Hey guys,

I just came back from a week in Korea.

It was great fun.

I saw many things and places.

I ate many things.

And I learned a lot about who I am!

What?

Yes, I'll tell you later.

Now I am sorting through my 870 pictures!

 

Cheers,

LeTouriste

Hey guys,

 

Do you remember P. I used to call him my little dumb kid. Well, he is almost normal, but his

behavior has resumed being violent. It isn't pinching as before, its pushing, bumping, shocking and

slapping. I am really upset with this violence and I can't help but wonder where he gets it from?

Could it be me, his family or TV? I can't speak for the latter two because I am unaware of his familial situation

or of his TV watching habits. So, I have to look at myself. Am I violent? No, not overtly. Could I possibly be violent

covertly. I mean that I will not hit a child, nor will I raise my voice too much (except on some unexpected occasions). But,

I will sit a child quickly if I see him be violent to others, I will also slid a sitting child back to his position on a line (most kids

find this funny). Can these actions be interpretated by children as acts of violence? Can they look at this behavior and think

that their teacher is embracing violence? I am not sure that they aren't. Hence, I have to quickly modify my behavior, so that

I don't give kids that impression anymore.

 

I'll keep you posted as to what happens in the next few weeks. In the mean time, I always take P aside and explain that

this behavior is bad and that he is hurting other people. Sadly, V and P are still violent towards one another. V also has issues

with S. In V's case, the problem is personal, maybe linked to his family.

 

Cheers, I'm off to Korea in two days!!!!!

 

LeTouriste

I decided to go see this movie because I had received a free movie pass at the company Thanksgiving Party.

I always enjoy animation movies, this one was no exception. It was truly awesome!

 

The story is not typical of animation movies since this one combines two worlds. The movie begins with real people. A boy and his grandmother will in a country house. The boy's grandfather was an inventor and explorer who has helped several African tribes survive, but has been missing for a long time. On his expeditions, he met a tribe of tall warriors whom lived in harmony with the Minimoys. This other tribe was tiny... in fact as tiny as insects. The intrigue begins when a greedy contractor wants to own the grandmother's property because of default of payment. At this point, Arthur is made aware of his grandfather's treasure hidden with the Minimoys. To obtain the treasure, save his grandmother from expropriation and also saving the Minimoys, Arthur has to pass into the world of the Minimoys gain the trust of a hostile princess and defeat the evil M.

 

Obviously, the story finishes well, but the story was action filled and very entertaining. This is another great Luc Besson film. I have enjoyed every minute of the movie. The story seems a bit farfetched, but so do all animation movies. The only mistake noted in the movie was the African chief saying that only one person could travel through the light passage, however both Arthur and his grandson came back through the passage.

 

I highly recommend everyone to watch this movie.

 

Cheers,

LeTouriste

Hey guys,

 

Wow! I finally won! The crappy teacher was fired. Her last day is tomorrow. How do I feel?

I don't feel anything about this. I have moved on. I am seeing all the work that has to be done until

we are back on track.

I also had a meeting to set da ban standards. I realize that regardless of the progress obtained with the kids

it is still meager versus what the 8 year experienced teacher was able to achieve. I have to put pressure on my kids.

 

Then I had my afternoon and evening classes. Both sucked totally.

I gave the 7/11 Snoopy bags to every kid. They were to open the bags and read the number on the card. That simple task became a

fiasco when kids started talking about the cards and saying that they had this one and they wanted that one. I was so upset.

Then we played a phonics game. When two kids lost they refused to budge and just cried there. Finally when it was time to go to playroom, the four troubled students stayed in class to color. The other went to playroom. Within 5 minutes, a girl had been hit and was in tears. Hence, we had to return to the classroom. I was really not happy with them today.

 

Why did this happen? I was prepared and I had games. I even had new things for them to do? I guess, all teachers are bound to have bad days

somedays.

 

Thinking of graduation.

My colleague goes all out and gets the kids to act musicals! That is a leap over what has been done previously in this branch. Hence, I have to start acting quickly to get the kids prepared and not be shamed by any comparison.

 

Moral of the story... I have a lot of work to do!

 

I heard that my friend C was leaving the company. Best of luck in your quest for a new job.

 

Cheers,

LeTouriste

Hey guys,

 

Sorry for the big gap, but I just was tired of writing negative things. Hence I decided to shut up for a while until something nice arrived.

It came on Friday in the form of a bouquet of lilies. Wow, a kid's mom graced me with 13 pink lilies. They are sitting in my room now and their scent is wrapping it with a wonderful smell. Now, I know why L loves lilies, they look great and smell wonderful. One has to wonder why roses are the flower of love when lilies smell so much better. Oh, yeah roses are red! Looking and smelling the flowers fills my heart with a slight happiness and contentment.

 

The second good thing was Saturday's performance. My young kids had a performance to impress their parents and two potential students. During the rehearsal, I knew there would be some problems because the kids were very nervous and did not speak loudly. I was shaking in my shoes because I had put so much pressure on myself. When the show began, it just ran too quickly. Within 7 minutes, we had wrapped half of the 30 minutes show. I was sweating! So, I got the kids to sing a song twice. Then I slowed down my own pace. Then I played four games instead of two. Each time I'd get the kids to choose words they wanted and let them spell them. It was great because they came up with big words like snake and umbrella (as opposed to boy and apple which are drilled into them). In the end, all was fine. The parents seemed to be pleased and all the kids resigned. That means that this class will have 23 kids starting next Wednesday. Wow, what a challenge.

 

This month my four classes will graduate to a higher level. So far, only 2 kids are not coming back out of 38 (94% return rate). One can't come back because of the class changed schedule. The other, no one knows why. I am happy with this because managers always look at these numbers.

 

Also, I've asked questions about two job openings at Main Office. One is in the Human Resources, the other is in the Writing Department. I will bid on both positions just to see what they can offer me. A job in HR would be great because then I could transfer to a bigger company (not a school) and show that I have management experience. This would be a new way of staying in Asia for a career instead of as a teacher.

 

Today is the end of year banquet. I did not wish to go, but since I will be awarded a trophy for Outstanding Employee and that I will pick it up on stage, I can't really call in sick. Also, I'd be fined NT$1000 for making them prepare food and not showing up to eat it! Now, because of the award, I also have to show up 1.5h earlier to rehearse going on stage. Its a formal event, so I have to dress up. I hope I can find my suit in my mess.

 

Take care, LeTouriste is smiling for once,

LeTouriste