The Taiwanese Don't Teach Manners

Yes, it's true. The Taiwanese don't teach manners.

I am specifically choosing Taiwanese here, because I don't teach Chinese students and I don't know about them. Also, my students are Taiwanese, that is the label they go by.

Anyway, my classes have taken a turn for the worse. Now, they are really starting to grind on my nerves and piss me off.

Last week, I punished a class with a test which covered material they wouldn't let me teach. Needless to say, almost all of them lost that 8 points on the test. I don't want to be a hardass, but it has come to that. Also in the same class, which is supposed to be the best in the elementary, they are so rude. I have been called fat, been poked like a dough boy, and had my neck pulled on. So, I lost it last Friday with that class. I told them they were the rudest kids I had ever met and they were terrible. And I finished with, "You are the reason I don't want to be here." They tried to apologize, but I could care less at this point with them.

In another class, which was going well until last week, bad language has become an issue. I paired them up randomly, honestly I had no control over who was with who. When I called out one pair, I got a "F**K" from the back of the room and from a girl no less. So I told her to write 10 sentences about why not to use bad language in class, which was met with a "F**K You". Oh, well....

Things are changing in my one class that does the English Chant. I have control over most of them. I have yet to bring in shoe polish for my shoes, but that threat is always there.

Maybe it is time to teach some manners and respect..... OR maybe it is my Hoosier spirit that feels these kids are out there...

It's a secret....

Ok, I can't say much, but here is the reason I am so tired.

I had to finish two papers for university. But that's not it.
I held a Christmas party at my house. But that's not it.
My students are terrible, calling me fat and not listening, yeah that's it. BUT that is all about to change and that's all I can say.

The Greatest Cultural Experience

Ok, now having lived outside of the US for over 2 years, I have found what has to be the greatest cultural expereince.

Some might think it is the food, the people, dating a person from that country, the places, using the language....BUT I think it is getting a haircut. Yes, getting a HAIRCUT.

Why? Because, for a short period of time you put yourself at the mercy of this person with scissors. This person can make you look great, trim that hair that is in your eyes, shave the neckline you can't reach, and give you information (depending on the language barrier). OR, this person can cut yor ear off, mess up your hairstyle, cut you with the razor, or rip you off for a terrible haircut.

Luckily for me, I have had great barbers in Indiana, Japan, Little Saigon in California, and now China. Sure the prices vary and maybe I get charged more for being a foreigner, But now that I have these places, I would never trade them in for some new barbershop or go somewhere cheaper.

At home, the barbershop is small and its there you can hear thet local politics. Have a good talk, get a haircut, watch baseball and enjoy some coffee. They know you by name, although in there I am a Rizer, it's ok. And it is only $12 for a cut. In Japan, I had the chain-smoking barber. If he wasn't cutting hair he was carving souvenirs for tourists to buy. Even though I didn't speak Japanese, I had a great time there... I usually stayed for a bit and had a short chat with some coffee. I even traded some souvenirs from vacations I went on with them. Sure the haircut was 3000yen ($27), but it was the best, no clippers were used. I bought several of the barber's souvenirs for gifts and he gave me a generous discount.... Now in China, I don't have one barber, but just a shop to go to. It's there I don't have to explain, I just say cut and control the length of the hair... and they copy my style. It's great, except for the dry straight blade razor to trim the neckline. I pay 20rmb ($2.50), and all is good.

Every time I have to get a haircut at a new place, I stress out. Will it be ok, will I lose an ear and so on.... There is usually a language barrier for me, but I seem to get past that and it's all good. So, the next time you are getting your haircut in the comfort of your home country, just think what it might be like to do it in a place where you speak gibberish. Let me tell you, it can be quite the expereince.....

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Yep, Merry Christmas.... from my cubicle.

I have been so busy as of late.... Sorry for all of you die hard readers out there in webspace.

As i type this, I am sitting at my cubicle, just like Office Space. What a Merry Christmas. A week ago I had a great party with all of my friends. It truly was a great time.... some people enjoyed it a lot. I think that was the first time I had celebrated Christmas like that.

