMZH6SIRKuCjmjjHc9Rrcg3aCJn0N0CLMCZrDSUI_-49DWzZoxnfIIMemHJXzOW9IIsXKe21IkMhmic/s1600/Arline+Tickets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GHH-Q5IR2frgVfInKQoCU4MTU4-Ey4ESoY0JQDYQApOouOdrzmpV9ihvl6RHVMZH6SIRKuCjmjjHc9Rrcg3aCJn0N0CLMCZrDSUI_-49DWzZoxnfIIMemHJXzOW9IIsXKe21IkMhmic/s200/Arline+Tickets.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Air China tickets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the train ticket office we were told that there we no
return tickets to Yichang for at least two weeks. Our stay was to be for one
week and so we were forced to purchase China Air passages to Yichang. From that
point we headed to the Forbidden City museum. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tears of bliss fell down my cheeks as I entered the enormous
grounds of the once imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. I
was overwhelmed by the majestic detail and that Frank and I had journeyed from Port Hardy, British Columbia to China.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Teaching English as second
language was one impressive aspect of our expedition, equal to the discovery of
everything Chinese we could absorb.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IiSxuy1R8UC9icseNhMAhAI8HFp_wnJp_WUfkmnJIMQp2cOTRS-nGVpuNeyCmHrYiUR6UiTOv_MMs_eboZs_NzAeFl0ccegbf4YvbtFZw0IZDbHKP379Bpx1lZ84LVt2MSlUD33wBl4/s1600/Palace+museum+ticket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IiSxuy1R8UC9icseNhMAhAI8HFp_wnJp_WUfkmnJIMQp2cOTRS-nGVpuNeyCmHrYiUR6UiTOv_MMs_eboZs_NzAeFl0ccegbf4YvbtFZw0IZDbHKP379Bpx1lZ84LVt2MSlUD33wBl4/s400/Palace+museum+ticket.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imperial Palace Museum ~ Beijing, China</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-12518153591030330142013-07-07T11:37:00.000-07:002013-07-07T11:39:17.071-07:00The Chinese Classroom Monitor<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKdsY6__oyuDCTTQ2sm0L1-W38T5Pa2-SngVcfqOBvBla-197UCiqmXK3SkmWG6LOQ9mKbPD2A7rbtjQUVwneYd2CdSYzQXuffO-W4VXbocQ-fml0DFXbGCkqNyCKOeH0Za0JkSoIlWg/s1600/Qidong+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKdsY6__oyuDCTTQ2sm0L1-W38T5Pa2-SngVcfqOBvBla-197UCiqmXK3SkmWG6LOQ9mKbPD2A7rbtjQUVwneYd2CdSYzQXuffO-W4VXbocQ-fml0DFXbGCkqNyCKOeH0Za0JkSoIlWg/s320/Qidong+map.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Qidong, JiangSu Province</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every middle school and high school classroom in China has
at least one Monitor. He or she takes the duty seriously. Their primary duty is
to be assistance to the teacher.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Meet <b><span style="color: #ea9999;">Maggie</span></b>. She was my classroom Monitor at the Qidong
Junior Middle School. Qidong is located in JiangSu province. Sweet Maggie was 13
years old. Her daily duty was to observe and report on the overall conduct of
the teacher and students in her class. She reported directly to the Head
Teacher after each teaching session. She was a quick runner. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maggie reported on the conduct of the teacher, foreign or
otherwise, the behaviour of the students, late arrivals, unfinished homework,
homework not handed in, inappropriate language by the teacher or the students
and absences. My <b>Monitor</b> was always attentive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Maggie, how were you chosen to be Class Monitor?” I said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The Head Teacher chose me as Monitor because I have high
marks in every subject,” she said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maggie's English is a band score of 4 International English
