First week down, 35 to go

Or something like that, anyway.


Friday marked the end of one week of solid teaching. Tomorrow, we begin week two! There are many things to be thankful for right off the bat, so let me list a few:

1. New supplies. A well-stocked classroom is an enormous blessing
2. New arrangement. I'm in love love love with how my classroom is set up this year. No longer do I dread being in my room, or have to think of ways to not think about all the areas that still needed attention. It looks cute, it's extremely functional, there are lots of book nooks this year, and everything is organized. I can find anything I want in under ten seconds I'm sure.
3. CAFE is working really well with my students so far, as I integrate it into my existing reading workshops
4. Students. They are fantastic! They break my heart I love them so much!
5. Procedures and Routines. I actually know what irritates me, what works, what doesn't work, what makes things flow more efficiently. It's a continual work in progress, but at least this year I can institute most things immediately and reinforce them without hesitation. It's night and day compared to last year's first week of school....which also happened to be our first week in China.
6. Recess duty. There is a new line-up for this job, and now we only have this job twice for the school year! Yay! I like being outside, but not in sub-zero temperatures. Guess what--I already completed one week of recess duty--which means, only one left....FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR!!!! I love that.
7. Drama Elective. It's fun teaching older kids. It's great being validated by the school as a drama teacher that can give credit for all the work students put into this elective. I feel very supported, privileged, and excited to be able to do this for the older students here. I hope more people join. Right now, we are at 5 students. But come Treasure Island days--these are the only students that will get credit for working in the play---so they are the lucky few. Baby steps. Everything starts small.
8. Planning.....is so much easier now. I am much more familiar with what the students need to learn. I have a better handle on the curriculum content. And there is more direction and focus in how I plan. Planning is still intense, but much easier compared to last year; I feel a burden lifted.
9. TI. I have a great Teacher Intern this year. It is a huge blessing to have someone who is so dedicated and diligent in her work. She is willing to accept challenges and to help out any way possible. She has a great heart for servant leadership and I like that about her.
10. Adam. He's a great husband. Not every day is easy, but I couldn't imagine going through all of this without him. He is working very hard this year, and I am so proud of his devotion to his students and commitments. Whether it is math, science, coaching, or student council, Adam is really trying to give his best to the school. He also tries to not forget about me, and brings me mochas on Saturdays, extra coffee on school days, and cheese this afternoon (when he saw it at the grocery store).

Ok. Those are some things to be thankful for. There are even more that I could write about, but they are so minute that it would be silly to mention them here.

The week itself went by very fast, and very slow. There was so much to accomplish with the students. So much to teach them, reinforce, and drill into them. So much to experience for the first time with them--as in how routines work in third grade. I think the routine thing is almost solidified, although we will review a lot.

There is one problem that you can be thinking about, if you have a mind to. Every class seems to have their own individual personality. Mine has many quirks and unique qualities that make it special from other classes. Yet, one thing that frustrates me is the amount of times they manage to interrupt lessons, activities, tests, or routines with unnecessary questions, irrelevant stories, or just random exclamations. Totally. Exclusively. Unnecessary Interruptions! I'm devising a plan for how to nip this in the bud, first thing in the morning. It will definitely take a lot of determination to stop all of the interruptions. I don't remember this being as big of a problem last year. I just hate being interrupted constantly! Seriously, every five seconds someone is interrupting either me, my TI, or someone else who is speaking to the whole class. Everything takes twice as long. I have some ideas, we'll see if they work.

Another thing that is coming up this week.....Adam is going on a retreat with his student council representatives Thursday-Saturday to Tianjin. He didn't absolutely need a female chaperon, I guess, but had the option of taking one. So, finally, I get to go somewhere in China! Yay! I'm not sure how fun it will be for me, but I'm looking forward to traveling and getting to know the StuCo kids better. My TI will be substitute teaching for me on Thursday and Friday--so this week will go by very fast...and very slow...again. Secondly, while we are gone in Tianjin, some girls will be staying in our apartment. They are traveling up Shenyang from another city in China in order to attend a wedding reception (which we will have to miss). One of the girls is dating our Assistant Principle (who is a good friend of Adam's)--so we were going to host these ladies over the weekend. Now it looks like they will have our apartment to themselves! This means that I have to make sure that our apartment is completely ready before we leave for the retreat on Thursday. Busy week.

