Tag Archives: my students
Lord Stabbington
The last few days of school had a lot of angst for my students as summer couples separated. I always enjoy being the older confidante in teenage adventures, but this particular situation reminded me so much of being exactly my … Continue reading
Talented
The other day, I had my students make menus and play restaurant. I’d put them in groups and let the kids choose whether to be waitstaff or customers, polite or rude. Usually this class is le tired, so I was … Continue reading
Catching On
One of my favorite things about teaching is watching my students catch on to something. These are honors kids in a digital time, so everyone has read the SparkNotes on Animal Farm and can recite on cue that it’s an … Continue reading
Chinese School After-Action Review
Chinese school is over for the semester. I’ve been teaching here for two years now, the longest time I’ve worked in one school. RACL is really a special place, I’m glad I could work here. I had the best class this semester, thanks to … Continue reading
By Any Other Name
I have a great class at Chinese school this year. Some of it is just luck. I’ve been incredibly fortunate this year not to have a single parent corner me before or after class to tell me how I should … Continue reading
This Is Just How Caesar’s Legions Got Started
My morning before class started with sleeping through the alarm, and as always, rushing set off a series of other minor catastrophes. When I saw the No Left Turn – Train sign by Chapel Hill Road, I realized I’d have to teleport … Continue reading
Leaf Subsides To Looseleaf
Reading poetry with teenagers can be such a random encounter, sometimes there’s a blank stare and complaints that no one really talks like that, sometimes they vibrate with the shock that someone from a dusty old century ever wrote a … Continue reading
Kids Today!
On Saturday, I gave my students at Chinese school a writing assignment. They were asked to imagine that ten years have passed and they’ve become hugely successful in their chosen field. They’re so successful, in fact, that they’ve been invited … Continue reading
In The Same Boat
I gave one of my classes a lesson on idioms, as part of my ongoing guest to eliminate certain abused phrases (like overuse of what a pity or using not at all as a response to thank you) from my … Continue reading
Take Care Knock Heads
In Beijing, it’s hard to get away from the Olympic improvements. I think the changes are somewhere between using the good china for company, and completely reinventing your wardrobe, habits and personality to attract some guy from history class. (Not … Continue reading
