Though I’m sure kids are generally the same all over the world, I found many of the children in Taiwan to be much more respectful than kids here in the United States. Most foreign English teachers in Taiwan find themselves with varying classes of students ranging from age 5 (technically, teaching kids age 5 and [...]
Archive for the ‘Teaching’ Category
The number one piece of advice I can give in regards to teaching English in Taiwan is this: Beware of recruiters/placement agencies. Before I first set foot in Taiwan, I’d signed up through a popular recruiting program, completing a large portion of the paperwork while still back in the U.S. The agency assured me I’d [...]
The spirit of Christmas lives. It does not matter that I’m across the world, far from home. Yesterday I heard “Jingle Bells,” coming from a buxiban down the road. Now, of course I realize that Christmas in Taiwan is pretty much commercialized (not really so different from other parts of the world though) but it’s [...]
A lot of teachers here in Taiwan do not enjoy working with the small children. I love them. Give me the little kids any day! I especially love the ones that come in knowing no English, it’s so easy to see what progress is being made with their speaking/reading. They are so interested in learning [...]
One of my little darlings said the cutest thing today in class. We are learning to say “What is it…” and respond to the question. As we were reading our book, I asked about a picture that showed a boat. “What is it?” I said. One of the children shouted out “Scooter!” Ian, one of [...]
Categories: Teaching
Things can get weird in Taiwan. Tell me again why I love this place so much? Tonight at the local night market I saw a poor tortured crab stuck inside a teensy little bottle. On sale for 300NT-about 9 US dollars. The oddities do not stop there. While I’m all too aware of the freakishly [...]
I feel like a fraud. Am I really a teacher? Much of the time, I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. While the past year teaching on this island has taught me a lot, I have to say I’m still not totally comfortable in teacher-mode, particularly with older students. I thought I had [...]
I’m overly excited for my visit back to the states. I’m sure after a few weeks I’ll be in a hurry to get back to Taiwan, but for now, I’m growing a little impatient.:) It’s bittersweet. The sad thing is that there’s a good chance I may never see any of my children again. I [...]
I have to say that I’m really looking forward to 2010. I think this will be an amazing year. So much has happened the past few months to change my life in positive ways and I have a feeling that 2010 will hold great things for myself and those I love. I wish all my [...]
Feeling a little despondent tonight. And alone. I suppose I’m worried about the Christmas show and my student performances but I know I have to have faith in them (and in myself). It’s also hard being away from home right now but I’m an adult and circumstances such as this are part of life. Really, [...]
