Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Meet My Kids and Co-Teachers


I thought I'd begin this blog entry with the faces of some incredibly cute kids. Actually, I have to say that Mongolian children, in general, are absolutely beautiful. These three are the directors of the "Hello!" chorus we hear every time we leave or enter our building. Originally the refrain sounded more like "Gaddo! Gaddo!" but they're saying "hello" like old pros now.

I also think it's about time that I introduced you to some of my kids and other English teachers at my school. This is my 7th grade class, very proudly showing the animal (and animal parts)
drawings they did. They are a rambuncious group! Like 7th graders everywhere, they LOVE to
chat and mess around with their neighbors in class. They make me absolutely crazy, but they're so lovable. Most of them are enthusiastic about learning English; many have ambitions to study in England or America some day, and some just might get there. I will, supposedly, be teaching these same kids for 2 years, and I'm so happy about that. I hope to be able to really see growth in their language skills, and 2 whole years together should allow me that opportunity. We've done a little bit of singing, but not nearly enough. That's all gonna change next semester, let me tell you!

They love to sing as much as I do, and they sing really well. So, I'm going to start regular fluency practice using songs (just like I used to do with my Flood Brookers) next week, when we begin Semester 2.


On October 30th, we had a Halloween party for the 4th graders and my 7th grade! My English Club kids (10th and 11th graders) ran mask and decoration-making activities, and I did some Halloween games and songs. There were 2 shifts of about 50 4th graders each, and only 3 English club kids present, so it was a rather chaotic
affair. It fit well with one of the songs I sang with the kids, which had the line, "Have you ever seen such a hullabaloo?" in it. I don't know if I ever have, really. But all the kids seemed to have a great time! I took the three English Club kids out for an ice cream afterward. They were absolutely beat.

So, in this picture to the right are some of my 4th grade students. I have 4 4th grade classes, and we meet twice a week. It's almost all games and songs, so I love it. It's a great challenge teaching English to someone who doesn't speak any at all. It forces me to be creative in ways I would never have thought I could be.


One of the nice things about having so few things here, is that it actually makes it easier, sometimes to make decisions. For example, my Halloween costume:












I happened to have brown pants and a green shirt, some construction paper (thanks, Mom!), and Jimmy's hat. Voila, bi mod baina! (That's French and Mongolian for "And so, I'm a tree!") Notice the bird perched on my "crown." Very proud of that one. I think it was Jimmy's idea, though. Halloween has never been a big holiday for me, but it sure was fun to see kids getting so excited about it, and about my costume!




Now, on to my co-teachers. There are 7 other English teachers in my school, and I work with all of them. I have 3 English classes a week for them -- 2 classes with half of them, and 1 with all of them.


I love this picture because most everyone is at least kind of smiling. Usually, Mongolians don't smile for pictures, but they all look happy here! Back row, first woman, is actually a Russian teacher, so I don't really know her. Next is Chimgee, then Ariuntuya, Enkhtuya, Tuul and Saranchimeg. Front row is me, the other Russian teacher, and Zoloo. Sarantuya wasn't there for this photo. They are really a fun bunch of people, and there is plenty of laughter when we work together. I work most closely with Tuul, since she is the other 4th grade English teacher. She has a great sense of humor and is very kind to me. I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better in the next two years.



Finally, here's a picture from the outside of my school, during the opening day celebration, September 1st. The school is huge, though you can't really tell here. There are about 1800 students, but many only go to classes in the morning or afternoon.


The instruments the boys are playing are called "murrinhores, " or "horse-head fiddles." They are strung with just 2 strings, and have a very deep, rather haunting sound. The girl is dancing a traditional Mongolian dance. Her performance was brilliant.


Hope you are all "autumning well," as they say here!