Hello all,
So much for staying on track. I tried! As you can imagine it is very busy!
The last update I posted talked about the dinner that we were going to with the principal, assistant principal, director, and vice director. That dinner was, as the first, very large but not nearly as chaotic.
Some of the dishes that were served at this dinner included pickled cucumbers, sweet and sour pork, cream of corn and egg soup, fried whole chicken, deep fried prawns, and some sort of a pate. This dinner was very important to get to know the people at the school who will be watching us teach. However, it was difficult since not many of them speak very much English. I did try to speak a few words of Cantonese. I learned how to say full, "boy-o" i think. And I was determined to try to eat with chopsticks. For those of you who know how horribly I am with chopsticks, I was actually able to get the hang of it.. kind of! I only used my fork once! Pretty good if I do say so myself!
Once we got home Dr. Ballou decided he wanted to go see the school so my roommate and I gave him a tour and showed him all the different classrooms. When he saw the school he was very excited for us to be doing our student teaching there. We decided that was a good way to end the evening and headed back to the apartment and said goodnight.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Day 3
OK! On track now!
Today was the first day I got to see the students and observe some lessons, very exciting! The other teachers and myself headed to the school at about 7:45 this morning. When we got there we met with the director and were introduced to the four different classes each of us will be working in. Instead of dividing the classes into Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and so on, since they start at age three, they have Kindergarten 1, 2, and 3 which is about the same as pre-school; Primary1 A, B and C which is the same as first grade; Primary 2 A, B, and C which is about second grade, and then they start at grade 2 after primary 2. The letters just differentiate the various rooms- they don't have a difference on the students' age for that grade level.
I will be in Primary 1 B. The students are so tiny! They are absolutely adorable! I am so excited to start working with them.
After we were introduced to the classes, the director took us to the teachers office which is set up like a cubicle (pictures coming later!). Here the director downloaded a very large document that outlined the Hong Kong education system and syllabus which we are free to look through and use if needed. Much of the information I was reading reiterated what I had learned at CWU which was reassuring in the sense that both educational systems have some of the same views. We stayed there for a few hours going over the various documents she left for us and then left for lunch around 11am and returned at about 12:30. When we came back there was a train of students walking through the foyer and saying "hello!". It was very cute! It definintely seems like they are happy to have us there!
After we caught back up with the director and figured out plans for the evening we all went back to apartment and are continuing to unpack and unwind before dinner in 2 .5 hours with the principal and assistant principals. I am thinking this will be a very informational dinner since we will all be discussing what we will be in charge of as student teachers. I will be sure to let you all know how it goes! :)
Today was the first day I got to see the students and observe some lessons, very exciting! The other teachers and myself headed to the school at about 7:45 this morning. When we got there we met with the director and were introduced to the four different classes each of us will be working in. Instead of dividing the classes into Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and so on, since they start at age three, they have Kindergarten 1, 2, and 3 which is about the same as pre-school; Primary1 A, B and C which is the same as first grade; Primary 2 A, B, and C which is about second grade, and then they start at grade 2 after primary 2. The letters just differentiate the various rooms- they don't have a difference on the students' age for that grade level.
I will be in Primary 1 B. The students are so tiny! They are absolutely adorable! I am so excited to start working with them.
After we were introduced to the classes, the director took us to the teachers office which is set up like a cubicle (pictures coming later!). Here the director downloaded a very large document that outlined the Hong Kong education system and syllabus which we are free to look through and use if needed. Much of the information I was reading reiterated what I had learned at CWU which was reassuring in the sense that both educational systems have some of the same views. We stayed there for a few hours going over the various documents she left for us and then left for lunch around 11am and returned at about 12:30. When we came back there was a train of students walking through the foyer and saying "hello!". It was very cute! It definintely seems like they are happy to have us there!
After we caught back up with the director and figured out plans for the evening we all went back to apartment and are continuing to unpack and unwind before dinner in 2 .5 hours with the principal and assistant principals. I am thinking this will be a very informational dinner since we will all be discussing what we will be in charge of as student teachers. I will be sure to let you all know how it goes! :)
Day 2
Okay, here is an update from yesterday. Sorry I am about a day off!
