Journey to the Pool is a story about a turtle on a quest to a far away pool. I used this story to teach my Step Into English class how to create a story. The kids only had to write a few sentences, like who were the characters, the setting and problem, etc. Some of the students in the class just finished a foundation level class and are going into level 1. They can get some of how to plan a story. The other half are going into foundation. So, for some they won’t remember what characters are and what setting means. Okay, in reality, maybe one out of the eight will remember that characters are the who in a story. (This is a mixed up summer class I’m working with.) But they did like the story. That’s the most important thing. I think they’ll remember it. I am now working on writing it all down. It’s going to be published (on my website, hehe). I spent a while after work playing with it. I had one of my student’s help to illustrate. He drew the pictures and did some coloring and then I touched it up. I like the simple drawings in it.

It was fitting that on my walk around the recreation area Saturday night that I found this guy. Fitting because last week my topic for the Science Comprehension class was frogs. From Tadpoles to Frogs. Can you find the frog in the first picture? That was about as much material as I was given to teach for the week. Hehe…so, it was a little bit more than that but not much. This week the topic is Keeping Fit. Man, how to make this an interesting topic? They don’t want to put food into food groups, but they will! I’m stern like that. Last Friday during the last period we went hunting for tadpoles. I knew we wouldn’t catch any but they didn’t. I found a place with still water and it was a fun excursion for the kids. I’ll see what we can do this week.

We have the kids. Keeping them happy is my job. Let’s get to know them, the good and the bad. First, we have Grace, an awfully cute girl. Don’t let that smile get you, she’s a little too smart. She’s the smartest girl in the class but couldn’t finish her ABC book. She has just a small problem sitting in her desk and doing what the teacher wants.

Next, we have Charles, a boy in love with trains and planes. A creative one that can not pay attention closely and still keep up with the class. He makes excellent sentences with vocabulary. Here he’s lying on the desk, like usual. He doesn’t like sitting in them. It’s just not in him to do that. Instead, he likes to look for his pencils on the floor while the teacher is talking. He goes at his own pace. The “Do not diddle daddle” rule is needed for him. He’s about three handfuls to manage but I’m glad to have taught him.

Then we have two quiet students. You need the loud and talkative students in the class to get the quiet ones talking. But I always like the quiet ones the best. The ones that behave nicely and listen to what you say. They are usually hard working. Like Kite, he writes his words so dilligently and has wonderful handwriting. He doesn’t get comprehension as fast as the others but when it’s time to copy sentences, he’s the fastest because he has practiced so thoroughly. Sammie too. She’s always wanting to make sentences. In her blue book (exercise book), she wrote twice as many as anyone else. Ramus is missing from the picture. But I will be teaching him next year. A student will actually repeat a level. He was only there for part of one semester so he’s not repeating a full year.

I’ve taught them as well as I can. From them I’ve learned a few things. <1> Hard work produces results. <2> It’s good to think outside the box, to be different and creative. <3> Try to be more giving.

The kids can be fun. I think I’m losing hairs as I’m teaching them but in the long run it’s worth it. I made it through my first year. Ten months that is. I had this class for half the year. My other class of young’uns I visited whenever I could. Here they are at the end of the winter semester. They were 8 and 9 year olds. Maybe one grade higher than my Foundation class above. But They were Level 3. That means, an awfully smart bunch.

From left to right, Isabelle, Lillian’s sister, Marian, Pascal, Ruby, Tin-Tin, Tiger, Amos, Andy and Brandon (Missing from photo: Lillian, Waiting, Sabrina).

Isabelle - she reads the dictionary, super smart and cool, I want to be as cool as her, Ruby - the hardest worker, you can skip levels with hard work, Pascal - a rascal but a nice little kid inside, go to another country if you want to learn the language, Tin-Tin - the quietest girl, some people are so good that you can’t give them free money/stars/etc., she wouldn’t take anything for free, I like her values, Tiger AKA The Author - the quietest boy, Amos and Waiting - usual boys that love to play, Andy - a joker, Sabrina - the most strong willed girl in Taiwan.

This here is my kryptonite. Tutors can be more draining than a whole class. Usually it’s for students who need extra work. When they can’t speak very well it’s tough because you are constantly talking and asking them questions. Here I was working with my tutor on his handwriting. If he took his time he could write well. The problem was he couldn’t take his time in class because he couldn’t keep up. He didn’t pass the previous level’s exam but moved on. (A frustration for teachers in the buxiban business.)

The next piece of work is a student from the class I didn’t fit too well with and don’t mind to be away from. He was a P-A-I-N. His English was good but he didn’t care to check his work and did everything too fast, as you can see.

I like teaching. Teaching as a career I’m not sure about. A good teacher wouldn’t complain as much as me.

I tell the kids lots of stories, not usually my own. I wish I had someone to tell me a bedtime story. These past few days my eyes have been really bothering me. Last week it was my sinuses. One day I want to live somewhere where the air is clean. Work is very busy these days. I work 6 hours instead of the usual 4 hours. Many teachers work more than me but I’ve been trying to study everyday. I haven’t felt this tired since I was fixing up my house last June. But this tired isn’t from physical work. Teaching is tiring because I’m always focusing on what to teach next and trying to keep the class on track. Some teachers are really good at winging it but I like structure and try to stick to a schedule. I think teaching is like acting sometimes and the more at ease you can be, the better things will flow. I want the kids to have fun in class but I like to have good order first. So, I’m not the most fun teacher around. The kids have a lot of energy. My eyes hurt tonight when I was at the library trying to focus and write my characters. Hurt because they were irritated and also because it hurt to focus anymore. Teachers definitely need the summer off to recharge. One month from now I’ll be cruising to wherever my wheels take me. It seems far away from now.

The key is to slow down and not rush everything, but this is easier said than done. 放鬆…