My Taiwan Adventure

A success! For one brief shining moment I felt like Robin Williams in the movie where he plays an English teacher and makes students stand on a desk and shout motivational quotes. (Dead Poet's Society) I managed to channel an angry student's rage in class and got everybody's attention in the process. Not an easy thing to do with a junior high boy's class! I'll spare you the details but who knew that teaching the meaning of the word PROP could end up being so entertaining and fulfilling? Suffice to say it has made me feel on top of the world to have this success. And I have to celebrate these small things.

I have written at the top of my daytimer "4th Week as a teacher - LIGHTEN UP!" as I need to remind myself that perfection and the need to be right hampers my ability to get close to the students. When I am less worried about being perfect I find that I communicate much better with the students which is key in keeping their attention.

My ability today to scrap an entire lesson plan and adapt to the student's behavior was nothing short of a MIRACLE. (Thanks to the higher power in my life!) Hence I have cause to celebrate as the day has ended with a successful class. I would not say it was the best of classes that I have taught but it demonstrated something to me. That I can be in control of a classroom and yet still serve the student's needs without rigidly plodding along with tasks and activities as written and planned. That is not to say that I threw my plan out the window. I had a goal in mind and I believe I achieved that goal I just didn't do it in the manner I had charted. No worries? *laughing* Well, not quite... I'm still a nervous nelly but I'm learning.

Today was not all perfect by any stretch of the imagination. It just ended so well that is what I'm choosing to focus on. And isn't that the way life should be... being positive and feeling so ALIVE that you're grateful? I've been very up and down over the last little while and am highly aware that this is taking up a lot of my energy. I know I need to manage these feelings so that I do not end up getting burned out or sick. I am working on balancing work with home and social life.


This is a photo of my "photo corner" in my apartment.
I've posted some things that are special to me. I'm going to add more memories and photos as I collect them. (Send your picture to be included!) My photo album is still down in ChangHua and I'm finding that I want it more and more each day. It is getting close to time to do another run to collect the last of my belongings from my friend's house there.

There is quote that I've posted on my wall that I have carried with me since High School that I find keeps me going day after day:

"The true test of character is not how much we know how to do but how we behave when we don't know what to do." - John Holtz

Last night when I was really sad and disconnected from the world around me I got off the bus a couple of stops early. I'm glad I acted on that impulse because it gave me a chance to explore one of the art stores near my house. I bought a set of acrylic paints, some gesso, and some brushes. Now all I need is to get some canvas or just start painting on the paper that I already have. I'm pretty happy about the whole thing. I spent just over $20 Cdn on the supplies and that's pretty reasonable for something that is going help me maintain personal sanity.

This is such a change from the life I was living behind the computer in Calgary that I marvel at times at how I ended up here. The surreal feeling is slowly wearing off and I'm finding myself in the sudden depths of being Miss Teacher. *laughing* In my head I am writing poetry about teachers, teaching and the passion and effort that it takes. I am so grateful for the good teachers I have had in my life. Is it possible that someday I might become one of the teachers that students think of fondly later in their lives? Are all teachers this introspective about their experiences?

Posted by T. Destiny in Taiwan at 6:31 PM

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