The Forlorn American

So I haven't said anything yet about the actual teaching. Really, it's not like there is much that qualifies as learning. We are only here for two weeks (two and a half more teaching days) and there are no textbooks or curriculum. There is one paperback with five lessons in it - only one copy - which I got a couple of days ago, they don't really make it obvious that they were there or how to get them. Mostly, it's a matter of games, or whatever teachable thing I can think of at the moment. Both of my classes are supposedly third grade, but one of them doesn't know much of anything, and won't behave. Mostly they just like it when I watch movies with them - in Chinese - to the point that they start chanting "watch TV, watch TV" and I can't do much else. I'm trying to find what else I can do that they like that has some educational content - today I stumbled upon hangman, which they apparently know and like, and that did them for the entire period.

I guess for a lot of these schools, having foreign teachers is kind of a show piece. They charge pretty hefty fees - I heard it's like a thousand dollars for a two-week program - and nobody really knows where that money goes. The Chinese teachers get paid about a thousand yuan ($130) for the two weeks, and our assistants do it as a sort of volunteer internship-type thing. Even our flights over here probably only cost UCE something on the order of $1,000 each, and I can't imagine our other costs add too much more to that. (And there is one of us for every 25 kids.) So, this whole operation is probably pretty profitable for somebody. Our principal for this section of the school, who is the highest person we've had contact with (there is a whole high school attached, and I think somebody who has control over both units) is a pretty young guy, doesn't speak any English...but knows how to drink. He's gone out with us occasionally, and paid for us.

I guess none of this has much to do with me though...as long as they're willing to pay my airfare and give me spending money (they will starting in September) then I won't ask any questions.