I am on the other side of the world becoming an elementary school teacher. Also pretty unbelievable. Friday I went to Fushan Elementary School, where I will be teaching for the first semester, and I got a bit lost. More and more I am wanting to buy a scooter to get around Kaohsiung. Three of the Fulbrights have scooters and I bought a helmet so I can ride along. Winnie also let me practice driving hers yesterday. My decision will depend on if I can build the confidence to drive in Taiwanese traffic.
When I arrived at school, sweaty and a few minutes late, I sat with Shopping in a one hour, all Chinese staff meeting. No big introduction of me happened; I was just asked to stand and say hello. So I waved and said, "Dajia hao," which means hello everyone. The staff laughed and seemed surprised that I spoke in Chinese. Unfortunately I didn't get to follow that phrase with, "Wo hui shuo yi dian dian Zhong wen, yi dian dian," meaning I speak a little Chinese, very, very little. I do believe that my Chinese will progress rapidly here and I start a Monday/Wednesday Chinese course in about a week.
After the staff meeting, I met with Firefly, Shopping, Winnie and Tom (the head administrator for English teachers at Fushan) in what will now be my office. I have a desk and my co-teachers presented me with a bag of gifts containing a place mat, a large bowl, a mug, a spoon, and chopsticks. There was also a very sweet card saying that they feel we are already sisters and are glad I am teaching with them.
Then it was time to discuss my schedule. I teach every day, Monday through Friday, and have additional tasks besides classroom English teaching. It seems pretty intense and Winnie got in an argument with Tom about how much they're asking me to do (she believes it is beyond my duty as a Fulbright ETA). But I think that until my Chinese improves significantly, the easiest way for me to volunteer my spare time to the community will be at school. So here is the break down of a typical week (though this schedule begins September 7th):
Monday: Arrive at 7:20 to teach an English phrase to the whole school during Morning Meeting. From 8:40 until 10:15, give a dramatic storytelling to a class from 4th, 5th or 6th grade. From 10:30 until 2:00, lesson plan on my own, study Chinese and eat lunch, because I have almost 4 hours of unassigned time. From 2 until 4, teach two 3rd grade classes with Firefly.
Tuesday and Thursday: Spend the morning at Lingjhou or Fudong elementary schools and run the English Village courses for their students. Then after lunch, go to Fushan and teach 3 classes with Shopping.
Wednesday: Teach 4 classes from 8:40 until 12 with Shopping, have lunch, and then (every other Wed.) go to San Min for a workshop with the other Fulbrights and co-teachers.
Friday: Arrive at 9:30 to plan for next week's lesson with Firefly, teach 2 classes from 10:30 until 12, and spend lunch with Shopping, preparing our lessons for next week.
What is most interesting is that all of my classes are different groups of students, so I teach the same class 14 times each week. That requires little lesson planning, but I will be preparing storytelling and morning meeting activities for every Monday as well. Tom has also asked me to come in early on some Wednesdays to help students prepare for English reading competitions and/or to review the school's website for English mistakes. Lastly, we are planning to establish an after school English class for teachers every Tuesday. Depending on level of interest, I intend to teach practical things like how to write an email or order a meal at a restaurant.
My schedule is very tight, but I still hope to squeeze in time to work out, cook and travel. We'll see how things go.
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