2008-08-29

Big Change

There is an saying goes: "You'll never know what comes next !" I think, it is so true. One moment, I was planing on having a baby; the next moment, the plan was abruptly suspended!


It is all because I am moving back to where I was a year ago. But, this time, I am moving back alone without my husband.


Thing started when I received a voice mail from the English department. They had called to ask if I was still keen to take a position in school. (Of course, I was ~~)


In fact, back in June, I tried to apply for a part-time position in my alma mater. But both the English department and the English language center had told me they weren't short of teachers. More, they told me I was a bit too late since they started recruiting teachers some time earlier and had filled in all positions.


I wasn't so dissappointed with it because I am not an aggressive person when it comes to job-hunting. I am too lazy to send out resume and go around for interviews. Besides, most of the time, the jobs I sought by myself didn't came out with results. So, basically, I was always hunted by the jobs that needed me. That's why I've been making living by teaching English for so long. I don't complain much of what I work for living, even though I don't think I deserve to be like this either !!!


However, just like what I just said: You will never know what comes next. Since 2 weeks ago, I was so lucky that I had been offered by different people for different jobs. One wanted me to consider tutoring her kids. The other asked me to contact her friend in publishing house for a translating position. At the same time, I got more hours from the language center I worked, which had tired my throat out and had caused some damage to it.


I didn't give it a much thought when my school asked if I could help out in such a late notice. I said, " I am eager to be back in Taichung and I am highly interested in teaching some thing more professional." I even told them I was planing on getting a further degree and definitely, university provided a more resourceful environment for studying and the part-time teaching job would be a great plus on my resume. That's it~~~I am going back to Providence University to be an instructor.

This opportunity has definitely push me forward to the goal I set for my life. I always wanted to work in universities. But then, my hubby and I will have to live apart. We have only been married for 7 months, and we're living apart soon. That doesn't sound too good for newly-weds, furthermore, we were even hoping to have a baby.

I don't know how thing is going to turn out. I have an extensive experience in teaching, but to lieteature intruction, it will be my first. Just wait and see~~I guess.

I've already consulted my classmates and friends in school about the regulations they have for part-time instructors. They've shared their thinking and opinions.

Taking this part-time position is hardly going to cover my expense. The payment for part-timer is meanly scarce ~~~ I'll have to look for more jobs.

God blesses me !!!! May I have a better future with enough money to live on~~~~~

2008-08-20

What happened to our kids?

Nothing upset me more than teaching a bunch of dull heads. They sit there staring at you with their eyes filled with emptiness. They don't response to your questions? Even though, the questions are so simple. I always wonder...Is it that the questions being too simple which makes them idiotic to answer me or is it because they can't understand the explanation I put in class?

Well.....I am not the only one who gets the feeling like this. Receptionists in our language center confirms my feeling over those youngster we have this year in school.

Are our genes degenerating???? Because Taiwan is producing students who are dull, nerdy and empty-headed. They have no reaction over their schoolwork or daily life and of course they don't have the common senses that many adults take for granted. They are like the living dead. All they react to is the fashion trend. They know well of every brand that sells, every popular icon or idol, every hit in high-tech industry. But they don't seem to know what's going on in the world they live. Which I mean, the skills they need to require to be humans, such as: the proper interpersonal interation with others!!!!

There were times, when my students tried to converse with me by an opening sentence like----
" Don't you think The Mummy 3 was a fantastic movie?" or "I used to live near a chiropractor."

Well.....hello.......? Where were we? What had lead our conversation here? This sort of situation happened in the middle of class when I asked them if they had questions over the Eng. grammar I just mentioned. And there they were, popped out a sentence that was totally irrelevant~~~

My assumption for this is: They might just want to show their fondness for my class to me by saying something to express that they like the ways I teach in class.
This is how I've conviced myself to believe. Or else, I don't know how to explain the circumstances I ran into?

This morning, I had one little girl in my class. She was probably 9 or 10 years old.
When I asked students to think of all the adjectives they'd learned before. This little girl was the most active one in class who links one after another.

From her, I realize, the skill that my other students lack is the "imagination", the ability to associate one thing with another. Normally, if one mentioned the word "fat", the word "thin" should appear in the other's head." That's the normal relation that one should have come up!

But the students we have this year don't have this ability. They don't~~~ It takes them a long long time to squeeze a word.

It is rather strange that from the education system we have here in Taiwan, they should have received at least 6-8 years English courses in school and still, they aren't able to spit an adjective.

Isn't it infuriating?????

To speak from the other way around, there are, in fact, students that are brilliant, smart and talented.

They show their intelligence in early ages and surprise older people like me. They learn quick, think quick, reponse quick over everything. They never seem to absorb enough and they ask a lot of questions.

Our youngsters are growing to extreme ends~~ That's terrifying!!
This worries us olders people because it becomes a tougher challenge to help your kids fit into the society we are heading toward in the future, doesn't it?