Smartcue 52 Taichung

... parents was a positive one, where the parents just wanted their child to succeed and be happy.

This week with my third graders I was able to practice some of my Spanish. We were reading a story in class that was written in English and Spanish. When we started the story I read the Spanish on the first page and then told them they needed to sit quietly as I read if they wanted any more Spanish read to them. It took them about 6 pages for them to realize they ...

... students called out to me, "Teacher look so much faster!" I look over to see that he had opened the stapler up (like you do when you staple something to a bulletin board) and was stapling his zebra to the hardwood floor!!! I couldn't help but laugh, I told him yes it was faster but his zebra was going to be stuck to the floor! He thought he was being so clever! haha

The pictures in this blog are of the students working on their zebras!

Until later....love ya and miss ya!

... of jewelry made of jade and other stones. You can also buy some Chinese tea sets and beautiful scrolls! We made our way home and then it rained the rest of the day so I ended up staying in the rest of the day.

Today at school I had my first observation by my supervisor. It isn't like an observation that you may have in the states where they make notes on your teaching practice. The main point of this observation was to check up and make sure my ...

... oasis. This was a foreign concept to us, we sought out the best hot spring hotel to fit our needs. Due to our late arrival in town we decide that it is worth the extra money to just stay the night especially since it included a dinner and breakfast. We stayed at the Four Seasons. It was very nice and modern, clean, the food was more than we could have imagined mostly because it was healthy and mostly vegetarian which was our newest pursuit. We had a great day and ...

... case, and when we asked someone at the store if that's what it was she said yes. I got home and opened it to find no sheet or pillow case but one duvet cover! I am sure that will be only one of the many misunderstandings I will face this year.

Last night at my place I had my first encounter with a disgusting creepy crawly critter....I walked into my bathroom to discover a huge cockroach in my shower! YUCK!!! Luckily my roommate Katie was ...

... business is a pretty big operation complete with conveyor belts and huge hooks to hang large items containing wet paint. Unfortunately, his father could not be in attendance as he was in Taipei for a meeting and would not be arriving home until late in the evening. He extended an invitation for all to stay up late and enjoy a cup of Oolong tea with him once he arrived around midnight, but did not expect anyone to wait around for him. She ...

... to visit was relatively crowded due to the fact that it was the one-day of the year that locals can swim across the lake during the Sun Moon Lake swim festival. I am not positive for the reasoning of the festival other than it may signify the end of "ghost month" on the Chinese calendar. Thousands of locals put on their swim caps and swim trunks in a full-on sprint across the lake. Unfortunately, we did not know this festival was going on, and we had to ...

... a nice feature, as I am in the process of planning a trip to Thailand during Chinese New Year at the end of January. I am very excited! Another reason why this card is important is that I can now become a legal driver in this country. I can own a scooter (legally), apply for a license, and be insured for the remainder of my trip. Additionally, I am now on the national health insurance plan. This is important because we have already had ...

... and Chris, two of my second graders, who yelled, "Teacher Scot!" and raced down the hallway to give me a high five. I must admit that it made me feel good that I must have made a pretty big impact on those kids in my two days with them. It made me feel a little bit better about walking into my first day of teaching third grade. I began my first day of teaching third grade by explaining the definition of a "contract." :)

... a happy birthday. The staff even gave me a card that was signed by all of the teachers, and told me that they wanted to go out to dinner for my birthday and to let them know what restaurant I wanted to go to by the end of the day. What was really impressive was Bih Hua, the founder of the school, came into the office looking for me and presented me with a card and a $30 gift certificate to the local mall. I was really humbled that she went out of ...