Last night was our first Chinese lesson! Harriet has graciously agreed to spend a half hour each night after school teaching us basic Chinese. Yesterday we learned counting numbers, quantities, and how to order a drink from a restaurant. I felt really slow, but already I am hearing some of the basic phrases we practiced around the school. I need to get my numbers memorized by tonight because we will play BINGO with Harriet to practice....eek! It will be really helpful to get the basics down though, because when I ordered coffee the other morning it was ridiculous.
Also, things are looking up in terms of food...for now. Alaina and I cooked spaghetti at home last night and let me tell you, it was delicous. Also, we found some grapes which tasted heavenly. They always tell us how students' basic needs must be met before their secondary needs can be addressed. Well, I can testify first hand because I was one happy girl after I ate those noodles, finally a good meal. Also, today, our principal ordered pizza and chicken for all of the teachers, sort of like a staff appreciation day. So, another good meal! We will be more adventurous for dinner, I promise. It was really nice though because we got to mingle with a lot of the staff, who are very interesting because everyone is from somewhere different, and has a different story to tell.
Almost done with our first week of school, and I still feel like I am riding a roller coaster! One minute I seem to be adjusting alright, and then the next, I am "shocked" again. However, school is becoming more and more comfortable. Alaina and I did more observing of various classes yesterday and today. We are getting to see all levels (proficiency and grade wise) before we make a choice with which we would be most comfortable taking over. Tonight we will choose a mentor and then begin with our teaching duties next week. I could go on and on with EVERY detail about our school day because I find it fascinating and extremely different. However, probably only one or two other people would be interested so I'll keep it to the minimum and spare you all! Here are a couple of things that are surprising me so far about the school culture:
Students here are always talking in class. I mean, always. Even if the teacher is speaking that doesn't matter. All of the teachers we have observed thus far try and talk over the students but to no avail. I keep thinking, "When I get in there, I'm going to demand their attention and wait until they are quit." However, I am probably naive in thinking it is that easy. We approached our supervisor about this yeterday and she agreed that it was shocking to her at first too, but it's a cultural habit, so I am very curious to see what happens when I'm up in front of the room.
Most teachers here are at least tri-lingual. Yes, at least half of the teachers are foreign, so they speak their native language and then typically both Chinese and English on top of that. I just keep thinking how difficult it would be to learn English for these students when every one of their teachers has a slightly different English accent? And now throw our plain midwestern English in there.....
Student expectations are very different overall. In the hallways, the students run, push, jump, scream. In America, the teacher usually will stand in the hallway to monitor behaviors, but not here. It's OUT OF CONTROL in the halls. Additionally, each day the school lunch is placed in containers throughout the hallway and it's the students' job to serve their food to their peers, then clean it up and clean their classrooms as well. More responsibility, more misbehavior....although I'm sure if allowed American students would act the same.
We're learning so much, and one thing I have learned is that I am very ignorant in a lot of ways and so many of our assumptions about food, people, school, and culture in general have been very off. I cannot to come to more realizations; I am keeping a list and it keeps on growing!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Adjusting to School and Food Dilemma
We rode the bus to school day two. A boy at the school has been designated to make sure we get on and off the bus each day. I feel so vulnerable and ridiculous having to rely on someone the same age as my little brother to get around, but the language barrier really is a bigger problem than I thought it would be. Alaina and I struggled to find dinner once again last night. I am NOT picky at all, but adjusting to the food is much more difficult than I had imagined it would be. I NEEDED a good meal last night, so we were determined to find something substantial. Alaina remembered passing an italian restaurant, so we returned to look at the menu. Much to our dismay, it was not like the western food we had imagined....at all. All of it was heavy with seafood. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE seafood, but after walking the streets and seeing it just sitting there out in the open, I just can't make myself do it. In desperation, we saw a sign that read "pizza and pasta" and made our way through the rain to a second restaurant. Again, disappointed, and the prices were too exorbitant to indulge anyhow since it was an upscale restaurant. We finally were able to order some dumplings on the street, at the same place Harriet had taken us a few days ago.It's just really one of the hardest things about adjusting, not knowing when or how we'll get our next meal. Plus, we have determined that we are unable to eat the lunches at school and are quickly learning most of the teachers pack their own. So, back to Carrefour we went and we purchased some must-haves to get by. Today I packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and my Cheeseburger Dorritos from home. I cannot wait for lunch time. We feel silly eating this type of food, but we just need a good lunch to get through this 8:30 to 5:00 school day. We decided we want to try cooking at home, too but even that will be a challenge. We coudl find very, very few familiar ingredients at the store. Even navigating the store is difficult. I'm sure we walked up and down each aisle 4 times, and the store is 4 floors high (and we definitely stand out). We were so confused one of the workers thought we were trying to leave without paying, and said, "Must go pay!" ....I think she thought we could just grab what we wanted and get out of there! However, good news! We told Harriet about our struggles, which she could already tell a bit, and she has agreed to help us cook dinner tonight, and also to teach us Chinese for a half hour each night. She has taught it to English students before and feels it will make us much more secure when looking for our meals. So, we feel much better today!
