9 to 3

A few weeks ago, the teachers at our school asked Carly and I if we would be interested in teaching weekly English lessons at a kindergarten nearby. So, Monday through Friday, I teach 9 year olds (grade 2) and then, on Friday afternoons, I teach kindergarteners (well, 3 year olds). When we accepted the job, we figured it would be pretty stress free. The kids are really young and the teachers made it clear that they are not expecting the kids to be speaking in English, they just want the kids to be exposed to it (and for the parents to see foreigners in their kids classroom). And the kids are so cute, how could we not!

The first class we taught was not a full class. The monday before we went they said, just go and watch and see how the school works. Then, on Tuesday, they suggested we teach the kids our name and how to say hello so that when their parents came they could hear them say "hello, Bailey". On Thursday, they asked us to bring a simple song to teach them for about ten minutes so that they could start getting used to us. Then on Friday, we were told that we would have thirty minutes with them to teach them whatever we wanted (We were also told that our classes would have 44 students in them. However, it turns out that there are 44 students in the whole school, not in a single class. PHEW!). I went in, not really knowing what to expect but it went great! The school is so fun! It is colorful, with little animals and flowers painted it everywhere. It has a courtyard (schools in Lin'an are usually like outdoor malls in America, the classrooms aren't outside but the hallways are....this school is outdoors but it is built in a circle so that the middle outside part is like a playground) with ball pits and a jungle gym and music is always playing (we also always get there right around snack time which is very convenient....). My class is full of twenty of the cutest little three year olds in Lin'an and we sing and dance and play. It's a blast, a chaotic blast.

I left the first class thinking that this was going to be a breeze! If I can teach 9 year olds, I can teach 3 year olds, right? Right? No, going from teaching for 30 minutes to the full hour was significantly more difficult than I had anticiapted. Unfortunately, the other teachers in the room do not speak English and I do not speak enough Chinese to communicate my plans or directions (and there are 20 3 year olds running amuck), which makes things a little harder. (Have you ever tried to play duck, duck goose with 20 kids, 3 teachers and a very big language barrier? It is not easy! But it's still pretty fun! (Or at least the kiddos that kept falling over with laughter every time I said "goose" thought it was.)) But we have started figuring out ways to communicate using Chinese, English and body language (it's like really loud sign language). Not having a curriculum has made it hard to figure out what I should teach them, but it has also made it possible for me to teach them "high five" and "ready, dance!" (Which is a nice change after a day full of saying things like "your pen. my pen. our pen. whose pen is this?") It also has given me the chance to show them all the songs and video clips that I liked when I was little (like songs from Sesame Street, School House Rock, etc) that most of my Grade 2 kids have decided aren't cool enough for them to enjoy. They also greet me with love and warmth. There are little bubble windows in the doors and they stick their faces in them and wave as I walk to their class. When I get there, they say hello and talk to me without a care in the world because it doesn't even occur to them that I don't understand (This week my Grade 2ers greeted me by pointing at me and saying "It's a mess" (a phrase that they, unfortunately, learned in the English dialogue lesson that they have for 10 minutes after lunch)). When I leave, because they haven't totally mastered the definition of "hello", they say "hello, bailey. zai jian (goodbye)!" They are so sweet. And even though I have no idea what I'm going to teach them or how I'm going to teach it this week, I am looking forward to seeing them again on Friday afternoon!

(Side note: I do still very much love all of my Grade 2 students.) (Side note, Side note: There is a huge English Festival coming up at Bo Shi Kai and my kids are going to be singing songs, giving speeches and performing plays. It's going to be so great and I cannot wait to tell you all about it.)