I work at Tung Hai Elementary School 東海國小 in Taitung City 台東市. Here was my Tuesday...
From 7:50 to 8:40 AM we had a staff meeting. I brought in an armload of assignments to correct, just so I'd have something to do. You would think that the most boring staff meeting would be better than the worst of my classes, but I have never found this to be the case. Even the WORST of my classes is still better than ANY of the staff meetings. Staff meetings are, in other words, the bane of my existence.
During the meeting, various coworkers talked about various things. Someone talked about earthquake preparedness. Someone else talked about our upcoming English-language mentor program. After everyone reported, the principal offered comments on what everyone had said. He also commented on his own comments from last week's staff meeting. Our principal is a great one for comments.
From 8:40 to 11:10 I taught three of the fourth grade classes. The subject of my lesson was numbers and colors. First I showed them a series of flashcards, then I passed these flashcards out. Students had to come up to the front as I said phrases such as "one red ant" or "two blue dogs." After than we played hot potato, and then there was a worksheet featuring a story and a coloring exercise. At the end we played a game.
And the thing is that I really liked this lesson last week, when I wrote it. But by now I've taught it to 12 classes, and the repetition is really getting to me. It could be the most fantastic, enthralling lesson in the world, and after the fourth or fifth time it will still be intensely boring.
Ah well. This is my life.
From 11:10 to about 12 I had a free period. During this time I was correcting assignments from today and yesterday. I was also writing this entry in my blog. But not so much.
From 12 to 1:30 I ate lunch and took a nap. Our lunch today consisted of rice, pork, and vegetables. I never drink the soup. Most of the teachers in my office sit together at a big table to eat their lunch, but I return to my desk to eat it. I just don't like trying to have a conversation when I'm eating, and I also don't like feeling crowded.
From 1:30 to 2:20 I had another free period, so I used this time to prepare for tomorrow's English clubs. These clubs are starting tomorrow, and I want to be well-prepared for them. These clubs are usually more demanding than my regular classes, but they are also more interesting for me to teach.
From 2:20 to 3 I taught one of the fifth grade classes. This was pretty much the same lesson I used with the fourth graders this morning, but after the rest period I found it much less irritating. I keep telling myself that this "review period" will end soon, and after this period the classes for each grade won't be quite so similar.
From 3 to 4 is my prep time, but I have almost everything finished. This means that I can sit here, and type this!
Showing posts with label schedule. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schedule. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Elementary School in Taiwan
I teach in a public elementary school in Taitung 台東, Taiwan. I also have two daughters enrolled in my school. For these two reasons, I know a fair bit about elementary schools around the island.
To clarify: I was hired by the Taitung County Government 臺東縣政府 as a Foreign English Teacher 英語外籍教師 in 2006. I worked for two years in Tung Hai Junior High School 東海國中, also in Taitung, and later transferred to Tung Hai Elementary School 東海國小, which is just up the street. My work at Tung Hai Elementary is full time, and I have no other duties at any other school.
What I say about my school may not be true for all elementary schools in Taiwan, but can be taken as an example of what most elementary schools in Taiwan are like.
Our school day starts at 7:50, and ends at 4 each day, Monday to Friday. Kids in grades 1 and 2 have half days every day except Tuesday. Kids in grades 3 and 4 have half days on Wednesday and Friday. Kids in grades 5 and 6 only get half days on Wednesday.
Kids in our school study Math, Chinese, Social Studies, Health, PE, Taiwanese, Science, Art, and the very young kids get a Dance class, or at least they did last semester. Kids in grades 3 to 6 study English, which is where I come into the picture. I have nothing to do with grades 1 and 2, since they don't study English.
Many kids in our school hate Math passionately, Chinese less so. Math and Chinese are the subjects that most classes tend to focus on, given that homeroom teachers carry the responsibility for these subjects. Our school has three subject teachers for English, two Taiwanese English teachers and myself. The Taiwanese English teachers have each class twice a week, but teach only two grades apiece, while I have each class once a week, but teach all of the grades.
