The new iPhone 3G S just launched. I TOTALLY WANT ONE. I wanted one when they first came out a long time ago, but back then, they signed with AT&T, and I was a diehard Verizon fan. But now I’m in Taiwan, I’m getting one sometime this year.
And the main reason why I’m getting it? So I can write in Chinese. No more pinyin or zhuyin or any of that stuff. At least I’ll be motivated to learn to write bettter.
Ok, so maybe that’s not the main reason why, but they’re just so cool. Enough said.
It’s that time of year again – parent-teacher meetings.
This semester was a bit different, as opposed to one-on-one meetings, they decided to do a group meeting. I’ve been kind of dreading it because I can deal with a parent at a time, but a classroom full of parents would be more difficult. Of course, I was told last minute that I had do a presentation on the materials we use, how I run class, and then some Q&A time. So then it became public speaking 101 all over again. I decided I would wing it since I should know this stuff, right. And there’s a reason why we each have a Chinese teacher there to serve as a buffer/translate.
For my second graders, six of the seven students’ parents showed. They each had a stack of their kid’s workbooks and essays in front of them. They flipped through them, I did my spiel, and then they each asked a question about how their kid was doing. The second graders were brought in, and we did a quick example of how we do things in class and to show our interaction. The parents had no more questions, and so it was over. Just like that. I was shocked. The whole thing took 30 minutes, and as the last parent walked out, the Chinese teacher and I exchanged bemused smiles and shrugs as to why it went so efficiently.
The next day was the fifth graders’ turn. Four of the eight parents signed up to come, and only one showed up. I don’t know if by not coming does it mean that the parents feel that they don’t want to waste time meeting with me, or they are so satisfied with their child’s work and progress that they feel that it’s unnecessary. I like to assume the latter. Although I have noticed the trend that the older the students are, the less parents come. I suppose by this age, the kids should be learning to handle their own business now.
One more month until the end of the school year!
Because I’m on this side of the world, I feel that it’s only appropriate to at least make an acknowledgment of the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square. It shocks me that college students in China now have no idea what happened 20 years ago due to censorship.
I’ve never really followed Taiwanese politics while in the States. I never knew who the president was, what the parties meant, and what the economy was like. Now as a witness to public protests and even my boyfriend’s mother is a strong green advocate, I can’t help but try to understand it all. I’m starting to have my own opinions and understanding how difficult it can be for Taiwan and its leaders to make the right decisions in the country’s best interest based on its current circumstances.
Although, I’ve always rooted for the underdog.
In second grade, the directions were to make a sentence with “manners”.
“Today I didn’t see the sewer don’t [have] cover so I drop inside and my mother asked what manners with you.”
In fifth grade, I asked them to tell me about some big changes that families go through.
- having a baby
- parents getting a divorce
- when your father… no no, your uncle, want to be a girl
Then yesterday, I get this line.
“Not very no more need to do.”
I have no idea what he was trying to say. I wrote it up on the board for help, and no one could translate.
