Teaching...

I have been in China for over two months. I have been teaching that long too....it's been a very interesting experience..I have been able to teach people from ages 4-60 years old. I teach about forty hours a week and it's been a bit stressful. I have had the wonderful opportunity to teach children. I teach them about five days a week. Now, I thought I was a pretty patient person..okay so not really. When teaching these children I feel almost drained at the end of class. They just suck the energy out of me, they have sooo much, it's not like they need mine as well. Haha, interesting.
So today I went to a place called Wu Da Hua Yuan, I teach five children there. Their names are Lily, Pie, Sunny, Coco, and Coddy. Lets just say that sunny and coco are really good students. They love to listen to me and repeat after me, but.....coddy, lily and pie like to not listen. It takes ever ounce of self control to not get mad at them. I just want to yell and tell them to be quiet but in the long run I know that truly won't help them, it'll probably make them really not want to listen and it's just not nice. So instead of getting mad I just tell them if they are not quiet in about five seconds I am going to tickle them. That seems to help a little.
I don't know how to control Lily, she loves to bite and bug and do what ever she likes to do. She likes to take peoples glasses off and poke and....argh...she is a bit frustrating. Okay not a bit, she truly is testing my patience every time I go there. I love her, and she is one cute girl, when she knows she has done something wrong she will give you a big kiss on the cheek. So, it's hard to stay mad at her for a long period of time.
I also taught another class today, again it was a test of my patience...it was a class of three kids. Two three of them boys, they are very active and hou yaih kids. They just won't pay attention and I am not sure how to get them to pay attention, I try my best but it seems not to be enough. Its a bit frustrating because sometimes all I want to do is just sit there and let them run wild...but I know that is not my job. The TA's are a little afraid of the parents so they have a hard time telling their parents they are not listening in class. I understand, I would be afraid to...its human nature to be afraid of adults. And telling a parent their kid is naughty doesn't help any..
This school that I am teaching at called Stand Out English really isn't a set school, and what I mean by that is that it's not through another school like a college or high school. It's a privately owned school and so it's almost like tutoring the students more than giving them a grade. Sometimes I think that is a big problem because they don't like to do homework, they don't get graded on it so why do it? So it causes problems. I am hoping they are going home and looking at the book when they are not at school.
I also get the opportunity to teach a TOEFL class....I am not sure how well that is going. You see my english isn't that good either, yes I am an american but teaching the grammar is a different thing. Haha, sometimes students ask me questions and I can't answer them because I don't know. So, I have homework of my own to do!!! Intersting, I am a teacher and I have homework.
This teaching experience has helped me grow...I am serious. I used to be a very shy person, if I had the opportunity to go to china three years ago and teach I probably would have had a harder time going. I actually did have the opportunity to go in 2003 but I didn't have the money. Guess it wasn't right at the time. I have learned alot and I am hoping to write it down on paper or on my blog. Most of what I write doesn't make sense so It's almost like my journal. It's good!!!
Okay, so this is a really long blog and If you have made it through this far reading it I comend you...It doesn't really make that much sense.
I have learned that english is harder than it looks. I have learned how it is living with three men...how to have patience. I have learned to live on my own..well sort of( I don't have to pay rent) I have learned how to get along by myself. How to make friends. How to survive with just me, how to rely on Jesus Christ more. I have learned alot about myself. How strong I really am.