On day two at school, they arranged for us to begin our observations. They do a lot of tracking here at this school. Students are divided into two groups. The first group is comprised of students who plan to go overseas to attend university. Thus, a western educatio nis imparative to prep them. The second group of students intends to remain in Taiwan for the duration of their studies. Within each of these two groups, students are tracked for English classes based on proficiency and ability level. The groups are: mainstream (highest), advanced, and intermediate. We will most likely be teaching the higher two levels.
The school day is set up much differently than here. Students have a block schedule. They have class from 8:40 to 5:30, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, most students stay at school until 9:30 pm for studying and such. Also many students attend cram school where they can get remedial help after school. Consequently, many students are sleep deprived so falling asleep is a school wide problem. The periods are forty five minutes long, but most classes are double periods. Consequently, 5, 10 and 20 minute breaks are built into the schedule so students can burn off energy. Also, the lunch periods are 50 minutes. Most teaches will have 2 or 3 classes each day that are double periods. SO different than the US! In Ohio, I had planning first period then taught straight through the rest of the day, with only a twenty five minute lunch. The teachers we met couldn't believe that we had so little prep and down time during the day. It's funny because as we're being shown around the school people keep saying, "Feel free to browse the magazines or walk around the lake and observation area during free time!" Free time?!
Alaina and I were both overwhelmed when we observed our first class because it seemed to be mass chaos. We expected everyone to be studious and attentive, but not so! We are keeping in mind that the students are preparing for "Culture Day" this upcoming Saturday, so the condtitions are somewhat different. Still, it will be interesting to see how this compares to other lessons. We were surprised and relieved to learn that the school encourages us to be creative and use interactive lessons and get kids moving. We pictured more teacher-centered direct instruction, so we are thankful that the techniques we learned at Ashland will be very appropriate here.
Being at school is such a cultural experience. We sat in on a prep meeting for Culture Day and learned truly how many countries are represented by the teachers here. I am learning that I'll not only learn about the Taiwanese culture, but others from all around the world while I'm here too. I just keep thinking how cool it would be if students in the US could be exposed to such cultural diversity as the students at KC.
On day two at school, they arranged for us to begin our observations. They do a lot of tracking here at this school. Students are divided into two groups. The first group is comprised of students who plan to go overseas to attend university. Thus, a western educatio nis imparative to prep them. The second group of students intends to remain in Taiwan for the duration of their studies. Within each of these two groups, students are tracked for English classes based on proficiency and ability level. The groups are: mainstream (highest), advanced, and intermediate. We will most likely be teaching the higher two levels.
The school day is set up much differently than here. Students have a block schedule. They have class from 8:40 to 5:30, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, most students stay at school until 9:30 pm for studying and such. Also many students attend cram school where they can get remedial help after school. Consequently, many students are sleep deprived so falling asleep is a school wide problem. The periods are forty five minutes long, but most classes are double periods. Consequently, 5, 10 and 20 minute breaks are built into the schedule so students can burn off energy. Also, the lunch periods are 50 minutes. Most teaches will have 2 or 3 classes each day that are double periods. SO different than the US! In Ohio, I had planning first period then taught straight through the rest of the day, with only a twenty five minute lunch. The teachers we met couldn't believe that we had so little prep and down time during the day. It's funny because as we're being shown around the school people keep saying, "Feel free to browse the magazines or walk around the lake and observation area during free time!" Free time?!
Alaina and I were both overwhelmed when we observed our first class because it seemed to be mass chaos. We expected everyone to be studious and attentive, but not so! We are keeping in mind that the students are preparing for "Culture Day" this upcoming Saturday, so the condtitions are somewhat different. Still, it will be interesting to see how this compares to other lessons. We were surprised and relieved to learn that the school encourages us to be creative and use interactive lessons and get kids moving. We pictured more teacher-centered direct instruction, so we are thankful that the techniques we learned at Ashland will be very appropriate here.
