The Dust Settles

The first week is always incredibly busy as the team works hard to get over jet lag, learn their way around the city, bond as a team, and get ready to start classes. We worked on training up through midday Saturday, and then Sunday got supplies together and organized for the first day.

Today classes began. It is now 4:30 PM and the classroom building is beginning to quiet down. There is a collective sigh of relief that we’re off and running.

By 8:30 this morning, the auditorium was packed with Chinese learners, about half teachers and half students. After the obligatory opening ceremonies where we and the Chinese administrators give flowery speeches, we hold the first plenary session. I was in the back as we started singing songs, everyone on their feet. Our lead administrator leaned over and said, “This is what they come for – they never get to do anything like this in their schooling!” As foreigners, we can kick back and create very entertaining sessions that the Chinese teachers are not able to do because their educational system is much more formal. And furthermore, this is “summer English camp” and not the regular term.

After the plenary that our team runs, we have “interviews” -- AKA assessments. We have all the foreign teachers in the back at desks and one by one the learners come and sit down and go through an assessment. It went quite smoothly and only took about an hour, but it’s crazy to organize because at this point the students are convinced they don’t understand what we are saying. One of our Chinese professor friends who speaks excellent English, came this AM and was a huge help in organizing them in Chinese. Then, when we finish, we dash upstairs to the teachers’ room, grab some lunch, and sort all the results, organize them into classes. Then we had our prof write up the class list in Chinese – something no one on our team is capable of doing -- to give to the lead administrator to organize the students into at 1 PM.

By the time we finished the afternoon plenary and sent them all out to their classes, the team leaders breathe a huge sigh of relief. Now we can focus on supporting our team of teachers, instead of teaching them.

After a day like this, I feel like comfort food. I think I want IKEA meatballs for supper! Pretty sad when IKEA meatballs sound wonderful.