Teaching Tuesday Recap

It's hard to believe that I only have four more Teaching Tuesdays left. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was telling you about my decision to join Stepping Stones?

In addition to the afternoon massage sessions, here are a few more fun facts about Chinese elementary school students:

• I think I had PE a few times per week, if not every day. In China, it's one day a year! Last week, kids were called from class over the loudspeakers to go outside and perform certain physical tests, like long jumps and sprints. This was especially confusing for us volunteer teachers who had no idea what was being said and why students were getting up and leaving the room. And as you can probably imagine, energy levels were high and attention spans, limited. 
• Consequences are dire if you don't do your homework. Apparently, culprits have to spend the entire day standing (rather than sitting) at their desks. 
• I mentioned paper planes -- the other homemade plaything? A spinning top made from a small cylinder (probably part of a mechanical pencil) and an eraser. I can't tell how many of these I've taken away.