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2nd week down!!! was teaching body parts to my grade 2 classes, worked a treat, they loved being able to put the words to the pictures on the board, all for a sticker, and they loved it even more being allowed to draw a MONSTER. My throat is actually killing me due to shouting that word so much. For my grade one class: animals, where imitating a monkey is rather enjoyable. Also used this lesson plan in my kindergarten class, actually worked. The idea of being allowed to make noise really appeals to them, and really felt when drilling the words they were getting it, and paying attention. So since they had done so well, it was game time. "wheres the" which is when i hide the pictures of the animals around the room and say "wheres the . . ." and they go get it for me, the winner who brings it back gets a sticker. This was working really well until one boy pushed another and snatched the monkey out of his hand and came running back to me. The poor boy who was pushed over, went straight over a chair and had landed on his head. TEARS!!!!
That game came to a holt very quickly, so instead played "race to the board" which works really well at the boarding school, so why shouldn't it here. Picked my kids, they were ready, they were steady and they went running straight at the board, slammed their hands on the cat. The force in which they did this toppled the blackboard over (why is it on wheels) and the three kids followed it, a heap of chalk, the blackboard and three kids twisted and tangled on the floor. So lets not play that game ever again with a moveable blackboard.
No broken bones, thank god and my lesson was over, at least with the 4-5 year olds. Onto my 2 year old class. There were tears, but would like to think that they weren't entirely my fault. Taught them cat and dog, with actions and alot of jumping around. Was trying to get them to say "hello cat" "hello dog" and by the end of my 15 minute lesson one kid actually did it :D shame about the other 24 of them. Although 15 minutes doesn't sound that long, it is!!! 25 little 2 year old faces looking up at you, some of which are coping every action you do, whilst others have the blank look on their faces. Lucky its only once a week.
Also had a mandarin lesson this week, we are getting taught in the same manner that we teach, so games and meant to be fun. On the whole it was, and I felt I learnt some useful words like Pao ba meaning bar. Scott has been learning Mandarin for four years, so obviously he is going to be better, but he still had the cheek to say "that is the worst pronounciation i've ever heard" oh yeah cause he's bloody perfect aint he. He's been rattling most peoples cages this week, thinking that he is better than everyone else, not just with Mandarin but teaching and life in general. Suppose that is the american way right?
ok my rant on him is over - friday of to Pao Ba :D Went to bar street in the town, fiona, one of the chinese english teachers came with us and we found a bar that was all you can drink for 48yuan=£4.80 loving it!!!! so with ample beer, whisky and vodka a pack of cards we were rather merry after 3 hours. What was even better was they kept bringing us watermelon and popcorn, which was also free - needless to say we will probably be returning to that bar. Scott wandered off - don't know where he went but we all moved on to "freedom house" which was just round the corner, a pub run by a western guy with live music. Techno DJ who is really big in Beijing was there, and was meant to be 30yuan to get in. We got in free - probably because the DJ wasn't big in Changsha and we were the only people there, oh well, we'd already drank enough and it was free entry and a chance to dance like a loony, what the heck. We found Scott again, he was not impressed that we'd moved because he wanted more free drinks. Well maybe if he hadn't just walked of he would have got drinks. EER!!
Taxi home, passed our 11.30 curfew, oops so we had planned to quietly climb over a wall that is to the side of the fence and cut through the farm over another wall to get into the flats. We woke up the entire street, not entirely us to blame, it was the dogs. "Mrs sunshine" our gatekeeper (we named her that cause she is always happy) was also woken by the dogs, she wasn't her usual happy self :( On the plus side, I did not have to climb over a wall in my drunken state, which may have been a disaster.
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