Monday, March 7, 2011

Repeat Monday

Then it was Monday. The weekend seemed to fly past, although we did enjoy ourselves. Last night we went over to some friends’ house for dinner and to watch a movie. We brought chicken sandwiches, french fries, drumsticks, and two milk teas. Our friends showed us how to cook some popular local dishes. I’ve been intimidated by cooking Chinese food, but in reality, it’s not that complex to make. The secret is to do the cooking on high heat. 


We saw a Woody Allen movie called Scoop. Normally, I’m not much of an Allen fan, but I did enjoy this particular film. Maybe I was positively influenced by the company.


Nothing terribly exciting happened today. I taught my first two classes of the week, so I tried out the new lesson about March Madness and basketball. I think the students enjoyed the topic, though I did have to kick out two students for talking (I had just finished warning them that I would do it, too...). 


Something heartening also occurred today. Two female students came up to me after class and one of them said, “Your classroom is dirty.”


I responded, “Yes, it is.” And that’s the truth, because no one cleans my room. The students are normally responsible for keeping the room clean and they take turns staying after school to sweep and clean the chalkboard. (Remember, they stay in the same classroom all day, so they feel a connection to the room. I’m an anomaly because I have my own room; my school helpers were worried I would get lost, so that’s why they provided me with my own space.) However, since I only see my students once a week, none of them feel terribly responsible for cleaning, so it quickly becomes a pigsty. 


Back to my story. One of the girls said, “We’ll clean your room for you. It’s our duty and we would like to clean it.”


I was shocked, but thankful. We agreed to meet at 5 o’clock so I could open my room for them. They did a wonderful job of cleaning and I gave them each a pack of gum as a “thank you” present.


We cooked a vegetarian dinner this evening, so we’re feeling healthy. We've also started watching a new TV series called The Event



The red bits are firework remnants


2 comments:

  1. That kind of students is among the ones who will keep you teaching for many years. That's sweet that they like you so much.

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  2. What a sweet story about the girls wanting to clean your classroom. The phrase, "It is our duty," is interesting. I wonder if students in the U.S. think of anything as their "duty?" Seems like a concept that once existed, but hasn't been heard of recently.

    Nice photos!

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