Yesterday my roommate and I did some adventuring around town. Our day started by sleeping in until about 10:30 in the morning which felt really good! We had a nice a relaxed breakfast in our apartment and then decided to head to the McDonalds below our building to get some coffee and then go to the bank. Well, as soon as we got to McDonalds, we found out that they only accept Macau MOP, no visas, American money, or Taiwan
After our lunch, we decided we wanted to head back to the school and ask the director some questions about meeting times, where we could exchange our American money, and when we will be able to connect to wifi in our apartment. While we were talking with her, she directed us to a casino near the Taipa hotel that would exchange our money and gave us the code to connect to the wifi. On our way to the casino, we wandered outside the main part of town and found that less and less people spoke English. This made asking for directions a little difficult. We also found that since the air is so much more polluted here it is a lot more difficult to breath. Since we both have asthma, we can feel our bodies working much harder to breathe. Because of this we had to stop a few times to catch our breath and look at our surroundings. When we finally arrived at the hotel I was carded when going into the casino, they thought I was only 18. I guess I should get used to it!
Once I received our money in Macau MOP we made our way back to town and headed into a bakery shop which we had passed many times. It smelled SO good we had to go in! I ended up buying some multigrain bread, a cranberry muffin, and a pastry. They are delicious! The next stop on our way home was at a frozen yogurt place we had passed earlier. I got a small bowl with strawberries. It was pretty good but not as good as Utopia J
When we got back to where our apartment is we ate our yogurt in a lovely zen-like park which was very calming. After that we dropped everything off at our apartment and then went to the store near our apartment and picked up some stuff for dinner and a few necessities such as saran wrap and dish towels. Since we were so exhausted after walking around all day we decided to have dinner and just relax. Later that evening, we discovered that there is about 4 minutes worth of hot water then it turns cold. My roommate came up with an efficient way to shower; we have to rinse our hair over a bucket so the hot water goes into the bucket. Then we turn off the water and shampoo our hair and then rinse it with the water that collected in the bucket. Then we rinse it under the shower quickly and the shut it off and condition it. And then rinse one last time before it turns to cold water. It is definitely very different than showering back home! I am sure it will take some getting used to the technique so there is enough hot water.
Even though this was my second day in Tiapa, I was still really jet-lagged so I went to bed pretty early, around 9:30pm. Now on to continue my journey in this new and beautiful country!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Day 1
Well.. I am here! My roommate and I arrived in Macau at 10:30AM Sunday morning. Travles went well and my roommate and myself are settled in our little apartment. We live on the twelfth floor of an apartment building which is approximately three minutes walking distance from the school, which is goregous by the way! After we got settled a little bit, our host took us out to an authentic Portugese restraunt for lunch. We quickly learned that dining customs are very different in China than in America. For example, instead of ordering what you want to eat, you order about four or five dishes for the whole table and everyone shares. At this meal some of the dishes that we ate included short ribs, piella, curried rice noodles, and cabbage and corned beef. It was extremely filling!
After lunch, my roommate and I went back to our place and continuesd to pack and rest up until 6pm when we met the other student and went to the school where we got on a bus and headed to a ceremony of all the students who have gradauted from the elementary school and are now in high school. This was so much fun! We had a chance to meet all the teachers we will be working with for the next four months. This dinner was another example of how their dining customs are different from ours. When we first arrived, we went to an adjacent room to the large banquet room where the ceremony was being held. This room was still getting set up so we just chatted with each other for a while until we were seated. Once we were seated we didn't eat for at least another hour because of all the speeches and awards going on in the banquet room. The awards ceremonry was very fun! They had lotto tickets and Bingo cards along with recognition from the Principal and Assistant Principals from the school. Once everything was wrapped up, we were treated to an exquiste 12-course meal! The dishes served in this meal consisted of steamed cod fish where you could still see the whole fish, stir-fried mushrooms and brocolli, deep fried fish and cream cheese, and many others! I found that I became full very quickly! I had to stop eating after about the sixth course because I was so full! After the dinner we all got back in the bus and went back to our respective homes (as it turned out, a few of the other teachers also lived in the same apartment building we live in!).
Since we had only just arrived that day, we were both SO exhausted! I boiled some water so I could rince my retainers since we have been told to stay away from the tap water and went to bed as soon as I could.
That concluds my first day in Taipa. It is so lovely here, I can't wait to walk around and really experience the culture.