Aside from the above, there is the usual slew of activities. There are clubs on Wednesday afternoon - one of which is my English club - and also the field trips once a semester, the Sports Day once a year, and a graduation ceremony for the grade 6 kids in June. The big vacations are Chinese New Year and Summer Vacation, with a sprinkling of other holidays between these two major events.
A lot of people complain about the homework in Taiwan, but I haven't found it to be much worse than homework in the States. Grades 5 and 6 tend to have a lot more homework, but even this is nothing compared to what they have to deal with in junior high school. My older daughter, who's in grade 5, tends to have 2-3 pieces of homework each day, usually Math, Chinese, and another subject. When people here complain about homework (as with tests), they are usually lumping the elementary classes in with the cram school classes.
There is also a lot of fuss over tests in Taiwan, but I haven't seen much to get worried over. I have helped write the English tests for my school, and also watched the students take tests in the other subjects. If they have studied enough, they do OK. It is the kids that get lazy and/or discouraged that have to watch out. Tests are administered three times a semester, but I wouldn't regard them as a crushing burden.
I must add that there is a quite a bit of difference between Taitung, where I live, and Taipei. The testing environment in Taipei carries with it a lot more stress, mostly because people in big cities tend to compare and compete in everything. Kids in Taitung derive less of their self-worth from tests, and I can't see that as a bad thing.
To clarify: I was hired by the Taitung County Government 臺東縣政府 as a Foreign English Teacher 英語外籍教師 in 2006. I worked for two years in Tung Hai Junior High School 東海國中, also in Taitung, and later transferred to Tung Hai Elementary School 東海國小, which is just up the street. My work at Tung Hai Elementary is full time, and I have no other duties at any other school.
What I say about my school may not be true for all elementary schools in Taiwan, but can be taken as an example of what most elementary schools in Taiwan are like.
Our school day starts at 7:50, and ends at 4 each day, Monday to Friday. Kids in grades 1 and 2 have half days every day except Tuesday. Kids in grades 3 and 4 have half days on Wednesday and Friday. Kids in grades 5 and 6 only get half days on Wednesday.
Kids in our school study Math, Chinese, Social Studies, Health, PE, Taiwanese, Science, Art, and the very young kids get a Dance class, or at least they did last semester. Kids in grades 3 to 6 study English, which is where I come into the picture. I have nothing to do with grades 1 and 2, since they don't study English.
Many kids in our school hate Math passionately, Chinese less so. Math and Chinese are the subjects that most classes tend to focus on, given that homeroom teachers carry the responsibility for these subjects. Our school has three subject teachers for English, two Taiwanese English teachers and myself. The Taiwanese English teachers have each class twice a week, but teach only two grades apiece, while I have each class once a week, but teach all of the grades.
Aside from the above, there is the usual slew of activities. There are clubs on Wednesday afternoon - one of which is my English club - and also the field trips once a semester, the Sports Day once a year, and a graduation ceremony for the grade 6 kids in June. The big vacations are Chinese New Year and Summer Vacation, with a sprinkling of other holidays between these two major events.
A lot of people complain about the homework in Taiwan, but I haven't found it to be much worse than homework in the States. Grades 5 and 6 tend to have a lot more homework, but even this is nothing compared to what they have to deal with in junior high school. My older daughter, who's in grade 5, tends to have 2-3 pieces of homework each day, usually Math, Chinese, and another subject. When people here complain about homework (as with tests), they are usually lumping the elementary classes in with the cram school classes.
There is also a lot of fuss over tests in Taiwan, but I haven't seen much to get worried over. I have helped write the English tests for my school, and also watched the students take tests in the other subjects. If they have studied enough, they do OK. It is the kids that get lazy and/or discouraged that have to watch out. Tests are administered three times a semester, but I wouldn't regard them as a crushing burden.
I must add that there is a quite a bit of difference between Taitung, where I live, and Taipei. The testing environment in Taipei carries with it a lot more stress, mostly because people in big cities tend to compare and compete in everything. Kids in Taitung derive less of their self-worth from tests, and I can't see that as a bad thing.
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