REFLECTING ON MY FIRST SEMESTER

So, just like that, 4 months of teaching have whizzed by and I am currently enjoying one of the many benefits a teacher has; a long summer break! While I do admit teaching (so far) has been joyous, rewarding and much more enjoyable than I expected, it has also come with late nights, early starts and long hours! The students have been wonderful to interact with and they have taught me so much about China too. I wanted to write a short and sweet post about what I have learnt teaching in China so far! 

Chinese students must be some of the most hard-working people on the planet! I start off every Monday morning lesson asking how their weekend was and what they got up to, however their response is always the same, “we studied, we did homework…” Their strong work ethic coupled with hours upon hours of lessons and homework mean that they enjoy my lessons a lot more because of the relaxed atmosphere I provide. We always play games, have a laugh, sometimes we go outside and play some basketball! Anything to vary the monotonous schedule they have. 

The teachers in China are treated with a lot of respect, some may even say they are a third parent to the students. Because of this, (most of the time!) my students are very well behaved and keen to learn from me. It is such a satisfying feeling to see students speak up and participate who three months ago would be the shyest in the class. Makes me feel as though I am doing something right! 

Four months of teaching has gone by unbelievably fast! I only have a full 4 months of teaching left, from September to December in the new term. My plan is to continue to make lessons exciting and different to what they might expect. I will try and make the most of my time left there by getting involved as much as I can in the school’s extra-curricular activities. 

As always, I will be posting regular updates on my blog, I now have a separate category just for teaching, so my posts are all in one place and are easier to find!  

I also just want to say a quick thank you to all the messages I have received about my posts regarding teaching here, they really do make me so happy!

B x