Language Testing System. Although she is a limited user and has basic English
language competence, she still has enough comprehension to gather your words
and actions in the classroom and report your activities to the Head Teacher. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The duty of a Chinese classroom Monitor was described to me
by Peng Wen Juan, a Chinese English teacher.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<i>“In my opinion, the job of the monitor in a class is to be
a good example and a good guide. He is to lead the class to having a good
attitude towards studying, and also to help teachers to have good classes.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Tip No. 3:</span></b> <b>Get to know your classroom Monitor.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIxxnPCntKWc_XavKPop5nuq3F3bOZnpY12x3OXzy6IPkmcPq2oyzcdLq08brdbAbYI8PUTTxJ65kPJP7iMeJR4eZGLhneUM8ITDoyCqfAx2HJh4YhL5-C5PQGD_9ci7lAEjP0SpbIzY/s1600/Drawing+by+Maggie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIxxnPCntKWc_XavKPop5nuq3F3bOZnpY12x3OXzy6IPkmcPq2oyzcdLq08brdbAbYI8PUTTxJ65kPJP7iMeJR4eZGLhneUM8ITDoyCqfAx2HJh4YhL5-C5PQGD_9ci7lAEjP0SpbIzY/s320/Drawing+by+Maggie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing by Maggie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-40020292922043629342013-06-28T15:19:00.000-07:002013-07-07T11:37:58.204-07:00China The Same And More<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FDeRWRdJIEQEGhxCHA0w7K_-U1IYJCoAhjyL7g4c3ClYefKHjqRI08dtnzQolGHzeAL9Hc5z3o19K5tUpV6ALnPG9eGmBmAGhAKJQzsKkdWskjM0CCeV95PNhLNdgGSGX8lo8Vr_FRI/s1600/Susan+domestic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FDeRWRdJIEQEGhxCHA0w7K_-U1IYJCoAhjyL7g4c3ClYefKHjqRI08dtnzQolGHzeAL9Hc5z3o19K5tUpV6ALnPG9eGmBmAGhAKJQzsKkdWskjM0CCeV95PNhLNdgGSGX8lo8Vr_FRI/s200/Susan+domestic.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan doing domestic.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A popular saying in India <i>The Same But Different</i> has
a sister version in China “The Same And More”. In 2005, we arrived at the
Vancouver International airport only to be told that our bags where grossly
overweight and deemed totally unacceptable. Poor Frank had to hustle down the
airport corridors to buy a third luggage bag. I had provoked the over packing
because I thought there wouldn't be any conveniences in China. What a quality lesson learnt. China has the
same as every other country in the world and way more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have pollution in Canada and China has more. The sky in
Yichang, Hubei Province, where we taught for six months was
sometimes green. It smelt like metal and tasted like car exhaust. We have goods
in Canada and China has extra. Frank and I walked to the food market regularly
and were thrilled with the abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit, live
animals ready for slaughter, flopping fish of every variety including eels and
frogs. "Anything that walks, swims, crawls or flies with its back to
heaven is edible." Cantonese saying.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What we found most intriguing was the lack of wild birds. According to our guide, “They’ve all been eaten. You will only find birds in cages.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Canada has people and China has more. Our population is
approximately 36 million, nearly the population of Beijing. We have lots of
vehicles in Canada while China has way extra. You will see that there is not
enough room for the cars and so drivers have taken to parking on the sidewalks.
Exploring your neighbourhood will be the most fun you’ve likely had in years.