After lunch, my roommate and I went back to our place and continuesd to pack and rest up until 6pm when we met the other student and went to the school where we got on a bus and headed to a ceremony of all the students who have gradauted from the elementary school and are now in high school. This was so much fun! We had a chance to meet all the teachers we will be working with for the next four months. This dinner was another example of how their dining customs are different from ours. When we first arrived, we went to an adjacent room to the large banquet room where the ceremony was being held. This room was still getting set up so we just chatted with each other for a while until we were seated. Once we were seated we didn't eat for at least another hour because of all the speeches and awards going on in the banquet room. The awards ceremonry was very fun! They had lotto tickets and Bingo cards along with recognition from the Principal and Assistant Principals from the school. Once everything was wrapped up, we were treated to an exquiste 12-course meal! The dishes served in this meal consisted of steamed cod fish where you could still see the whole fish, stir-fried mushrooms and brocolli, deep fried fish and cream cheese, and many others! I found that I became full very quickly! I had to stop eating after about the sixth course because I was so full! After the dinner we all got back in the bus and went back to our respective homes (as it turned out, a few of the other teachers also lived in the same apartment building we live in!).
Since we had only just arrived that day, we were both SO exhausted! I boiled some water so I could rince my retainers since we have been told to stay away from the tap water and went to bed as soon as I could.
That concluds my first day in Taipa. It is so lovely here, I can't wait to walk around and really experience the culture.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Next Stop: Macau!
Well the big day has arrived! I am writing this post from the Taipei International Airport. My roommate and I just got here after our fourteen hour flight. I was thankful to have been able to get about seven hours of sleep during the flight. As everything is coming together it feels so surreal that I am actually embarking on what will be the greatest adventure of my life! When I arrive in Macau it will be approximately 10:30AM on Sunday morning. After we get settled in our apartment, I am planning to walk around a bit and figure out where everything is and just get oriented with my new temporary home. As far as teaching goes, I believe the plan is to have us observe the class we will each be working with until March 1st and then we will start teaching.This is going to be amazing and nerve-racking all at the same time! These next four months are going to fly by and then I come home and graduate. I can't wait!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
GLAD Project
"A curricular model of professional development dedicated to building academic language and literacy for all students; especially for English language learners."
-GLAD Mission Statement
Today I attended a GLAD project informational seminar. The GLAD project stands for Guided Language Acquisition Design and is based out of California.
The goal of this seminar was for the attending teachers and future teachers to:
- develop an understanding of a balanced approach to all language learners
- learn strategies and practice with all language learners; use continual discourse
- have an understanding on standards based unit
- have all students fully engaged
- commit to application; teachers must be dedicated to the strategy they are teaching.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Teaching in Macau
Starting on February 18, I will be teaching in Macau, China for four months. Macau was a Portuguese colony until 1999 when it became know as a Special Administrative Region, or SAR. Macau will be under SAR government until 2049 when it will become part of Chinese government.
While I am in Macau I will be lending myself to a great opportunity where I will be able expand my knowledge about various educational practices and theories. I am excited and thrilled to share what I have learned at Central Washington University and to also share what I learn in Macau upon my return to the states.
As I am getting ready for this amazing encounter, it is becoming very apparent to me on how much I will learn once I get there. I have been preparing as much as I can but I am finding that it is very difficult to plan for the unknown. For example, I do not know what furnishing my apartment will have or what I will have access to in the school.
This whole experience will be extremely rewarding. I am excited to get started on this journey!
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| Macau SAR is a fifteen minute boat ride away from Hong Kong |
Starting on February 18, I will be teaching in Macau, China for four months. Macau was a Portuguese colony until 1999 when it became know as a Special Administrative Region, or SAR. Macau will be under SAR government until 2049 when it will become part of Chinese government.
While I am in Macau I will be lending myself to a great opportunity where I will be able expand my knowledge about various educational practices and theories. I am excited and thrilled to share what I have learned at Central Washington University and to also share what I learn in Macau upon my return to the states.
As I am getting ready for this amazing encounter, it is becoming very apparent to me on how much I will learn once I get there. I have been preparing as much as I can but I am finding that it is very difficult to plan for the unknown. For example, I do not know what furnishing my apartment will have or what I will have access to in the school.
This whole experience will be extremely rewarding. I am excited to get started on this journey!
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