Being at school is such a cultural experience. We sat in on a prep meeting for Culture Day and learned truly how many countries are represented by the teachers here. I am learning that I'll not only learn about the Taiwanese culture, but others from all around the world while I'm here too. I just keep thinking how cool it would be if students in the US could be exposed to such cultural diversity as the students at KC.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Some Extras from Day 1
Well, we had some major excitement our first night after I posted, and I had to wait to post since the internet was still down. Harriet had given Alaina and I a power strip to use with our laptops. We realized that it required a 3-prong outlet, and at first we didn’t see one anywhere. Then, later, we realized the outlet was up higher on the wall, towards the ceiling. So, we plugged in the adapter and BOOM! We saw a huge spark, and next thing we knew the power went out! We went out into the living room and Harriet was walking around bewildered. We had to admit what we had done and she said, “oh no! That’s the outlet for the air vent, which runs on 220 watts.” Soon, we realized that the electricity in half of the apartment wasn’t working, and the appliances had shut off. We tried flipping the breaker a couple of times but to no avail. It was almost 11:00 pm, and Harriet had to call the electricians to come out and take a look. Alaina and I of course were MORTIFIED and at first we were laughing (probably to avoid crying) until Harriet told us that it might have fried the all the wires and they would need to cut into the walls to rewire the house…..time went on and we waited and prayed for the electricians to get things going. After messing around with the switches for awhile, the power came back on. Thank goodness! Harriet said, “Don’t worry, it happens,” and I said, “No, I’m pretty sure it actually doesn’t.” We felt SO DUMB, but honestly it really looked exactly like our 3-prong outlet. That’s when we learned our lesson that when in doubt, we must always ask if we have a question. That was the SECOND technician that came out during that one day, since earlier in the morning we had someone out to get the wireless working on our laptops. We felt horrible, but I guess there’s nothing we could do about it and it’s a little funny to laugh at now that we didn’t need to rewire her entire house.
Yesterday, we met Sonia at the MRT station and she helped us get a card and showed us around another section of Taipei. On our way to do some sightseeing, we passed a group of students who were doing a service project, collecting receipts (in Taiwan, receipts have a code at the top, and when donated, the government will provide a reimbursement to various causes). These kids went nuts when they saw us, all calling out “Hello! Welcome to Taiwan!” Next thing we knew, dozens of them were swarming around us and a camera man asked if he could take a picture of us pretending to donate some receipts for an advertisement, so we said, “ok!” I knew that we would be some of the only white people around, but I guess I didn’t realize that, for the most part, we would be the ONLY ones. We really draw attention everywhere we go. I pictured more business men, etc for some reason, but we really aren’t in the business district but rather immersed with all of the locals.
Also, while riding the MRT yesterday, a girl came up behind us and grabbed Alaina’s shoulder and asked where we were from. She is from Switzerland and has been studying here for two weeks. She started some conversation with us and then asked if we would like to go to a Night Market with her sometime next week. She looked so relieved to talk to us and took down a way to contact us. Afterwards, we realized how bizarre it really was. I mean, it’d be the same as getting on a bus in NYC and making plans with a random stranger in the seat next to you. It just goes to show how unlikely people are drawn together by a shared commonality-in this case, speaking English. We’ve only been here two days so we weren’t in dire need, but we could see how relieved she was to find someone to speak with who was in a similar situation.
We also got to tour an older, famous temple today. It was PACKED with people chanting, singing, burning incense, and making food offerings. t was really interesting for me to hear about their religious beliefs from Sonia, and also, because I did not realize how many Taiwanese practiced religion.
We are thrilled the internet is finally working at home. We feel a lot better knowing we can contact the outside world. I realize I keep saying “WE” instead of “I.” I don’t know what I would do without having Alaina here to debrief with and talk to. I am realizing just how important that is, because even though things are going well, we’re still struggling with culture shock quite a bit. You don’t realize just how different every little detail is until you go through the daily routine. We feel silly and helpless a lot of the time, but everyone has been very gracious and helped us without question. We also think it will get easier once we settle into a routine, and hopefully school will help with that.
