Category Z

Today, I patiently awaited the arrival of my passport and visa. Sure enough . . . 

I received my identification card, which very clearly identifies that I am a TEACHER, in case you were confused . . . I'm not sure what types of benefits or sweet deals this card might bring me, hopefully they have an internationally recognized discount on beer for TEACHERS. That would be just grrreeaat. It is my health insurance card above all, as you can see from the list of "Losses" that might be incurred and their payout below. 

I also received my visa. It is the coveted, Category Z. This is a class higher than the standard travelers' visa, and enables me to stay in the country longer. . . a whole year!! Again, hopefully, it will bring to me some sweet deals, potentially for abroad travel on the Asian continent during my stay. Again, this is all speculation . . . 

In all seriousness, getting these documents today is one of the many things that makes the reality of my upcoming departure settle deeper into my consciousness. I am on the downward slope now, as we go into the month of August. What once seemed like an endless summer of leisure is rapidly realizing its end. This realization brings about feelings of joy, anxiety, excitement, and melancholy within me. Needless to say, its a little confusing to be me at this juncture. 

I cannot imagine the feelings I will have as I board Delta flight 19 in Atlanta on the morning of the 21st, knowing that I will not place my feet on U.S. soil for at least a year. I am super excited to be on a plane with four other TEACHERS (Dennis, Tiffany, Hillary, and Nathan) from SHSID. It'd be one thing if the flight were only 5 or 6 hours, where there would not be a lot of time to evaluate and re-evaluate my current life plans. However, on a direct flight lasting 18 hours, I think I might end up in the tiny bathroom on at least one occasion, staring myself down in the mirror asking, "Why?" 

Waiting

No updates lately because its not too interesting to write about waiting. But, here I go anyway. I have been waiting for my visa, my passport, and my teaching assignment (grade, classes, etc). The online class is over, and we are all doing our own thing to get ready for the year ahead.

Personally, I am navigating the line between excitement and anxiety. Thus far, I have successfully stayed on the side of excitement. I figure the anxiety will set in once I get on the Plane of Fate (as I have been affectionately calling it) from Atlanta to Shanghai. I am flying with two other people from the program who will also be at SHSID, Dennis and Tiffany. It is my assumption that this will make the whole ordeal of leaving the US for a year a little easier. 

More updates later when I actually have something to update about. Later. 

Hour-by-Hour

When life makes its own plans, one is faced with two options -- fight it or follow it. In the last year, I have done a little of both. When I finally surrendered, and began to follow life wherever it might decide to lead me, I realized that throwing away my calendar was a huge part of that. I let it go last September, and somehow navigated my way through the final year of college without a calendar and without a plan. In the process, I adopted a new philosophy -- living hour-by-hour. Turns out, it is actually a very pleasant way to live. The future is less intimidating, existing only in hour increments. 

I am now navigating the balance between living hour-by-hour and being a high school teacher in China, as I will have to do come August. I am beginning the slow integration of a calendar into this process, and finding a Moleskine at Barnes and Noble today is making that process much more enjoyable. 

This calendar will be with me everyday for the next year. I hope to fill it with exiciting plans and wonderful memories. 

Week 7 Assignment Response

The Little Prince

(Per usual, the following is intended for intermediate level high school students)

At the surface, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, is a children’s story about a pilot and the little prince he encounters while plane-wrecked in the Sahara. However, the undertones are of great philosophical inquiry concerning personal journey, development, and the maintenance of significant relationships with others. As such, it is a text that lends itself well to the language experience approach.

Because of its length, simple language, and entertaining illustrations, the students would be able to read the entirety of the book, rather than just excerpts. This would bring flow and consistently to reading, a significant aspect of any second language classroom. Additionally, it is my assumption that reading an entire book would bring students a great sense of accomplishment, and renew excitement for learning English. Because of its philosophical undertones, it also creates great opportunity for open-ended writing and discussion inside and outside of the classroom.

Additionally, the entire book (with illustrations) is online, making it easy for students to access. The link to its online form is below:

http://www.angelfire.com/hi/littleprince/introduction.html

I plan to make great use of journal writing within my classrooms. I have already discussed my plans for a Daily Observation Journal, and the following lesson plan makes use of a Reader’s Journal, which would be a mainstay in my classroom for the entire semester. I like the idea of journal writing because it is open-ended, personal, and adds a level of consistency otherwise not found in sporadic essay assignments.

There are 27 chapters in all, but they are very short, and many of the 83 pages contain vibrant illustrations. As such, it would be my plan to begin slow and read one chapter at a time. As soon as I am convinced that students are ready to read a little faster, I would start assigning more chapters at one time. It would be my hope that we spend less than ½ the semester with this book, making one day out of each week “Little Prince” day.

Below, I have formulated pre-reading, reading, and post-reading activities for Chapter 1:

Chapter 1 Summary: The author presents his first two drawings to grown ups (a boa constrictor eating an elephant). Criticism and confusion from the grown-ups causes him give up drawing and become a pilot instead of an artist.

Pre-reading activity: Open ended questions

1. When you were growing up, did you like to draw?
1. If so, what did you like to draw?
2. If not, why not? What did you do instead?
2. What did you want to be when you grew up?
1. Do you still want to be the same thing?
2. Have your goals changed? If so, why? If not, why not?

Reading activity: underline any words that are unfamiliar. DO NOT stop to define them while reading. Copy those words into your reading journal AFTER reading, and define them. Re-read the section where the word appears, and attempt to understand it in context.

Post- reading activity: Reader’s journal. Make an entry in your reader’s journal. Address one of the following questions, and compose /answer a question of your own.

1. Do you think the author is happy being a pilot?
2. Do you think the author misses being a child? Do you miss being a child?
3. Are you more like a child or more like a grown-up?

Also, please draw a boa-constrictor eating an elephant. You can do this anyway you like!

Students can volunteer to share their thoughts on the reading in the following class, and I will set the example by keeping my own reading journal for the class and volunteering to share if students are timid.

I would do the same for following chapter, making sure to include variety in activities. Sometimes we might do an art project as a post-reading activity, or watch a short video clip for a pre-reading activity. The possibilities are endless. I would also want to make use of writers’ workshops, turning various Reader’s Journal entries into more formal responses with the input and aid of peers.

Upon completion of the book, I will prompt the students with an over-arching question that addresses the themes of the book, to which they would write a well-supported, well-thought essay in response. We would share our essays with each other, and discuss what personal meanings we derived from the book. 

Shanghai High School International Division

This is where I will be teaching . . .

Check it out!!!

Yeah, they have a science course in robotics and a PE course in ping-pong. Too bad I'm not qualified to teach either of those. Perhaps they will let me take those courses, and then I can build a ping-pong playing robot. You never know . . . 

Nervewracking

I sent out my ACTUAL passport today, to China. Oh, man . . . 

I had to send it so they could process my work visa form. Looks like I won't be traveling out of the country any time soon . . . there go my summer plans . . . 

Ha, right . . . 

No Hep B for Me!

Or Hep A or Meningitis either. At this moment, I am chock-full of small amounts of live virus. Western medicine sure is strange.