back to school

Today (actually last week, but I've posted this on Sunday) was the first day of classes back from the National Day vacation. I had a total of three one-and-a-half hour classes of "Advanced Oral English". I've really begun to pick up on each class' unique personality. Some classes are quiet and slow to respond to questions while others are visibly engaged and talkative. My goal now is to make the quiet classes more active. I've started writing down people's names who volunteer in class, and it's really improved the student's attention.

I did a lesson on relationships and dating in the United States. We started with dating vocabulary including, "Blind date, double date, to go steady, and to go Dutch". Then, I split the class into groups of five and read five true or false questions about dating and relationships in the United States:

1. Most Americans begin dating in Middle School or High School
2. Americans usually have many boyfriends or girlfriends
3. Americans exchange wedding bands after getting married
4. Couples in the US usually go Dutch when paying for a bill
5. The divorce rate in the United States is ____ %

My last class really had fun with the questions and I was pleased to see some really heated discussions taking place. I think the divorce rate question was the favorite because no one knew exactly what it was. Most students guessed around 60-70%. Just in case you were wondering, the US census puts it around 52-53%. We then turned the questions around and talked about what the situation was like in China. Most students agreed that in China, the divorce rate was around 10-15%. I haven't been able to verify it, but it's an interesting statistic nonetheless. In my last class of the day, I had planned on doing an activity involving describing and drawing the ideal bachelor and bachelorette, but instead we ended up having a 40 minute talk about the reasons why the rate is so much higher in the United States than it is in China. Some students volunteered really insightful arguments regarding understandings of personal freedom, traditional vs. modern ways of thinking, and even women's rights. I wished I had some taped recording of what was said. It was by far the best class I've had at CWNU.

I'm also still getting the hang of hospitality here in China. I've had a lot of students ask me to get lunch or dinner or go downtown. It is customary when a boy and a girl get a meal for the boy to pay the entire bill - no questions asked. When discussing relationships in my oral English classes, students all agreed that going Dutch is completely unheard of in China while in the United States it is culturally acceptable. When I go out with students, I consistenly make an effort to pay especially when I know the bill is expensive. Sometimes I am successful, but other times I'm not. I know students have considerable less money than I do; very few of them have jobs, they tend to receive little money from their parents, and (especially at CWNU) the majority are from less developed rural villages. I feel guilty letting the students pay, but if I'm invited I know I should just shut up and let them. Despite paying for the bill, I always enjoy eating dinner with students because it's a good chance to talk about things beyond 'Where are you from?' and 'What do you think about China?' The following is a picture from a dinner I had a few days ago with some juniors of mine (left to right: Kristen, Joy, and Louise).

On Friday, I had my first lesson with my new Chinese teacher. Her English name is Sure, though I've forgotten her Chinese name already. Most Chinese names go in one ear and out the other because the words are just so foreign still. Sure is 24-years-old and teaches English and Chinese at CWNU. She's been trained in teaching Chinese to foreigners and taught the Peace Corps couple who just finished their service. I have two lessons a week for one hour at a time. The Peace Corps reimburses me for tutoring fees up to 400 kuai a month, and I've arranged to give her all 400 kuai. When she left, she went through my DVD collection and took 'School of Rock' and 'Bowling for Columbine'. It'll be interesting to see what she thought of 'Bowling'.

On a side note - yesterday, wikipedia (in English) was removed from the list of banned sites within China. Wikipedia in Chinese still remains censored and inaccessible in mainland China. This is great not only because now I can much more easily find some facts and tidbits I can use in class, but it is also a symbol of relaxing government internet and information censorship standards.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/16/technology/16wikipedia.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin