An American in China: School Started! :D

Yesterday was the first day of school! Oh my, I LOVED it :) After spending the first week decorating the classroom and the second week preparing lessons, I was so happy to fill it with beautiful children! :D They are all filled with such innocence and sweetness it makes you want to gather them all up and take them all home with you! Oh their smiles are to die for! And I’m so proud of myself! I can tell them all apart by name! (well…their English names haha) Even the identical twins, Carl and Nick (Why is it that parents of twins always feel so inclined to dress their children exactly the same? Trust me; every one already knows they’re related).

This is Mark (I later learned). I love him
even when he's like this all day :)

There was a frustrating factor however, on the issue of how many hours I’m supposed vs. actually working. Like I mentioned before, the program outlines only working 15-20 hours a week, and the school is demanding 40 hours. We’re not supposed to work 40 hours unless we’re being paid (but it’s illegal to get paid unless you have a degree), so my program coordinator negotiated with the school coordinator, yet both of them came to different conclusions hahaha. Considering the fact that they are both Chinese, this was VERY typical. So I insinuated a skype conference call with the two and explained in blunt words what the other person was saying. The call ended with the usual “I will talk to so and so and fix it”. So finally I asked Phyllis (the school’s coordinator), “If I cannot work the 40 hours, do you have to find a new teacher?” She replied, “no no no, I like you!” “Haha thank you, but that’s not what I asked. If I do not work 40 hours, do you need to find a new teacher?” “Yes.” Was her reply. So I went back to the room rather frustrated and sat at a desk.

There was a little 3-year-old boy (see picture) who had been struggling all day long because he missed his mom. He was constantly moaning, sobbing, screaming, or whining, and it was 2 hours into nap time and he was doing a moaning routine. He was definitely over tired, and really needed to nap. He didn’t have an English name yet and I can’t speak Chinese, so it was rather difficult to try and communicate with him. But I scooped him up and started HUMMING ‘I Am a Child of God’ and he instantly stopped crying. The other teachers were so excited when he stopped crying. He fell asleep in about two minutes, and I just got to hold him with his little body all warm and sweet. And then I realized something (I don’t know why it never donned on me earlier). I never had a problem with the hours, so I texted my director and told him I wanted to work all 40 for free. He didn’t believe me at first, hahaha. I came here to teach and to love the little children, and I can’t really do that if I’m not there. I have already made a bond with these children, especially this little one; they know me. What else would I be doing? I can still travel on the weekends, so it doesn’t matter! They are all so beautiful and wonderful, I’m loving every minute of it :)