Staff have begun to return to Wuxi, which marks the beginning of the end of the summer. New staff are also arriving, bringing nice fresh faces to our school! Two girls have gotten here already, and we're expecting another family tomorrow. It's fun meeting all of these new people, and welcoming them into our family.
I can't believe that this will be my 2nd year teaching, (unless you count the year of subbing...) The number of students in my class keeps changing, but it should be somewhere around 9-11, with the probability of growing as the year progresses. When school begins again, I'll have to train a whole new set of students. Dad--I am beginning to understand what you meant when it was hard to train a new set of students each year. I'm sure I'll understand even more once the year actually begins. There must be a special place in the heart of a teacher for their very first class. I can't believe that when the students come back on Aug. 13th, that the students I had last year won't be mine any more. I'll see them in the halls, but they aren't in my class any more...that will be a hard adjustment. However, I am looking forward to my new class! There are challenges that will come with this new group (including three boys that I know will prove QUITE challenging, since all three have difficulties sitting still, following directions, and more...) Two of them were here last year, so maybe since we already know each other, that might be able to help things along...(That's me being optimistic...)
A couple things I'm really looking forward to during the first semester:
Fall Holiday: We actually get a whole week off in October for the Chinese celebration of Fall Festival. Last year we had our conference during that week, so it wasn't really time off...This year our conference is later, so we get the whole week to ourselves!
Thailand: The conference I mentioned above is in November this year, and we get to go to Thailand! I have done so much traveling this past year, and I know I'm not close to being done. Yay for another stamp in my passport!!
Japan: I have a friend that recently moved to Japan to teach for 2 years. We were talking a vew days ago, and we're hoping to work our schedules in such a way that I might be able to visit her over Christmas break in December :) If this works out, yet another stamp for the passport! I think I'll have to get more pages added to my passport when I go home next summer. If I don't, I'll run out of space very soon with the different visas and stamps that will be put in there.
Fall Holiday: We actually get a whole week off in October for the Chinese celebration of Fall Festival. Last year we had our conference during that week, so it wasn't really time off...This year our conference is later, so we get the whole week to ourselves!
Thailand: The conference I mentioned above is in November this year, and we get to go to Thailand! I have done so much traveling this past year, and I know I'm not close to being done. Yay for another stamp in my passport!!
Japan: I have a friend that recently moved to Japan to teach for 2 years. We were talking a vew days ago, and we're hoping to work our schedules in such a way that I might be able to visit her over Christmas break in December :) If this works out, yet another stamp for the passport! I think I'll have to get more pages added to my passport when I go home next summer. If I don't, I'll run out of space very soon with the different visas and stamps that will be put in there.
Over the next 7-8 days, the rest of the staff will be trickling back! It will be nice to have everyone back again. Our apartment complex seems a lot quieter with a lot of the staff gone. I'm ready to see everyone again!!
Can't wait to see what Dad has in store for everyone over the next school year!
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