I've been asked a number of times what we are doing in China so I thought I would devout a blog entry to that very answer.
Tammy and I work for Yew Chung International School in Qingdao China. Yew Chung is a network of International Schools based out of Hong Kong with schools in various cities in China as well as Silicon Valley USA. The school in Qingdao is the newest school and is in its 3rd year of operation. We are temporarily housed in a set of residential "villas" while our new campus is being built. The school is geared toward the children of foreign business expatriates working in China. Because of the proximity of Qingdao to South Korea, many of the school's student body comes from Korea
Tammy and I were initially hired to run the boarding program at the school. A small number of the students live at the school in "the dorms" (which are actually very nice apartments) and Tammy and I's job is to be the parent, teacher, mentors to the kids while they are staying at the school. On Friday afternoon after school the kids go home to their homes for the weekend and return to the school on Sunday nights.
However, the Year 1 & 2 teacher (what in America we would know as Kindergarten and 1st grade) position has still not been filled so Tammy and I have been asked to step in to that position as well. We share the duties with the class' Chinese co-teacher (every grade gets taught in both English and Chinese so that the children develop fluency in both languages).
In addition to that Tammy teaches secondary Art and I teach secondary Citizenship as well as Information Technology. (Again, for those in America, Secondary is what we would call middle or high school. Primary is elemenatry) Although the work load is pretty heavy between the two jobs, Tammy and I are excited about the new skills and experience we are receiving. Teaching secondary Citizenship...wow.. am I in my element. (Just asked the kid who in the last class asked me what the difference between a Democrat and a Republican was)
Likewise Tammy has REALLY enjoyed researching and teaching her secondary Art class.
Oh, and things are a little more formal and professional than what we were accustomed to in Boulder. As a teacher, I wear a tie to every class
3 comments:
Thanks for sharing your story, I was wondering. What an amazing adventure for your family.
How long will you be there?
Thanks Sherry...we signed a two year contract but would not be surprised if we were here longer
Being a teacher is my dream job, but my career chancellor kicked me out of the college and told me to gain some working experience first. haha.
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