This is not the finest sample of my writing. But it's too long to proof read--please forgive any major typos or anything like that--I'm going to bed! Have to be up before 5am tomorrow morning. There is not enough coffee in the world to make me feel like before 5am is a normal time to be awake. Sleep helps.

~Julie

Pictures Taken From Inside a Car

The pictures of the goats were taken from inside the van that Adam and I ride after school is over. These goats are seen around the area where we teach, often being herded around by their shepherd guy. It's always funny to see them--especially when they're walking along the main roads, eating the landscaping. Here they are on a much more quiet and rural looking road.





Driving through the city. Notice the name of this place--I'm not sure what it means. What are they trying to communicate? "Sanguine Insect"

Oh--CREEPY! I just realized that you can see the reflection of my nails in the window near the bottom of this picture. They look purple and evil...they're actually just manicured.


Tiny little van. It's hard to tell the scale because the picture is was not well-thought out--but I was probably taller than this vehicle. Sort of cute, right?



~Julie

Documents

Getting our documents renewed for another year in China means going to the PSB and applying for our work permits. I think that it was a successful trip with no problems--it's kind of a fun experience to go through the procedures, wait your turn in various lines and get your picture taken.

Here are some pictures from this particular adventure. I apologize for the terrible quality of the pictures. My little canon camera is on its last leg and takes the grainiest pictures. The other staff that you see in the pictures are the new teachers who joined our staff this school year.










The whole experience was good--and much better compared to last year's when we were so disoriented, jet-lagging, and overwhelmed with our first week of teaching.

~Julie

Back To School

Bouquets of sharpened pencils

New crayons

Fresh notebooks

Singing songs

Learning procedures

Learning names

Reading favorite picture books



Some landscapers working right out side our apartment building. I have seen them working so often during the spring and summer, that I recognize them quite easily as individuals now. I don't know their names, but I always feel a little bad for the young guy who works with them. He can't be more than 13 years old. I wonder if he goes to school, if this is just a summer job for him, or if he is helping his family's business.

At the little coffee shop that we love so much! It's called IS Cafe. It's about one mile from our apartment complex (probably a little less, but it takes about twenty minutes to walk there). Lately, we ride our bikes over there to get a fun drink and sometimes to stay and work. Last night after school, we did a little work at IS Cafe--aren't we so much fun on a Friday night? I thought it was amazing that Adam actually had work to do outside of the school building. This year is much more hectic for him.



Adam showing me how sweaty he is after their first volleyball practice of the season (high school team). He soaked two shirts. It's hard for me to believe that Adam can get THAT drenched just from playing volleyball.


~Julie

I don't know when to stop....

This is what my life feels like sometimes.

So. Last week. Eating lunch. During teacher in-service. The assistant principal started to ask me a question. He wanted to know if I had a pirate costume that he could borrow to have a student promote the upcoming "Treasure Island" auditions. Of course, I don't have any costumes yet, but this began a longer-than-expected conversation about how I am having doubts about whether or not enough students will audition for the spring play this year. It was a lot of work last year, and no doubt this year's play will also involve a lot of effort. However, there is so much more that will be EASIER this time since a system was a created, guanxi was established, and new paths were cut through the performing arts frontier at SYIS. Yet, I feel that many of the students who are still at our school will be deterred because of the amount of commitment that is required without the benefit of academic credit and grades for their transcripts. Also, there is the added stress of "Treasure Island" being a very male-dominated play. Although some parts can be converted into female roles, there are several that absolutely should not and CAN NOT change genders. The question is: are there enough boys at our school interested in acting? Interested in dressing up? Interested in wearing make-up? Interested in possibly singing a few ditties and fighting with fake swords and daggers? Interested in coming to rehearsals and memorizing lines? Interested in applying hairspray?

That's the question that I'm dying to know the answer to. I would love to do another play, but the ball is in the students' court right now. How interested are they? How committed are they to obtaining a balanced education, improving their English skills, and becoming character scholars?

