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Kate's Chronicles
Here's hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying the break in preparation for your New Year celebrations. Christmas Day here was a very quiet affair.....it seemed very strange to look out over my balcony to see students in the classrooms taking lessons!! I managed to talk to quite a few people thanks to the wonders of Skype (oh where would I be without you!!) and it was lovely to see and talk to people actually enjoying the day. Thanks to all those who had a glass or 2 on my behalf.
So what have I actually been doing......well on the 23 December I was invited to the Provincial Government Christmas and New Year party for "foreign experts". Turned out to be a fun night with a fine feast of food, some wine (not Chinese's greatest invention!), catching up with some other expats and of course the usual lottery and games segments that seem to be an integral part of these type of occasions. I came home with a stuffed Santa so at least my apartment had something 'christmassy" about it...
Christmas Eve I worked which I actually didn't mind as it gave me the opportunity to get onto FB and wish everyone on there a merry Xmas......still blocked at home I'm afraid :(
After work I did a little stint at a very small private primary school as a favour for a friend......they do not have a foreign teacher and wanted to give the children the opportunity to practice their English and to hear an English speaking voice. Now.. as you all know I teach adults for a very good reason... I'm not all that great with little ones and keeping them entertained!!! Anyway I'm always up for a challenge so I scratched my brain for some simple ideas and managed to keep them amused by playing "Simon says" (thank goodness the rules haven't changed since I was a child!) and taught them to sing Jingle Bells and We wish you a Merry Christmas. The parents were delighted when they heard their little darlings singing in English so I got lots of smiles, cheers and claps. I admit I thoroughly enjoyed the evening but went home exhausted and a reminder to myself as to why I don't teach little ones!!
My year 3 students have had their exams on 23 December and I'm not at all surprised to say that only 9 out of 28 passed. These are the nightmare class that have spent most of the semester texting or sleeping in class, going out to pick up parcels and generally being uncooperative......not just with me but with all their professors. We had a meeting and they were spoken to by the Dean but little improvement was seen by anyone......at least I knew it wasn't personal. But now I'm told that those who failed are to be given the opportunity to sit another exam early next semester.....AND of course muggins here has to write it........not sure who is actually being punished for this!!!
My year 2 students sat their exam today and needless to say I am praying that they all pass with flying colours....dont want to be having to set more exams!! Actually I am fairly confident with this class as they are a dream to teach. Most of the class are like sponges who just want to absorb as much knowledge as they can.....I'm just hoping my new students next semester will be like them as well and then I really will have a dream run.
Still teaching the SP program 2 nights a week but with my other classes finished I should have more time to try and absorb some Chinese.....we are going through the text books at a very fast pace and I've been battling to keep up with everything else. Am hoping to devote some extra time to this before I go away for my holiday.
Winter is well and truly here.....I think our highest temperature has been about 7 degrees......but no snow yet as everyone keeps reminding me with a smile. Of course I have now managed to catch a cold so it looks like my birthday and New Year will be spent fighting that off :(
No more news so I'll sign off and head to bed to recover. Bye for now. xx
So what have I actually been doing......well on the 23 December I was invited to the Provincial Government Christmas and New Year party for "foreign experts". Turned out to be a fun night with a fine feast of food, some wine (not Chinese's greatest invention!), catching up with some other expats and of course the usual lottery and games segments that seem to be an integral part of these type of occasions. I came home with a stuffed Santa so at least my apartment had something 'christmassy" about it...
Christmas Eve I worked which I actually didn't mind as it gave me the opportunity to get onto FB and wish everyone on there a merry Xmas......still blocked at home I'm afraid :(
After work I did a little stint at a very small private primary school as a favour for a friend......they do not have a foreign teacher and wanted to give the children the opportunity to practice their English and to hear an English speaking voice. Now.. as you all know I teach adults for a very good reason... I'm not all that great with little ones and keeping them entertained!!! Anyway I'm always up for a challenge so I scratched my brain for some simple ideas and managed to keep them amused by playing "Simon says" (thank goodness the rules haven't changed since I was a child!) and taught them to sing Jingle Bells and We wish you a Merry Christmas. The parents were delighted when they heard their little darlings singing in English so I got lots of smiles, cheers and claps. I admit I thoroughly enjoyed the evening but went home exhausted and a reminder to myself as to why I don't teach little ones!!
My year 3 students have had their exams on 23 December and I'm not at all surprised to say that only 9 out of 28 passed. These are the nightmare class that have spent most of the semester texting or sleeping in class, going out to pick up parcels and generally being uncooperative......not just with me but with all their professors. We had a meeting and they were spoken to by the Dean but little improvement was seen by anyone......at least I knew it wasn't personal. But now I'm told that those who failed are to be given the opportunity to sit another exam early next semester.....AND of course muggins here has to write it........not sure who is actually being punished for this!!!
My year 2 students sat their exam today and needless to say I am praying that they all pass with flying colours....dont want to be having to set more exams!! Actually I am fairly confident with this class as they are a dream to teach. Most of the class are like sponges who just want to absorb as much knowledge as they can.....I'm just hoping my new students next semester will be like them as well and then I really will have a dream run.
Still teaching the SP program 2 nights a week but with my other classes finished I should have more time to try and absorb some Chinese.....we are going through the text books at a very fast pace and I've been battling to keep up with everything else. Am hoping to devote some extra time to this before I go away for my holiday.
Winter is well and truly here.....I think our highest temperature has been about 7 degrees......but no snow yet as everyone keeps reminding me with a smile. Of course I have now managed to catch a cold so it looks like my birthday and New Year will be spent fighting that off :(
No more news so I'll sign off and head to bed to recover. Bye for now. xx
- comments
Jane Thomasson Looks like your having a ball Kate, looks great over there, the best thing you ever did I think :)Had a quiet Christmas just Mick, me, Jack and Holly (dog and cat) but had a week in Canberra the week before Christmas, enjoyed catching up with everyone and went to a 50s theme party for Micks Sisters 60th bday, great night with some great costumes.Weather has finally warmed up and having some glorious days, about time after the terrible Winter and Spring we've just had.Developers are starting work in Feb so hopefully will have a new concrete driveway and parking area, and a heap of landscaping done early in the new year. Cant wait for it all to be done, the gardens here are awful.Watched the yaghts come in yesterday for the Sydney to Hobart, what a great day it was, Hobart is such a beautiful city, I think it is the prettiest city in Australia, absolutely gorgeous at night when its all lit up, and it was buzzing down there yesterday, met a lot of great people down there.Hoping to go on the Bruny Wildlife trip too in the next month or so, have been saying I will do it for 7 years now, its about time I went on it.Still working hard on the business and looking to (hopefully) manufacture in Fiji, China is just too hard as I cant speak the language and the minimum order quantities are too big, I have a few styles I want to get done so need smaller order quantities to enable more styles.If you manage to find out the names of any factories over there that might manufacture smaller orders for me, it would be a big help.When are you back in Hobart? Hope we can catch up again, it was lovely last time at the Botanical Gardens.Take care, travel safe, hope to see you soon.Jane xx
Ray H. Great photos Kate. Australia beat India at the MCG today (Boxing Day Test Match). Thought you'd like that info (not). Ming and I will be in Nanjing in Aprilif you are still around, would like to catchup. Keep warm.
Wayne Have a lovely New Year and Birthday all the bestI'll have adrink or 2 for you.....have a cool time!!!!!!........warmest wishes