We guarantee a busy, noisy, friendly, polluted and crowded adventure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Tip No. 2</span></b>: <b>Don’t over pack. China has the same and more.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqC7W3ZKn6InY00UkKNWFxCQcs4oCvJLq3cNZZgHgc88HN29EaGXo6jtYgIM0MypcejNBuKpZZe9gn8B0aMu1o1BZcldD-lW_DilNgnLcUyD2H_wYLz3YXXI1u0t3nruhCnrtKUNfjSo/s1600/Street+Scenes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqC7W3ZKn6InY00UkKNWFxCQcs4oCvJLq3cNZZgHgc88HN29EaGXo6jtYgIM0MypcejNBuKpZZe9gn8B0aMu1o1BZcldD-lW_DilNgnLcUyD2H_wYLz3YXXI1u0t3nruhCnrtKUNfjSo/s400/Street+Scenes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sidewalk Scenes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxm73csm2eNGHljXzUjtjeSrTYB73S5-jYTz471tWbK9iex3ht1obe3AlWhRJJXomC7fFCRFIVDHq394_9DhdtJ6xr3YqESdDrAMgZeZt2ME8Xf0Ut3hPZRJ-ykciLKd2I3qyP020WNU/s1600/Curious+about+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxm73csm2eNGHljXzUjtjeSrTYB73S5-jYTz471tWbK9iex3ht1obe3AlWhRJJXomC7fFCRFIVDHq394_9DhdtJ6xr3YqESdDrAMgZeZt2ME8Xf0Ut3hPZRJ-ykciLKd2I3qyP020WNU/s400/Curious+about+food.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students Curious About Food</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPsiKU4M4_b4rk-L8gbOHfs0v21mB_eEpRK54cmclXCJBpVP8u7q9DMgixNRVEPoen4k5LVfxWNoDIiMe-ZOpN_q450rfJdAc2t_6QHvaZiSGZqaTQbQxGr1BkpS5G-lPztgLwYdePPU/s1600/Frank+and+workers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPsiKU4M4_b4rk-L8gbOHfs0v21mB_eEpRK54cmclXCJBpVP8u7q9DMgixNRVEPoen4k5LVfxWNoDIiMe-ZOpN_q450rfJdAc2t_6QHvaZiSGZqaTQbQxGr1BkpS5G-lPztgLwYdePPU/s400/Frank+and+workers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank Joins Workers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-71929054757169887072013-06-22T17:05:00.000-07:002013-07-07T11:41:31.241-07:00The Teacher According to Students<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ljl1sJl4eVON4UCs26p2v2tANkOAl99sZJeaHyKMsB7rfJHZaUGHF0HtslPgDYaPBLzl1jwgNckIEd37pwes_HU_As9lVEj8RJyiQVflQZK7-EnN3sE_Dgz8CdIp6974a5CyPyto-OI/s1600/Teacher+graphic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ljl1sJl4eVON4UCs26p2v2tANkOAl99sZJeaHyKMsB7rfJHZaUGHF0HtslPgDYaPBLzl1jwgNckIEd37pwes_HU_As9lVEj8RJyiQVflQZK7-EnN3sE_Dgz8CdIp6974a5CyPyto-OI/s320/Teacher+graphic.JPG" title="Chinese Classroom Heirachy" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Chinese Classroom Heirarchy</span></h2>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
According to over 1,000 middle school and high school
students in five provinces in China, a teacher, whether Chinese or foreign,
should be <b>kind</b> above all else. I conducted a survey in all the schools
where I taught and asked the students to express his or her idea of what a <i><span style="color: red;">best teacher</span></i> should be. According to the students,
the best teacher has the following uncomplicated characteristics:<br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">Kind</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Beautiful</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Funny</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Pleasant</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Strong</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Wonderful</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of my students wrote, <i>“My best teacher is
Long Tang. He’s very friendly and he very likes to forget. Some things we can’t
forget but he says forget. If we are a little or a lot sad he says forget. I
like him very much. He likes words. I like how the words feel. It’s very nice.
