Who ever said that teaching the lower grades is easy are either crazy or loves punishment and grief. Let me clarify that statement, just a little. It's not the first graders individually; it's the first graders as a whole. I walked into my first grade class on the first day of school, dressed very inappropriately. My agent told me that the dress was "smart professional". Yep, I walked into class dressed in a skirt, hoes, and uncomfortable shoes. When I managed to locate my co-teacher she was dressed in a pair of jeans and tee shirt. Smart professional? Yea right... I added this dress fopaux to the long and growing longer, list of misleading facts my agent passed along. The list already included items such as teaching only 5th and 6th grade, the dorm having a kitchen, the dorm being clean and livable, and it will be no problem finding food to eat. But no worries, I just acted like I dressed up for the first day of school. Believe me I was not the only foreign teacher who dressed to the 9s for the first day. However, it has been the only day we dressed that way. The saying goes when in Rome... I prefer Taiwan actually, in Taiwan it seems like we can wear jeans every day, even on parent’s day. BONUS! :)
I seem to follow rabbit trials very easily. On to first grade and the horrors of teaching 35 little children who speak minimal English. I know that is what I signed up for, mind you. But I was very clear to my agent and my boss here at school that I do not have any experience teaching any grade lower than 5th. The standard answer seems to always include "no problem" and/or "ok". I now believe that those two phrases are used because the person you're talking to doesn't fully understand what you are trying to tell them. "OK"? :)
The first two weeks of school is used as a time of review of English skills before all first graders are given a placement test. This test includes both a written and oral exams. The testing turned out to be the easiest part of the first two weeks.
Jing-Xi's Lesson of the Day: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Unless those Romans happen to be eating food items that do not appear to be or smell like they are meant to be eaten. When did fishballs become a food? What are fishballs? Finally, does anyone really have a burning desire to know what they put into seaweed soup? Not this Roman, baby!
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| Not sure what this is, but it all smells bad! |
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| Floating whatever. Smells bad! |
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| More not sure what these are, but smells bad! |
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| Some of this stuff looks like things recognizable, but that doesn't mean I would eat this smelly stuff.
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