Last night, I was required to attend a party for my evil company. Yes, it was mandatory. And to boot, I had to dress like Santa and pretend to be happy. I didn't get enough time to eat, nor were there any 'drinks' to enjoy. But, I gave them an Xmas gift earlier in the day.... What goes around comes around, I guess.....

After the party, the four of us, Chirs, Francine, Christina, and I, were invited to a friend's house for drinks with his wife. Being that it is Christmas, we went and had a good time talking and having a few drinks.

Well, Santa did find my house and seems to have left gifts for some people under my tree. Hopefully, we can open some gifts tonight.

Thanks to everyone who sent me stuff, I really appreciate it. It's great to get things from home.... each package is like a treasure.

Well Merry Christmas from China and I hope Santa brought something good for you...

Push Start

So, one day last week, I think it was a Friday, yes it was Friday...Anyway, school was busy as normal and it was time to leave....

So, Chris and I make a mad dash for the bus, get on it and claim our seats. Yeah we make up our own seating chart when we can, just to mess with the students. (I actually got a phone call about sitting in my assigned seat)

Anyway, everyone gets on the bus, the door shuts.....and nothing. The engine turns, but there just isn't enough juice to fire the baby to life. After inspecting the engine, I am sure they found that the battery was dead... So, what to do? Jumper Cables? NO. Oh, Push Start it!!! So the driver and some others got behind the bus and started to push, while someone else tossed it into gear.... LOL, like that would work with a bus! It didn't work, so they tried again. Again, nothing.... Chris and I are laughing at this point.

Then we all get off and push the bus back to the parking lot, get our stuff and board another bus......

WOW, push start a bus with 4 guys, with the students still on board.... what a day.... go ahead and laugh, you know you want to.

Chant Chant Chant

So, I am sure you have seen Full Metal Jacket, right? Well I have ahd to resort to that style of teaching for one of my classes and here is the chant they do every class:

(standing) This is my English Class. There are many like it, but this one is mine. I must master English, like I must master many other subjects. Today, I will do my best to pay attention and learn. Tonight I will study hard and finish my homework.

Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta..... Teaching like never before....

Dictator

Hey All,

I didn't know where to post this, but here it goes. I recently had a terrible day teaching at my school, not that there are many good days. The class I am talking about has pushed me to my ends and has always had a problem. Hell, I kicked one of the kids out of my English Club yesterday! And I’ve started a class once by a kid telling me, “Seth, I hate you.” So, I started to control the class by taking away passing period time, but that has finally broken down. Anyway read about today...

So, the day started as usual...kids coming up to 5 minutes late to class, some without books. A kid Eddy can't even understand when I say, "Eddy get your books!!!" and he is in my class of 5th and 6th graders. I have asked to remove him from class, but he is still there. His Chinese English teacher, has just noticed there is a problem with his poor performance. The Semester is 2/3 over!!!

Anyway, last class we covered a bunch of new words from our reading book. I wrote them on the board along with very simple English definitions. As most of the kids finished copying them, I erased them just to get their attention. So, today, I wrote 8 random words on the board and told them to write a sentence using each of the words. I was hoping to judge where my students stood with grasping these new words.

Some kids forgot their Journal, I let them go and get it. Mind you this happens often. Then some of the kids just started jacking around, walking around harassing other students. So I took away 2 passing period minutes. To no avail they kept on doing the same as before. So, I took away all of the passing period minutes. Yes, all 10, which would make them late for the next class. I constantly warned all of them to be quiet and do their work. I have some repeat offenders on the not doing their work part. It is too bad my grades don't mean shit. I also constantly called them by name, but that doesn’t work either. Eddy, doesn’t usually answer to his English name.

In the meantime, the good students were bringing their sentences up to be checked by me and I did so happily. Finally, kids that care, I mean really care. Still there were others jacking around….I tried to ignore them.

After adequate time to write 8 sentences, 35 minutes, I took a count of who had done it and who hadn’t. Then I got creative with my punishment.

