The Last Week

This is Monday and I just finished lunch with Shelley and Harry. They are both off to the Museum to buy something that Shelley and I saw when we were there two weekends ago. It is a beautiful laquered plate and I hope that it is still there. They will probably be back to class before it is over.

This morning we sang, "I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly". The students sang along quite lustily and enjoyed it. However, I was not very successful in making them smile after reading them a limerick. I tried about 8 of them so that they could get the rythym and the humor but all of the limericks fell fairly flat. Sometimes the words were new, (and I explained ever line) or the humor didn't translate to the Chinese culture. I gave up and went on to a bigger project. I have broken the class into 3 groups of 6 students each and asked each to prepare a television program involving the Olympics. This is their project and they can do whatever they want. I suggest that one person be the Anchor person, others reporters and athletes, maybe an expert or two and certainly a weather person. All the groups got into very animated discussions about what they will present and they will work on it the next two evenings. After seeing how these students get involved and love to do projects, I will not be surprised if they surprise me with very inventively clever TV shows. Each group picked a TV station and they are now on their own. They spent nearly 1 1/2 hours constantly talking among themselves. They are absolutely comfortable speaking English among themselves. While not quite so relaxed when talking to a native American person, they are clearly much better than when we started.

We bought an XL t-shirt yesterday that barely fits me, and just about fits Shelley. It has the name of the school on it and some Chinese writing, but the critical aspect is that it is white. I brought it to class and asked each student to use a permanent red or black ink pen and write his or her names on it, i.e., their Chinese name and their American name that they chose when they entered this class. They filled up the back and saved the front for the PM class.

For tomorrow, I have asked, (following Shelley's suggestion) that each student write down any question that they would like to ask about America. I have repeatedly asked for questons, but
most students are still shy about voluntarily speaking out to me. But if they can first write the question, I am sure that they will have plenty to ask.

I closed the session with a final articultion review, much like we started just two weeks ago. Shelley was in the audience and noted that there was a significant and noticeable
improvement. That pleased me greatly, because I hear the big difference but wasn't sure that I wasn't seeing that result in order to justify my efforts.

This PM class will be a repeat of the morning. Friday is the day we give the students their evaluation, (all will be very positive and encouraging. the undergraduate grades do not count in their record so we should not be concerned even if we give some constructive criticism.). After the morning evaluation, which will be a joint venture between my partner and me because we have the same students in the AM and PM, we will have a joint party, say tearful goodbyes and be free for the PM. Thursday will be the day that my classes present their TV shows. Wednesday will be one hour shortened for both classes so that my partner and I can get together and evaluate the students. So tomorrow is the last real full teaching day. As with all trip for me, I am always eager to enjoy the time until the last day or so. Then I get a bit antsy and ready to go. And that is how I know I will feel very shortly. Home is just around the corner.

Love to you all. Shelley and I miss you all, (and good American food, be it Italian, Thai, Japanese, etc. ) Stay well and we will talk to you all soon.