Finally I have a chance to post some photos of my students in class! On Tuesday Erika observed me while I taught class 9 of my Senior 2 students, and she took some pictures. I used the song "Every Breath You Take" by The Police to teach my students this week. They were all very excited to listen to a song in English.  After listening to the entire song, I taught them some new vocab from the lyrics, had them work in groups to answer a few questions, and at the end taught them the chorus so we could stand and sing it together. 

The lesson went very well in most of my classes. During my last class on Thursday, however, we had some outside disturbances during the group work portion of the lesson. The wind started howling, and we could hear doors banging open and shut. The students on the side with the windows pulled back the curtains to see that the sky had turned dark and dust was swirling around. Then there was lightning and a deluge came pouring down. Most of the students couldn't help staring at the unusual weather. Just like back home, here it is a very dry climate and it rarely rains. It was still raining when it was time to go home and I got soaked as I walked to the street from the school grounds. 

After my classes on Friday I enlisted Lisa's help with getting a haircut. She took me to a place very near my home. It was incredible that the cost was only 20 RMB ($3.16), and they even washed my hair before and after the cut!

On Saturday afternoon, Erin helped me bargain for a new pair of walking shoes. She was able to get the seller to lower the price to 90 RMB down from 128 RMB. After I bought the shoes, Erin came with me to have dinner with Mr. Wu. He had invited me again and when he heard of my plans with Erin he invited her too! This time Mark the English teacher came again, but another of Mr. Wu's best friends, whom I had never met before, was the fourth member of the party. It seems like almost every male teacher Mr. Wu introduces to me is his "best friend"! During the meal, this best friend, another Chemistry teacher, received a phone call. Mr. Wu, Mark, and Erin started laughing after a few seconds. I asked what was so funny and they told me that the Chemistry teacher had told the person on the phone that he was having dinner with "a foreign friend". 

"He's very proud," Mark told me. 

It still feels strange to be someone who gives another person status here!

Introducing the song with the help of the smart board

Students discussing in groups 

Monitoring

My students waiting for the chorus. Can you believe how many of them have myopia?