18 May 2011

Middle School

As part of our teaching duties, each week we arrive on the campus of Senior Middle School #4.
This is a key (magnet) school with about 2000 high school students, and even comes with its own small observatory.
Students wear uniforms (track suits) and each day line up for exercise.  
Twice a day the students mop their classrooms and hallways, an essential task given the recent sand storms we've been experiencing. 
We spend one class observing the Chinese teacher who uses the traditional lecture, drill and repeat style. Although this is an English class, most of it is conducted in Chinese. 
And then we teach a class in English. We're the first foreign teacher most of these students have ever had, so we enjoy an almost celebrity status.