I YELLED, “STAND UP!” and they did.
I then called the names of the ‘good students’ and moved them to the left side of the classroom. The others to the right.
I split the desks into 2 rows in sets of 3. So there was a giant gap between the two ‘teams’ of students.
I redistributed the passing period minutes: Good Students – 0, Bad Students – 10.
And gave a short free-writing assignment. Most everyone worked on it.

*The Bell Rang

I dismissed the ‘Good Students.’ I held the ‘Bad Students’ behind for 10 minutes. There is a desk blocking one door, like that isn’t a fire hazard, and I stood in front of the other.

The ‘Bad Students’ tried to get out of their 10 minutes by showing me their ‘finished’ assignments. I wasn’t having that today, this hasn’t been a good week and I wasn’t about to make anyone’s day.

Well, I have better things to do, like check email and prepare for the next class. And this would make me late. SO, I made them clean the classroom. The 3rd floor English room is one that isn’t normally cleaned, because it is a general purpose room. I made those kids clean that room, just short of mopping and polishing. I have never seen the room so clean before, including the first day of school. Yeah it took them 7 minutes of their time to get it clean.

I am going to continue to use this method. Hell, I might bring in some cleaning products for the room. And some kid can polish my shoes too! What can I say, I am just giving them a taste of reality, if you don’t do well in school you will be doing this kind of job.

What does classroom management say about that?

-“The now hated English teacher” Seth

Me? A Teacher?

tEAch'N isn't so bad.....i guess,

Well, things are going ok here at my country school.... I wish they would turn on the heat, but alas we can't have it all. My classes are going ok, well I could comlain, but what good would it do? I have started taking away their passing period time. Man the kids hate that. Sooner or later they are going to be quiet and pay attention.... I started at 5 minutes and now they only lose 1 or 2 a class. I have also started getting the kids to understand they each have an impact on each other. Thus, if one messes up it costs the whole class! You might say this is mean, but I challenge you to teach a class where you can't speak the children's native language and see what you do to control the class....

Other news... I now teach on Saturday for extra money at the language company. The money isn't great, but it is some pocket money... There are 4 kids in the class that are super smart and behave most of the time. The text is crap, so I have to make it all up... Who ever heard of teaching 3 pages in 3 hours?

(Insert a compaint about your job here) and it probably applies to mine too.

Oh, well... Take it easy,

-Seth

Christmas

Time for a happy post....

Well, as you can see from my homepage it is Christmas time. Yep, Chris and I have finished the decorating of our apartment. Look at all the pics and watch the video.... That's how we GIT R DONE!

Waiting for Santa to bring me presents,

-Seth

Holidays

Well Thanksgiving has just passed, and I had a great time...

I got a turkey from the local BBQ shop, yeah the owner is a Texan and really did a good job of cooking it up. I took an hour metro ride to the southern part of Shanghai, carrying an 18 lbs. turkey, to my friend's house. Tons of people showed up and brought a great deal of food. It was a great time, good food, wine and beer, and good friends. I got home kind of late, but that was well worth it.

Now Christmas is coming up... So, Chris and I went to Ikea and bought a tree with some ornaments to decorate it with it. We also got some other things for out rooms. I spent a bit of time putting this tree up and expanding all of the branches! Then I invited Joanna over and we all decorated the tree. It was her first time to decorate a tree! So, we let her put on the giant gold star topper, even though she could barely reach it....

Well, Xmas is around the corner, so we are going to have a party for everyone at some point... I'll keep you posted.

Asia has something to learn...

Well, winter is coming and it is getting colder...and colder...

Yeah, it is cold in China, it was also cold in Japan, but not the same. The school is the damnedest design too... it is an open U-shape design. All of the room doors face in to the the middle and all the hallways are open to the elements. I guess this would be great on those nice HOT days, but not in the winter.... The wind here can cut through you like a knife, and it does in this poorly designed school. Each classroom has a small heater, which can only be compared to the heaters at Motel 6, you know the ones under the windows. Except these are mounted towards the ceiling.

