College has started and students have come back to school after being gone for 6 months, so I wasn’t surprised when a few students contacted me to ask if I was still on campus. But I was surprised when they said they wanted to see me and give me flowers.
The Year of the Bullet Journal!
Sorry for a New Years post a few days after Jan 1st, but things have been a little rough over here in the Becky household. I ended up going in and out of the hospital the last few weeks of the year and I was too tired to do anything
The Start of my Tenth Year
It’s impossible to believe, but I am beginning my tenth year in China. It also means it’s my tenth year as a teacher making it the longest job I’ve ever held. Despite that, I almost never think of myself as a teacher. When someone asks me “what do you do?”
Tutoring Kids in China
I’ve always taught college kids because I don’t like to teach basics. You need to understand English fluently for me to want to teach you which pretty much rules out any child. Until Lion. My friend moved away from Xiamen about a year ago and asked me if I wanted
Being the Token English Speaker
“Becky, I think I made a friend mad,” a student wrote to me out of the blue. “What happened?” I asked. “I asked one of the foreign teachers for some help looking over my resume and he refused and was angry,” she said. “What did he say?” I asked feeling
Teaching English in China–Final Exams!
Three years ago I came up with a great idea for the final exam in speaking class: each student has to teach 20 minutes of class. I did it once, three years ago, and haven’t had the opportunity to do it again…until this semester. With thirty students in a class
Happy Easter from China
Happy Easter from my little bunnies to you.
How do my Chinese Students See Themselves?
Like most things in China, getting your schedule and class list is a last minute thing. Despite it being prepared months ago, I didn’t get my schedule until three days before class started. And I only got it that early because I bugged as many people as I could. (If
How to (Successfully) Find a School to Teach in China—and Announcing my Next Destination!
I have the signed contract and visa paperwork in hand so I think it is only fitting to finally announce where I’m going next year. (I wanted to wait till it was legal before I jinxed anything.) Next September I’ll be teaching in the beautiful seaside city of….Xiamen. I know,
The Class that Took a Lifetime to Prepare (Literally)
Sorry, I’ll admit this is a long post about my favorite students and class that maybe no one will find interesting except for a few foreign teachers who have done something similar. I know it’s going to be a bit boring for my readers at large, but hey, it’s my