It's baking hot and we decide to go shopping in the nearest city, Zunyi. This was in search of cheese for Mel as it is approaching her birthday. Any way, two different Wallmarts later and all we could get was processes sliced cheese. Not a great outcome. But on the positive side we manage to find tea bags and bacon so it's brecky fo
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Check out the video on youtube of me doing the MND/ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in China in front of some of my students.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVWg92f-SbA&feature=youtu.be
_ Well done to Mel for passing her TEFL 150 hour online course as supplied by TEFL Express.
Mel = 120hr + 20hr + 150hr = 290hr of TEFL training. I have seen and heard this question so many times, so I decided to write my views and ideas. They may or may not work for you but it is worth a try.I teach in China and I have taught pretty much all grades from Primary to High school. I start the term and each first class with the same lesson. These are the rules for my class and this is what happens when you don't listen to the rules. They are simple and have simple consequences.
1- No Eating 2- If I am talking you are listening. 3-No mobile phones. 1 warning- your name in my book. 2 warnings- your name to your head teacher. Make sure the rules are in English and Chinese so they cant say they didn't understand them! I have never got to 2 warnings as 1 is enough if you follow and carry through on your threat. Something else I do in my first week is find out who the monitor is and write a brief description of him/her and where they sit. They are a great person to have on your side as they know all the kids in the class. Peer pressure is a great tool too. Give them a carrot, explain the lesson structure " we will do this and if we get it finished this is what will happen." My kids all love games and videos so this is the carrot. If they don't finish the work they don't get the rewards. If you have a few disruptive students make sure the class know who is at fault because the whole class will miss out on the 'carrot'. Losing face in front of their peers is enough to make them behave and work. In a class size of 80 you cant win em all and some of them will not work. Explain they can sit quietly and not disrupt the class. If they do, the warnings will occur. You will find they will join in when they realise how much fun it is! As for them Ganging up on the teacher, be very careful this doesn't turn into a war as with some students they will not back down in front of their mates. It is easier for you to shrug your shoulders, turn off your computer and just sit for as long as it takes, even all lesson. Someone in that class (most likely the monitor) will tell their head teacher. Apologies will follow... lol Playing games like Liar’s Dice and mahjong is a popular pastime in Chinese Culture. Throughout China, Liar’s Dice (說謊者的骰子,shuōhuǎng zhě de shǎizi) is played during holidays like Chinese New Year and at bars and clubs. Liar’s Dice is typically played as a drinking game but it can also be played for fun. Learn how to play Liar’s Dice.
The fast-paced Chinese dice game can be played with two or more players and the number of rounds is limitless. Players can agree upon a predetermined number of rounds or set a time limit. Game play is casual because new players can be added each round, but playing Liar’s Dice can also be quite intense as the penalties for losing may include sipping an alcoholic drink like baijiu, a shot of liquor, or paying money. Here's How:
One: hold up your hand and extend the pointer finger upward. Two: hold up your hand and extend the pointer and middle fingers upward into a V-shape (like a peace sign). Three:hold up your hand and extend the pointer, middle, and ring fingers upward. Four: hold up your hand and extend the pointer, middle, ring and pinky fingers upward. Five: Hold up your hand with all five fingers extended upward (like a stop sign) or pinch all five fingers together. Six: Fold the pointer, middle, and ring fingers into a fist and extend the thumb and pinky fingers outward. Seven: Make a fist and extend the thumb outward and pointer finger downward. Eight: Make a first and extend the thumb upward and the pointer finger forward (like a gun). Nine: Make a fist, extend the pointer finger and curve it (like making a ‘C’). Ten: Make a fist or using two hands, extend the pointer finger of the right hand upward and with the left hand extend the pointer finger to the right and cross it with the right hand forming a + sign. Well we are back in TongZi after another stressful train journey from Shaoyang. Our assistant booked the tickets so off we went (2 hours on the bus) to the train station. Got our tickets (no problem) went to waiting room to wait for the train, due at 11.54pm. TRAIN DELAYED!! due in at 2am! Train finally arrives and we board...carriage 14 beds 11 &12...but, someone else is asleep in our beds. We call the guard over who shows us the tickets and it seems our beds have been double booked! I was so mad I demanded they found us another bed straight away!so Half hour later they come back to us and ask us to follow up the train ...we assume they found us beds but no, into the buffet car we go and get offered a seat. I say no way I want beds, this is not fair...to which they point out our tickets are for the 10th and we are travelling on the 11th...our tickets have been booked by our assistant on the wrong day! Buffet car seat or floor! so 500RMB down the drain for beds we don't have and sat in a buffet car all night on an 18hr journey! The next morning the boss of the Buffet car came over and explained that we need to eat the train food if we wanted to stay in the seats.....another 200RMB! I was so angry but i guess they could have kicked us off the train. So 700RMB later, 18hrs sat up in a train we finally arrive back in Tongzi. We sleep well for sure that night!
Next day we go out for lunch (late getting up)Vegetable stir fry across the road from school where they have 3 gorgeous little girls who are so cute and grubby from playing in the dirt..lol brought them lollipops and got big smiles from them. Dragged Jaz to a foot massage place and he had his first ever experience of a foot massage.... not sure he was impressed. Across for the massage place was a big sign with faces of Zombies on it, intrigued i went for a look. It was all in Chinese so I didn't have a clue but with a bit of sign language i found out scary zombies chased you round a dark maze which was only wide enough for one person to fit through....OMG I screamed like a pansy and no matter how big it was I squeezed past Jaz and made him go first!! Things grabbing your ankles and chasing you down pitch black narrow corridors....I was bloody glad to get out of there I can tell you!! Went home and got the washing in then went into town for lunch. Decided to eat in Kids street, a place that is a mecca for kids, bouncy castles, toys,sand pits you name it it is there.... Had dinner and bumped into Bobo (a Chinese English teacher at our school) Him and his friends took us for coffee (trying to explain to the boss of the coffee shop, who was a mute , that the word 'shit' was not appropriate on the wall of a coffee shop) and we made a date to meet up for a night of dancing and singing in this really lovely club next door to the 7D cinema??? Finished the night off at home explaining the lyrics behind Led Zeplin Satirway to heaven to one of our ex students and listening to retro songs like, Alpahville, Musical youth, Bob Marley, Pato Banton and Boney M. I also found a song called Melanie by Toto....lol. It's good to be back! Well, we are ending our time in Sunny, hot Shaoyang. We have enjoyed catching up with friends and meeting new ones. All of us have new tattoo's and Wendy and I treated ourselves to traditional hair massage and treatments....Shan Shan is in the blue dress and is one of the lovliest ladies I have met. So happy and chatty and fingers of Iron so the massage is unforgettable! Next door is the tattooist and she is lovely too....very clean and very reasonable.my tattoo's only cost 350 rmb which is 35 pounds....Cheap as chips!!In the pic is Wendy, my wonderful friend who I will miss so much when we leave. |
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