It is currently 9C or 48.2 F, and the heaters are only half on here. It's strange lecturing a class wearing a sweatshirt and the students are bundled up in scarves and coats. MESSED UP! I know I try to live in other countries, while inderstanding their culture, but I just can't do it here...

China NEEDS central heating, and that goes for the rest of Asia as well. Oh the joys of that good old concept of central heating, I feel warmer thinking about it now.... What I wouldn't give to be home in a nice, warm house....

Freezing....

Teaching....

Teaching can be quite the experience.....

The other day, I gave an exam to my students. Well, most of them don't seem to understand the need to be quiet. So, I took 1 point away from their exam score. Yea, all of them! In order for them to gain back that point, I made them clean the classroom, which was done quickly and quietly. Then Yesterday, we did some Thanksgiving stuff and corrected a quiz from the previous week. Well, again the class got rowdy, so it was time to put the hammer down. They waste my time, I waste theirs. And I know as a kid, passing period is precious time. Well, I took 2, then 3 minutes from them. While I was holding them after the bell, another kid from another class was distracting them, and they couldn't be quiet. I opened the door and pulled that kid in and sat him down to join in on the punishment of my class. This bought them another minute. So, what is my point? I am going to break this class of its lack for listening.... I have all the time in the world as of now....

Some of my classes are great though. I don't need to use these punishments for them. I wish they were all great, but that would be too easy I guess. As I was just told, I need to remember this is a learning and growing experience for me and I will cherish some day.....

Well off to class.....

Sitting Alone

Thinking back to a book my friend Eric once read, "Why do all of the Black Kids Sit alone in the lunchroon" or something like that, I feel like the title. Well kind of.

As you know, I am currently living and working in China. I teach at a private school outside of Shanghai, where I am apart of a rather large English department, although I am one of 2 full-time native speakers. Like the rest of the faculty and staff in the school, I eat lunch in the Mess Hall.... However, I usually sit alone or with the other native speaker. And when my other classmates are working with me, I sit with them. Though it always seems that the foreigners sit alone.... there are always 2 empty seats at my table.

So, Why do all of the foreigners sit alone in the lunch room?

Sad News

Why is it, that when you live far from home you only hear about sad news?

Well today is another gloomy day here in China and I got some sad news that made it worse. I learned today that my boss from the Wabash College Bookstore has passed away. I am still in shock, because Mike Bachner '70 seemed to be one of the healthiest guys I knew.

I began work at the bookstore as a sophomore intern during the summer. I guess I did a good job, because Mike kept me around until I graduated from Wabash. I even got the usual free diploma frame as a gift, which now the most valuable piece of Wabash I own. Mike taught me a lot about working in a small bookstore or shop, he himself owning one or two over the years. But, I think I taught him just as much about technology and being on top of things. What can I say? Mike made working at the bookstore a valuable experience for me, that only added to my already wonderful college life.

Some things I will always remember about Mike:

I was once the lucky recipient of a CD shower. Mike sat at his desk and flung CD's at me, though I believe I sent a few back his way. Working could always be fun at the bookstore.

French Fries. I don't believe Mike ever ordered Fries, but he had a nasty habit of stealing mine from my lunches... and some from others as well.

"Hugs or Slugs?" Mike always offered me these two choices. I usually took the slugs, but Mike was always trying to work in a hug and sometimes he did. I'm really going to miss that choice when I go back to the bookstore.

Well, things just aren't going to be the same when I go to the bookstore next time. I know things change, but this is probably the biggest change next to the PINK Wabash College sweatshirts we had at an all male school.

For now I will relish in my memories of the bookstore. So, how bout sending me some good news sometime?

New Apartment

Who likes moving?

Probably not many people. Especially ones moving around a foreign country. Well, I have joined the masses and moved last Friday to what was supposed to be a "bigger, better" place.