Ok--so these thoughts, and a few others, were discussed. And all the sudden, I found myself to be teaching a high school and middle school drama elective that will last the whole year. Did I mention that it starts the day after tomorrow? I'm frantically putting together a scope and sequence, aligning it with the standards and benchmarks, lesson planning, and getting very excited for the possibilities! The great thing about this opportunity is that I will be able to do so much more with the students that sign up for this elective. "Treasure Island" is set to have auditions at the end of September. Everyone in this elective will be required to audition, but no parts are guaranteed. Auditions are open to other secondary students as well, whether or not they are in this elective. But with the extra time that this elective affords, we will be able to dig deeper into dramatic topics, run more activities and improv exercises that would otherwise be impossible, and even get a broader perspective of theater through in-class projects, case studies, and discussions. They can finally develop as actors, and in so doing, develop as individuals that view the world through unique lenses. We will be able do so much more than just "Treasure Island"! That last statement is both a blessing and a curse. For although I am excited for this opportunity, I already feel a heavier burden in my schedule that I was not anticipating.

There is another factor. Students have the option of switching electives during the first full week of school. So, I might loose students, or gain them--depending on how the elective goes. That's definitely something to think about on my behalf. I would love for this to be an option for students here. But success is a privilege and not to be taken for granted. From my perspective, it's the missing puzzle piece in their education--and I'm happy that they can finally get credit for it! :)

I'm looking forward to this new role; it means meeting new students, covering content at deeper levels, and hopefully igniting a passion for performing arts in their lives. I can't believe how fast auditions are going to creep up!

Am I crazy? Sometimes, I don't know when to stop myself.

~Julie

5 o'clock in the morning

...that's what time our alarm is now set for and I find it very sad.

At least at this point in the year, the sun has already risen by that time. The sun helps me to remember that it isn't the middle of the night after all.

Today was very long and interesting--and yet, I do not feel that my sense of accomplishment (or lack thereof) matches my sense of exhaustion!

We were at school by 6:15 this morning. I decorated my "That's the Ticket!" bulletin board and cleaned up my mess before orientation started at 8am. By the time 11am rolled around, we had finished our first round of orientations, our first elementary meeting of the year, and a science scope and sequence meeting with other upper elementary teachers. Whoa.

After lunch, Adam and I drove into the city with one of the school's administrative assistants and the new teachers so that our work permits or residency permits (whichever it is) could be renewed for the coming year. A very necessary process, but it meant leaving school early.

Once we had finished waiting for the application process to be over, we hopped back into the school's van and started driving towards our apartment complex. Before going home, I stopped at Riverside to pick up a few things from their small convenience store--Riverside is great for purchasing imported foods, although it's expensive. Right now, there seems to be a shortage in the dairy department. I haven't been able to find very many dairy products (cheese, butter, cream, etc.)--so we'll just conserve what we still have until whatever shipment Shenyang is waiting for arrives.

What I really wanted to accomplish today, was to plan the first week of math, figure out my first week of language arts lessons/assessments, and finish painting the back of my bookshelf! I guess that will be left for tomorrow's work. Hopefully I will be more productive without the day being spliced in half with a visa trips.

I'm so sleepy right now! I splurged and bought some Starbucks mochas for the next two mornings. Hopefully, they will entice me to obey our annoying alarm clock in the morning. I'm excited for school to start. Happy to be working again. Nervous to try new things out. Anxious to get acquainted with my new students' learning styles....and DREADING feeling exhausted again. Teaching is an extremely tiring job! I dislike coming home, feeling dead on my feet, and realizing that I still have to make supper, wash the dishes, and stay up for a few more hours before I can justify going to sleep for the night. I dislike it entirely! But there is so much to be thankful for, so many blessings and joys that come from unexpected places. It's worth it.

~Julie

Jintian in Pictures

Today started out with a trip to one of Shenyang's fabric markets to barter for fabric to make curtains for two different class rooms at school. Two of our new teachers wanted curtains for their classrooms as well--a growing trend at SYIS.
The picture below is a scene we passed as we walked from Wal-Mart to the fabric market.

I got to practice some more vocabulary. For some reason, I've gone fabric shopping a lot lately and am learning how to order curtains with a little more ease and confidence...although I still make a lot of mistakes.

One of our new staff members with her fabric selection. The shop keepers at this vendor made the curtains for us while we ate lunch.


On our way back home after a successful curtain adventure, our taxi driver thought it would be smart to drive behind this bus on a sidewalk for a few blocks. Never. A. Dull. Moment.

Hannah and Liz with all of their dongxi.

Went to school for almost four hours almost immediately after the curtain adventure. It felt like I was there for only 5 minutes. I hate how quickly time flies by when I'm in my classroom!