He told us a lot of things. He made me happy. He made me don’t cry. He is
unique.</i> ~ Yang Yang, Grade 2 Senior Middle School.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: green;">Tip No. 1</span></b>: <b>Learn from your students the characteristics they believe reveal a good teacher.</b></div>
Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-2965687838405647952013-06-13T07:39:00.000-07:002013-07-07T11:38:43.985-07:00The Kindness of Strangers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzBqb42-IlZHs9Og-eeo53WO9HIYyPJSfOPFaViG-05Q8DI01vUwLn5T9ctnYAn92bNDwiiOKc7cxb4lBKCz0faZymUN1h1BRRs-DynLOLHjZJ7j9y4z4Cg8YwT9-064QdTAF9Ix0yy0/s1600/Yichang+boat+ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzBqb42-IlZHs9Og-eeo53WO9HIYyPJSfOPFaViG-05Q8DI01vUwLn5T9ctnYAn92bNDwiiOKc7cxb4lBKCz0faZymUN1h1BRRs-DynLOLHjZJ7j9y4z4Cg8YwT9-064QdTAF9Ix0yy0/s200/Yichang+boat+ride.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yichang Architecture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>On December 12, 2005</b>, we needed to send a fax from Yichang,
China, to our bank in Port McNeill, British Columbia. The only institutions in
the massive city offering the service were luxury hotels.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Frank and I walked eleven kilometres searching for such a
lodge. We entered the palace-like front entrance of the Innca Hotel. We took a seat in the lobby and ordered a cup of tea. The gracious
hostess set the hot beverage on the table and bowed to us both. Her polite
character was a delight. Afterward, we went to the front desk and asked if
there was a fax in the building. The clerk blinked at us and pointed with his
open hand to a glass walled office. We approached the young lady in the room.
Frank asked about sending a fax.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The attractive woman smiled at Frank and spoke to him in an
eloquent tone of English. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We do not have to send a fax here, but I can take you to a
business that can arrange it for you,” she said. “Come with me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Frank followed her dutifully out of the hotel and down the
street. I chose to stay behind and lost track of them until they returned to
report that the task was complete.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her name was <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Riya</span></b>. We became fast friends and were
privileged by her company for our entire six-month stay in Yichang. She
introduced us to <i>huǒ guō</i>, a hot pot feast of meat and vegetables, street noodles, walks
along the Yichang River, fine tailors and the kindness of strangers.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-HY0SbaFb5rMaUaKCsw4JDi0oxdZaSlsPHFSWEqz-qBLJ8bPABiC6B-tqOFeE0RWaVYHaAEShdQX8LvGl54wdxcjIXKoUd1MLxwjm5TGjJeQxXgXZjR-PjWcyBMc401QAejnE-jdTas/s1600/Yichang+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-HY0SbaFb5rMaUaKCsw4JDi0oxdZaSlsPHFSWEqz-qBLJ8bPABiC6B-tqOFeE0RWaVYHaAEShdQX8LvGl54wdxcjIXKoUd1MLxwjm5TGjJeQxXgXZjR-PjWcyBMc401QAejnE-jdTas/s400/Yichang+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riya introduced us to <i style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">huǒ guō</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDupa40tMjl8DtMhJe_ZDM0ElEqU7TlNVVFjxn2Dco0URzhDf6HzlD-q-M9kHJ7HpUzFYX2tJSsRzR0IOhzR29XZdhHRLVYVDU1tZhwc5HADm2VC4VDaQkSYysJw7IrsjxTE6e1BKYHzM/s1600/noodle+lady'+in+Yichang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDupa40tMjl8DtMhJe_ZDM0ElEqU7TlNVVFjxn2Dco0URzhDf6HzlD-q-M9kHJ7HpUzFYX2tJSsRzR0IOhzR29XZdhHRLVYVDU1tZhwc5HADm2VC4VDaQkSYysJw7IrsjxTE6e1BKYHzM/s400/noodle+lady'+in+Yichang.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riya introduced us to street noodles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-87345821173169649682013-05-31T13:44:00.002-07:002013-07-07T11:38:28.091-07:00Getting to Know Our Students<div style="text-align: left;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPziJdTcnEgFGTNJc1vVLEDn2Jiw0Syftz3ruCzQH7kaAkdOznCYltyuvaXaXTC9ZVrPDsA7rRSjZShNfoqRm6WUcpxvlzNHWpdZqDxj4ZH_h5DXP-YBftwmxRTs71kCYvwrVf_7D8rw/s1600/Frank+represents+Manitoba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPziJdTcnEgFGTNJc1vVLEDn2Jiw0Syftz3ruCzQH7kaAkdOznCYltyuvaXaXTC9ZVrPDsA7rRSjZShNfoqRm6WUcpxvlzNHWpdZqDxj4ZH_h5DXP-YBftwmxRTs71kCYvwrVf_7D8rw/s200/Frank+represents+Manitoba.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank plays Red River Valley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Although the physical size of the classroom was typical in comparison to
those in Canada, the number of students in the Chinese middle
school and high school classrooms was staggering. The head count on this day was <b>59</b>.</div>
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In parallel classrooms using identical lessons plans, Frank and I introduced ourselves by drawing three large circles on the blackboard. One circle
contained the word <i>Family</i>, the other <i>Hobbies</i> and the last circle <i>Future</i>.