So, on Friday, I work all day, my busiest day of the week, ride the bus for 2 hours home, then finish packing. The moving guys come and load our stuff onto the truck. Then I wait around for the damn landlord to come and check us out, making my day even longer at this point. Well, she shows up with her calculator, and tells us that we need to pay 1000RMB today for utilities. WTF?! Apparently, my company doesn't pay for the internet, nor did they believe in telling us that the landlord was getting the bills for the last 3 months, plus other bills we have in general. I can't believe it, it is like money grows on trees here too. Actually they copy it here, i just need one of those copiers. Anyway the company spotted us the cash for the utilities and off we went.

On our way..... So in a meeting we were told we would have one new roommate, a girl staff member from the company. No problem says we. BUT, this poor girl is so scared to live alone with us Americans, that she needs to have another person live with her. GREAT! Two girls, two guys, three rooms. I AM BEGINNING TO HATE BEING LIED TO AND TOLD THINGS AT THE LAST MINUTE. Well we get to our new place, which is much bigger and dirtier than our last place. At this point I am really disappointed in everything.... We went out and bought cleaning supplies and had dinner. Then the girls came over to talk for a bit... during the time we were talking, the girl stayed in her room and never came out to say hi or anything.

Well, I am going to make this short. I spent a lot of time mopping, turning the water back each time. Man, the place was dirty. Chris did the same, but he found the roaches on his adventures, all 30 of them. We went hella crazy killing them...

I'll keep writing about this, slowly.... as of now I still don't know the names of the girls in the other room....

A day teaching

For those of you who don't know, I am an English teach in China. I am currently working at a school in Kunshan, China, which is about 1.5 hours outside of Shanghai. The school is for Taiwanese students, so most of their parents are rather well off, because it is a private school. I don't know what to really say about the school, I just sort of make up what I am doing on any given day and start teaching English. The kids seem nice...

Anyway, today. Things started out ok. I began by making copies of my midterm for one of my classes. My first class was good, not problems really. Generally, I have a break after class, but today I spent is preparing for my observation lesson. For once in my life at this school I actually had to make a lesson plan for the observers. No sweat, just put some good old bullet points in word and I was on my way.
Then I went to my class with the midterm. Since most of the students just jack-around in class, I made it a bit difficult to prove a point. Many of the students' jaws hit the desk at the sight of a 3 page midterm. I got some back within the first 10 minutes. Nice. As i waited for them to all finish, Josh threw a piece of paper out of the window. Normally I ignore Josh, but not today. I made him go and get it, in the rain. From that point the class started to get rowdy, not my thing really. So, I subtracted one point from everyone's exam score, what hell. This made the room quiet. So to earn back that point, I made them clean the classroom, I also did this, because they like to throw paper all over hell and back. After everything was done, I held them after the bell for 3 minutes, just so I could have some silence....God, I hate this class.
Finally, my observation class. I told the students earlier about this special day, so they wouldn't mess it up for me. They didn't. It was the smoothest class I ever taught! The vice-principle even liked it.

Well, after my prison lunch, which was terrible as normal, I did some grading. Some of these kids are just plain ignorant. They don't pay attention and won't even guess at a true/false question for a point. Seriously, how lazy can you be? Oh, well, I am finished with school, well at least at this level.

When I took a short stroll around the school I noticed something odd. Here it goes, "What do you do with an autistic kid, who generally disrupts class?" Sit him in the back of the class and give him fire to play with. No seriously, this is what goes on at my school. I doubt the kid gets the attention he needs for learning. BUT FIRE? come on, please.

Well that was another exciting day in teaching....maybe not exciting, but interesting to say the least.

A Little information

Well here it goes....

I have recently moved to Shanghai, China to work on my Masters from Concordia University. Things are truly different here, as you can imagine. Not only am I studying, but I am also working as an English Teacher for a Taiwanese school. So, I am rather busy Monday-Friday at school and with my own studeis as well.
Before coming to China, lived in Japan for nearly 2 years. Now that was an experience of its own, but a rather good one in the long run. I had a great time and made a ton of friends there. I kind of miss it.....

I am going to start posting to vent some anger about China, my job, and my university. Just so you know, I have had a rough time balancing all three together...it just doesn't work sometimes.

Until the next post. - Seth