On the way to the main road to catch a taxi, we have to walk past many factories--including this baked goods factory which sells fresh bread out of their window to pedestrians for dirt cheap prices. How can you pass that window up? Adam buying several loafs of his favorite "snail" bread--for only 3 kuai!


The roads near our school are having some....issues....they are either under road construction, or being completely demolished by the heavy trucks that are constantly driving on them. In addition to the road construction, other roads are made impassable by low bars that prevent buses and trucks or piles of dirt and rocks. I'm not sure what's up with the piles of dirt and rocks this summer. Hopefully they will be gone by the time school starts.

Walking to the main road.


Another pile of dirt and rocks that Adam and Dave are crossing over.

Discovered that this road was basically finished. It used to be a dirt road with incredible potholes and moguls that could decimate the undercarriages of buses and cars. We predict it has a year before it looks like a dirt road again.


Cute kids playing in a pile of dirt.



Seems like there was a party going on to advertise for the new district in our apartment complex.

Walking with friends, old and new, on our way to eat at a yummy Indian cuisine restaurant.

Watching the second half of our group catch a taxi, after we ran across the street.

Racing to the Indian restaurant!

Sitting at the Indian restaurant, holding our friends' beautiful baby girl! She fell asleep in my arms almost instantly because she has jet-lag (awww!).

Ordering mango smoothies at a little hole-in-the-wall shop near our apartment complex.

Adam, waiting for his smoothie with Shui. He is not dramatic at all.

What a fun day! I wish that I had pictures of everything we do and see each day. It seems like our life is so ordinary, predictable, or monotonous...until I look at our pictures.

~julie

Where the Wild Things Are

3rd Grade
Pictures from my classroom...still in progress.

So, I don't really know why I took such a horrible picture of this particular corner of my room, but it's one of the only one that shows this reading rug and storage area. Many of the things in my classroom are left over props from "The Secret Garden", which I decided to use in my classroom since I wasn't able to get reimbursed for them. The dividing screen on the left side of this picture is one of those props.

Opposite side of the room. Another reading rug, the classroom library, CAFE wall, community supplies, construction paper and graphic organizers (hiding behind the easel), magnetic word wall....


Adam...telling me it's time to leave school. Also notice the classroom jobs on the door, the cubbies for students' backpacks, the homework mailboxes and turn-in bins. There is also another small reading rug to on the left side (which you can't see...I'm a brilliant photographer).


Very out-of-date globe, and treasure box (another Secret Garden prop) are on top of our supply and manipulative shelf. I think that if I had more money to spend right now, I would buy uniform bins for all of my supplies and library books. I can't stand how they are all so different and beat-up. Wicker chair (behind the small table with loads of stuff on it--can't see it very well!) is another prop. Red art caddies on each table group for shared supplies (crayons, markers, pencils, erasers, glue, behavior management cards, scissors) because I got tired of students loosing their materials.



Still working on this area. Have to go through the hanging file folders and get them ready for new students' portfolios. I still need to finish the back of this bookshelf as well. I'm painting it with magnetic paint, and then hoping to go over it with white-erase board paint. Hopefully, I will have a magnetic white-erase board on the back of this entire bookshelf. How cook is that? It will be used for making words/phonics activities/centers. Computer center still under work as well.



The picture above is from earlier this week when my classroom was still very messy. I worked more on tidying and cleaning dusty surfaces today. China is very dusty.
Below, a picture of my reward center which is not yet finished. Might also turn into a writing station if I can create some more wiggle room around all the desks.


Messy classroom from several days ago.


My experience preparing for this year of teaching is remarkably different from last year's! It is amazing to me how much I have left to do despite all that I have accomplished already! I'm also amazed that I survived teaching last year without having had time to organize, arrange, or plan prior to the first day that I taught (which was actually on the third day of school). I feel very blessed and thankful to have time to set-up this year. It's a lot of work, but well worth it. I think that I will be ready by the first day of school. We have teacher in-service on Monday-Wednesday starting this coming week. On Monday, I will attend our orientation meetings, and then head to the PSB with Adam and one of our school's administrative employees so that we can renew our work visas. I remember getting our work visas last year--we had to apply for them during the school day--it was overwhelming and I was nervous we would be denied.

It has been great getting to know our new staff members for the last two weeks, and to spend time with our friends in Shenyang once again.

As I prepare myself for another year of teaching, I am.....Excited. Nervous. A little more prepared than I was yesterday.

Just a five more days!

~Julie