We are thrilled the internet is finally working at home. We feel a lot better knowing we can contact the outside world. I realize I keep saying “WE” instead of “I.” I don’t know what I would do without having Alaina here to debrief with and talk to. I am realizing just how important that is, because even though things are going well, we’re still struggling with culture shock quite a bit. You don’t realize just how different every little detail is until you go through the daily routine. We feel silly and helpless a lot of the time, but everyone has been very gracious and helped us without question. We also think it will get easier once we settle into a routine, and hopefully school will help with that.
Our First Day of School
Today was our first day at school. We will normally ride the school bus, but today Harriet arranged for us to get a ride with the "Dircector of Discipline." The school truly is a PALACE. When we first arrived, Jessica took us on a tour of although I am still unsure of where everything is. I got lost at Mapleton....this school is about 10 times the size, with 6 floors total. We saw the beautiful dorm facilities that grades 10-12 live in, and met all of the teacher and board members, etc. The school really is up on top of the mountain. We wound around and around for about 20 minutes before arriving at the top. I need to watch out for motion sickness with this winding ride.....We saw the pool, concert hall, conference rooms, etc etc...all state of the art facilities.Everyone was VERY friendly. Jessica told us there were over 30 teachers from different countries here.
Alaina and I each have our own cubicle and computer. I feel like a businesswoman, it's kind of funny because it's probably the only time I'll ever have my own cubicle. Today is a very busy day at the school, so we won't really start much of anything until tomorrow. At the end of the day we will have a meeting with our supervisor to determine our schedule and possible placements, but other than that, I am just sitting here emailing everyone I know because I feel useless otherwise. We ate lunch at the school today, and as staff, we will be served every day. We forgot we needed to bring our own plate and silverware, though, so someone gave us a plastic Barney plate to borrow....haha. The food was....different yet from what we've had so far. The meat is just so different here! I tried it again but I don't know that I'm going to be able to eat it or not because of the different texture. We met an English teacher in the lounge and he said, "good luck to you, this is a good day!" and winked at us. Uh-oh! We'll be fine, though!
It's funny because in some ways, the school is very similar to American schools, but in most other ways, it's VERY different. The logo on the walls say "Westernized Education. Easter Approach. Global Perspective." So, I think that while the content and might be familiar to us, the teaching methods will be entirely different. And the school day is set up very different, although I'm not sure of the details yet. I feel better having arrived here, and eliminating yet another "unknown." However, it's the teaching that still makes me the most apprehensive. It took me a long time to build up confidence as a teacher again and feel competent, and now everything we know about teaching, interacting with students, and lesson planning will be stripped away. I guess that's the whole goal of this experience though, to compare and contrast an entirely different education system and philosophy with our own. So, we shall see tomorrow, then!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Our First 24 Hours in Taiwan
Well, we made it!! We started traveling at 4:00 pm your time on Thursday and did not arrive in Taipei until what would be 6:00 pm your time on Friday (for us it was Saturday morning already). So, the trip was LONG! We did not realize how long 24 hours of travel would really seem, but we made it through with lots of games, movies, crosswords, and reading......and also lots of sleep! We both tried to sleep a lot to try and get on Taiwan's sleep schedule, and since we still haven't slept yet, I think we're doing pretty well!
It was funny on the way here because we could really see the gradual shift in culture as we traveled. By the time we got to China Airlines international terminal in LA, we were some of the few Americans there. I only counted about five other white people on our entire double-decker to Taiwan, so it was a good transition into being a minority. It sounds silly, but it really is strange to be in the minority when we so obviously stick out, especially Alaina with her blonde hair. I have already seen several little kids, and even adults, look her up and down and seem really infatuated with her hair.
Many of our biggest fears have already been eliminated, which makes things a lot easier. When we arrived at the airport, we were one of only two flights that were there so early in the morning, so it made getting our luggage, exchanging money, and navigating the airport really easy. We were SO nervous we would not be able to find the person who was picking us up, but all for nothing, because as soon as we got outside we saw a huge sign that said "Katie DiMarino and Alaina Hurley" on it. Pretty simple after all that! We were picked up by our school principal's secretary and her husband. They were very nice and seemed to want to take us on a hiking trip and to a couple sites in Taipei, which was really nice. They took us to Harriet's apartment, where we will be staying.
On the highway, it's almost impossible to realize that we're not in the USA, but as soon as we took the exit towards Harriet's place, it became quite evident. We are living right smack in the middle of the city!!! There are tons of motorcycles, like you might see lining the streets in Europe, jetting in and out of alleys. After winding up some narrow lanes with high, packed apartments, stores, people cooking, etc etc anything and everything else, we are at Harriet's second floor apartment.