We each shared personal information with the students and afterward handed out
what we referred to as our ‘Bubble Sheets’. Each student filled in his or her
own information and the rest of the 45-minute class was used to share information
with each other.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EjVK5sW7AckJENkjJjkYB3mOD-l0BD0pSqcBviH-JKQt012GfNcUo4d5fz_dqgWP6XW8b3_TGPfwOjOr5cnfoQHkbsUfZxScrBN6vY59WYx6WkI84ot0gXRkJjOR7Y9ZmlX_slJpVO0/s1600/Bubble+Sheet_dark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EjVK5sW7AckJENkjJjkYB3mOD-l0BD0pSqcBviH-JKQt012GfNcUo4d5fz_dqgWP6XW8b3_TGPfwOjOr5cnfoQHkbsUfZxScrBN6vY59WYx6WkI84ot0gXRkJjOR7Y9ZmlX_slJpVO0/s200/Bubble+Sheet_dark.jpg" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Bubble Sheet</td></tr>
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That year, we learnt that the teacher is the figurehead and is respected by the students. Within
a few weeks of spending time with our gracious students, we discovered the communist system alive and well
structured in the classrooms. We were very grateful to learn about it from the
students themselves and chose to feature it in predominantly in <span style="color: red;">The Little Red
Book Teaching ESL in China</span>.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLI-w7TB6-2jUq4Gw0aXyWIOwI0XpvzBI1M5jG8ae-ozTadRKr5Ve5B7PQ4Zoxnroz_79HcYDG510_pUEGHQYNukL_daRm24IP_m4t_YSYmDuacBai2CsC1bsAM6Zhm9n89wkRcmXYBWk/s1600/hierachy_dark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLI-w7TB6-2jUq4Gw0aXyWIOwI0XpvzBI1M5jG8ae-ozTadRKr5Ve5B7PQ4Zoxnroz_79HcYDG510_pUEGHQYNukL_daRm24IP_m4t_YSYmDuacBai2CsC1bsAM6Zhm9n89wkRcmXYBWk/s320/hierachy_dark.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classroom Hierarchy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBV8cmmtzGsQd6G07BVBHwwM3cpKNp2NGlaYHtWTnP8jOymJxZ-l4jEWfBnuic3NY6l4M2s-QzlLxVlw6NPNAW-5e6KL88ATYJZmvrzQi9BrYd5TWa-WE-L9leVsjB8y6apPXVutye84/s1600/Students+learn+about+Vancouver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBV8cmmtzGsQd6G07BVBHwwM3cpKNp2NGlaYHtWTnP8jOymJxZ-l4jEWfBnuic3NY6l4M2s-QzlLxVlw6NPNAW-5e6KL88ATYJZmvrzQi9BrYd5TWa-WE-L9leVsjB8y6apPXVutye84/s320/Students+learn+about+Vancouver.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan's class ~ learning about Manitoba</td></tr>
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Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3137348803612988575.post-21401144369329651472013-05-28T15:05:00.000-07:002013-07-07T09:49:33.745-07:00Yichang 2005<div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFGV8arFp2c6JwVyWlKE0yoA0v-ipjxt5IQpu5pQFwiKia9O3q5ROiGuRH7n_MkfCudWNOOZMKFSBrm3PPhnFQqUdGTdcvcvWgsSh_Nc6s15gqme0qLNSaUle9TmInx3tTXBB6m2pQ48/s1600/Yichang+map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFGV8arFp2c6JwVyWlKE0yoA0v-ipjxt5IQpu5pQFwiKia9O3q5ROiGuRH7n_MkfCudWNOOZMKFSBrm3PPhnFQqUdGTdcvcvWgsSh_Nc6s15gqme0qLNSaUle9TmInx3tTXBB6m2pQ48/s320/Yichang+map.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hubei province courtesy of Travel China Guide</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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On September 21, 2005, Frank and I touched down at the airport in Yichang, Hubei
