So what have I been up to? Lets start with how my teaching is going while I try and recall what's actually been going on...
As the weeks have passed things, teaching wise, have got both better and worse. I actually think I am becoming a better teacher! I'm much more confident with the children and I only feel slight anxiety now which is better than the extreme panic I was feeling before. Lesson planning, structuring and delivery have also got better. The school has told me what I need to teach the children ("just follow the textbook" ...) but I feel like i'm getting better at making the lessons exciting and valuable. At the moment I'd say my favourite grade is grade 2, because they seem easier to entertain etc. Grade 5 seem a bit "ohh but we want to do homework"ish but still anything is better than the chaos of grade 3.
Last Friday was definatly the best day so far. Before I left England I bought a big bag of used stamps from all around the world from WHSmiths, and I used them as rewards for pupils who got the answer correct in the fastest time. They absolutly LOVED IT. Some people actually got upset about not getting stamps, and at the end of the lesson I was swamped by people wanting more!
Grade 2 was also good that day. The lesson was going to be about the different types of fruits so first I asked them what kind of fruits they knew. They actually knew alot already (which seems the common thing in this school and it makes you sometimes wonder if you're actually needed at all) so we played a game. This game included the children having to guess what fruits I had in my bag. Before I lesson I had been to one of the street stalls and bought a pineapple! I already had a apple and an orange as well as some pictures of other fruits, drawn by me or otherwise...
The children found it hillarious when I pulled out this big pineapple out of my bag! It was a good moment.
Outside of teaching I didn't get a chance to do much cultural things on Thursday as it rained the whole day and I really couldn't face it. On friday Night we went to Bar Hulu for the 4th time. They must know my name by now. The cool thing about that time was that I didn't pay! I had a wrist band left over from the last time, well actually I have 2 ristbands, so I just walked straight in. ACE.
Saturday was fun. Me, Betty (A swedish friend who's studying mandarin here) and two of her friends went looking for music shops! It was brilliant because it's the first musical thing I've done since I left. Of course we bought three guitars between the four of us as you do. I went for the cheapest one in the shop ( a cool 260RMB - 26pounds). It's a sweet AXE...
Also Jessie said she'd find out about having lessons in the Erhu which would be so amazing! I've also been trying to find a good Karate/martial arts club but with little success so far. They are here but I don't know if they are OK for English people to go to.
I'm having a brilliant time at the moment, I really feel like i'm settling into the Shanghai life. I'm also enjoying showing off my crazy mandarin skills as well, I'd really like to get better. Maybe I need to do some sort of mandarin course or somethingg.
Anyway I hope you are well!
Ben
PS. Thanks for the letter Charlie.
PPS. If you want to post me things the address is:
Ben Holding
Room 1
no. 261 Hunan road
200031
Shanghai
China
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