Alaina and I will be sharing a bedroom and bathroom. When we first saw the space I felt really overwhelmed since the layout is much different. However, we took some time to unpack our things and now I feel MUCH better and it feels much more like home. We also share the apartment with Harriet's recently acquired puppy. His name is pronounced "Dehng Dehng", although I have NO IDEA how to spell it! Already I've been told two of my four Mandarin vocabulary words are incomprehensible....thank goodness almost everything is labeled in English as well. Except for the menus, that is......
Harriet took us around and showed us where to catch a bus, take the MRT, etc....and then we went to the Carrefour (supermarket/department store) to pick up a few things and have lunch. I was feeling pretty optimistic about the food, since I'm pretty open to trying new things. However, once inside, Alaina and I both felt completely overwhelmed. Everything was only labeled in Chinese, and we had NO IDEA how to tell things apart. We knew this would be the case, but somehow it didn't sink in until I was standing there trying to figure out something to eat. So, after asking us a couple of questions, I decided to try a spicy soup with pork and cabbage (and a lot of other unidentifiable items). We also had rice, and we had to eat the meal with chopsticks, naturally. However, it did not come quite so naturally to me and I felt pretty conspicuous trying to use them in the middle of a busy food court. I could feel the eyes of the little boys at the table next to me each time I took a bite. I'm sure it was a site to see.....and then Alaina and I found something in our soups that looked like a block of sesame, and right as she was about to take a bite, Harriet told us what it really was.......dried pig's blood! Although I am adventurous, I wasn't quite ready for that by meal one!
So, we picked up some items for breakfast (lunch will be provided at school) and then headed home. I'm praying Alaina and I can find our way on our own the next time, since all of the alleys and streets look the same to me (this should be no surprise to anyone who knows me at all though....same story in America!)
Tomorrow we will walk to the MRT station where we will meet Sonia. We will have lunch together, and then she will give us more advice on how to navigate Taipei, etc etc. We start school on Monday. More good news: We no longer need to take the MRT to the city bus in order to reach the school. We will only need to do about an eight minute walk and then we can take the school bus all the way to KC. This will be much cheaper, easier, practical.....so we are excited.
Oh, I'll also mention that my internet isn't working so I'm on Alaina's computer right now. Hopefully I can have someone at the school look at it on Monday, but we have plenty of other computers for now to use.
Overall, everything is going really well so far. I feel like we've already learned and seen so much after only one day, which might sound silly but it's so true! However, this first day was a roller coaster of emotion, and I know that it will not be easy. Still, I am confident that we are well prepared for the experiences ahead of us and having each other as a support system in both teaching and living situations will become invaluable.
It was funny on the way here because we could really see the gradual shift in culture as we traveled. By the time we got to China Airlines international terminal in LA, we were some of the few Americans there. I only counted about five other white people on our entire double-decker to Taiwan, so it was a good transition into being a minority. It sounds silly, but it really is strange to be in the minority when we so obviously stick out, especially Alaina with her blonde hair. I have already seen several little kids, and even adults, look her up and down and seem really infatuated with her hair.
Many of our biggest fears have already been eliminated, which makes things a lot easier. When we arrived at the airport, we were one of only two flights that were there so early in the morning, so it made getting our luggage, exchanging money, and navigating the airport really easy. We were SO nervous we would not be able to find the person who was picking us up, but all for nothing, because as soon as we got outside we saw a huge sign that said "Katie DiMarino and Alaina Hurley" on it. Pretty simple after all that! We were picked up by our school principal's secretary and her husband. They were very nice and seemed to want to take us on a hiking trip and to a couple sites in Taipei, which was really nice. They took us to Harriet's apartment, where we will be staying.
On the highway, it's almost impossible to realize that we're not in the USA, but as soon as we took the exit towards Harriet's place, it became quite evident. We are living right smack in the middle of the city!!! There are tons of motorcycles, like you might see lining the streets in Europe, jetting in and out of alleys. After winding up some narrow lanes with high, packed apartments, stores, people cooking, etc etc anything and everything else, we are at Harriet's second floor apartment.