province and were greeted by our English Foreign Teacher Leader. Her name was
Mrs. Long and she was familiar with handling new foreign experts.</div>
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Once we arrived at Yichang No. 1 Middle School, she shuffled
us into her office and introduced us to her interpreter. We were asked to sit
and offered a glass of tea. After a brief orientation of the rules, which
included not beating the students, we were given a few days to orient ourselves
with our apartment and district. </div>
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We walked nearly eleven kilometres that day. Our first stop
was only a few metres from our apartment. A pleasant man was mending leather
goods and Frank handed him his belt, which needed some repair. Later that morning,
we found ourselves at the canal. We stood and watched the sampan captains
venture back and forth in the hopes of catching fish.</div>
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Frank sketched the vessels and many other unique observations. Four years into our teaching life we used his drawings to enhance each chapter of <span style="color: red;">The Little Red Book Teaching ESL in China</span>.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70rNIUo0rysxamizI9jyCJ9v9qBHSZYcGYMZgZmFd-9mTO2rHQrqblmnNlk1_WzDPkeEFN9zKnoFFtNGjfkKmOfeIqGd7iyagnoUhExhdIZz4jZcf_z4bgYVq91AyBhS-nzN5XWaCglY/s1600/Yichang+2005_collage_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70rNIUo0rysxamizI9jyCJ9v9qBHSZYcGYMZgZmFd-9mTO2rHQrqblmnNlk1_WzDPkeEFN9zKnoFFtNGjfkKmOfeIqGd7iyagnoUhExhdIZz4jZcf_z4bgYVq91AyBhS-nzN5XWaCglY/s320/Yichang+2005_collage_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring Our Neighbourhood</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We boarded a ferry and floated over to the the dark river to the man-made peninsula. We explored the markets and brought home some fresh produce..</div>
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That evening we filled ourselves with noodles and boiled
eggs purchased from one of the many street vendors across from the school. In
our apartment, we unpacked our overstuffed suitcases and put our weary heads on
sponge-filled pillows. We slept at ease.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmz54ZGLkmfBvCLV9LhMfIc6uY_fTX9kTOeoynMK_bevK1CeV4K5ly000seOFMPK8R1__WbL_YCe1ebroH_WGiIwmV52aV03bCcKHZ0WJFti2VTwEEe6vU5YyjeR4S1evOwZ8qF7H5GM/s1600/Yichang+2005_collage_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmz54ZGLkmfBvCLV9LhMfIc6uY_fTX9kTOeoynMK_bevK1CeV4K5ly000seOFMPK8R1__WbL_YCe1ebroH_WGiIwmV52aV03bCcKHZ0WJFti2VTwEEe6vU5YyjeR4S1evOwZ8qF7H5GM/s320/Yichang+2005_collage_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving the Apartment; Ferry Ride</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Frank and Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495103935205525577noreply@blogger.com0