Every Thursday night, I hear a student singing outside of our dorm. He belts out Chinese pop ballads, literally screaming until his voice cracks. Sometimes the voice fades away, only to get stronger again. Who is this boy? Why does he sing every Thursday??
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During the last two weeks, one of my English classes has been getting out of hand. The kids talked, they played PSPs in class (in class!) and generally didn't care about anything. I was surprised because this class was my close-knit group, with Andrew, Joyce, Jenny, Leo and others (Anny too, last semester). Sure, half the class had changed from last semester (seven new kids in a month!), but my core group was still there. What was going on?
Finally, this Tuesday, I had had enough. I took away all iPods and PSPs I saw in my class, promised to fail them if they played games in my class again, and switched all their seats. All the most problematic students I took aside privately to chat with. They listened. They nodded. They knew I was disappointed.
And it worked. Since then, they've been perfect again. We have fun, but it's not crazy. Maybe I was getting too friendly with the kids. Maybe seeing me yell was a bit of a surprise. Either way, I'm glad that teaching is good again for all of my classes.
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And, to finally end the suspense (of the not so suspenseful situation), Nicole and I are moving to Hong Kong next year!
Details will follow.
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Hong Kong here you come. Looking at the pictures I'm sure you'll have an incredable time. With that said, I'm equally sure the kids will miss you as much as we do. Love you.
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