Alaina and I will be sharing a bedroom and bathroom. When we first saw the space I felt really overwhelmed since the layout is much different. However, we took some time to unpack our things and now I feel MUCH better and it feels much more like home. We also share the apartment with Harriet's recently acquired puppy. His name is pronounced "Dehng Dehng", although I have NO IDEA how to spell it! Already I've been told two of my four Mandarin vocabulary words are incomprehensible....thank goodness almost everything is labeled in English as well. Except for the menus, that is......
Harriet took us around and showed us where to catch a bus, take the MRT, etc....and then we went to the Carrefour (supermarket/department store) to pick up a few things and have lunch. I was feeling pretty optimistic about the food, since I'm pretty open to trying new things. However, once inside, Alaina and I both felt completely overwhelmed. Everything was only labeled in Chinese, and we had NO IDEA how to tell things apart. We knew this would be the case, but somehow it didn't sink in until I was standing there trying to figure out something to eat. So, after asking us a couple of questions, I decided to try a spicy soup with pork and cabbage (and a lot of other unidentifiable items). We also had rice, and we had to eat the meal with chopsticks, naturally. However, it did not come quite so naturally to me and I felt pretty conspicuous trying to use them in the middle of a busy food court. I could feel the eyes of the little boys at the table next to me each time I took a bite. I'm sure it was a site to see.....and then Alaina and I found something in our soups that looked like a block of sesame, and right as she was about to take a bite, Harriet told us what it really was.......dried pig's blood! Although I am adventurous, I wasn't quite ready for that by meal one!
So, we picked up some items for breakfast (lunch will be provided at school) and then headed home. I'm praying Alaina and I can find our way on our own the next time, since all of the alleys and streets look the same to me (this should be no surprise to anyone who knows me at all though....same story in America!)
Tomorrow we will walk to the MRT station where we will meet Sonia. We will have lunch together, and then she will give us more advice on how to navigate Taipei, etc etc. We start school on Monday. More good news: We no longer need to take the MRT to the city bus in order to reach the school. We will only need to do about an eight minute walk and then we can take the school bus all the way to KC. This will be much cheaper, easier, practical.....so we are excited.
Oh, I'll also mention that my internet isn't working so I'm on Alaina's computer right now. Hopefully I can have someone at the school look at it on Monday, but we have plenty of other computers for now to use.
Overall, everything is going really well so far. I feel like we've already learned and seen so much after only one day, which might sound silly but it's so true! However, this first day was a roller coaster of emotion, and I know that it will not be easy. Still, I am confident that we are well prepared for the experiences ahead of us and having each other as a support system in both teaching and living situations will become invaluable.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Ready or Not, There We Go
Wow. Student teaching in the states has seriously flown by faster than I every believed was possible! On October 21, I will be Taiwan bound! We fly out of Cleveland on October 19th, and after going through Minneapolis and Los Angeles, we arrive in Taipei on October 24 (12-hour time change!) Total trip time: 20 hours, 4 minutes. WOAH.....
My friend Alaina and I will be staying with a teaching supervisor from the school where we will be interning. We'll spend about a week observing various classes throughout the school, and then eventually settling into our teaching placement. Most likely, we will both be teaching ninth grade language arts. From what I understand, the language arts curriculum will be very similiar to the American system since the school aims to prep students to attend American universities. However, I have never taught higher than seventh grade, so teaching the ninth graders will definitely be different than what I am used to, especially since they are English language learners. Each morning, Alaina and I will first take the subway and then a city bus to get to our scchool, which is in Taipei County, but way up in the mountains. Our school day is from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.
After spending months speculating about what it will be like to live in such a different culture, let alone teach, I am getting apprehensive/excited for this adventure to begin. I will write again as soon as possible to update on our arrival and first impressions.
Zàijiàn!
My friend Alaina and I will be staying with a teaching supervisor from the school where we will be interning. We'll spend about a week observing various classes throughout the school, and then eventually settling into our teaching placement. Most likely, we will both be teaching ninth grade language arts. From what I understand, the language arts curriculum will be very similiar to the American system since the school aims to prep students to attend American universities. However, I have never taught higher than seventh grade, so teaching the ninth graders will definitely be different than what I am used to, especially since they are English language learners. Each morning, Alaina and I will first take the subway and then a city bus to get to our scchool, which is in Taipei County, but way up in the mountains. Our school day is from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.
After spending months speculating about what it will be like to live in such a different culture, let alone teach, I am getting apprehensive/excited for this adventure to begin. I will write again as soon as possible to update on our arrival and first impressions.
Zàijiàn!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)