English, English, this 'n that - Qinghai love

We made a second visit this year to our friends in the Huang Zhong school district in Qinghai where more than 60 teachers are training on how to use the TIP 16 Teacher Attributes in their classrooms. This time Krista went alone, as Pres was busy with our college classes and preparing for exams this coming week! Thanks to our Father, we had the energy and strength to fulfill our separate duties in a meaningful way. :)

It was the first time we watched and evaluated some of the teachers in the current program. We are excited that this is the third set of teachers that ESEC has trained in Huang Zhong! We can see our friends often and we can continue to encourage them. 

Rex, the head trainer, invited Krista over for dinner with his family. As his sister-in-law had just passed away, we were able to discuss the differences between the funerals in his family and our family. It was a good way for us to mourn together and to learn from each other. Our Father is good!

For example, their funeral lasts for one week. It’s similar to their wedding celebrations. They have one day that people can come to the house and pay their respects to the loved one and the family. They have a parade in the streets with the body. Close relatives must wear white. The closer you are to the deceased, the more white clothes you must wear. On other days, they invite friends and community members over and they eat together. Our friend Rex and his family invited two different religious leaders to the funeral, a Buddhist monk and a Daoist (Taoist) priest. 

They send things to help guide the spirit in another world and burn things to help keep them warm. Rex didn’t say he believed the practices would work, but he believed he had to do them. And this year, his daughter is 15, so she had to take a day off from school to join and learn. If the person is old when they pass away, then the celebration is very festive. People sing songs, play instruments, dance and drink in honor of the long life of their relative. For instance, Rex recounted with joy the funeral for his father, who was nearly 90 when he passed way.

The English environment in the school district continues to gain strength! Upon Krista’s arrival, trainers and teachers could carry on conversations without missing a beat! This trip, many teachers showed interesting and meaningful lessons where they created joy in the classroom while teaching in English and encouraging their students to speak and use English. We watched primary and middle school classrooms. The teachers were creative and confident. The students were enthusiastic and excited English speakers and enjoyed interacting and giving high-fives!

Twenty-four teachers were evaluated on five of the Attributes that they had previously studied and practiced (in September), including Attitude, Learning Environment and Communication. Each day, a quarter of the teachers met with the trainers at a nearby school, reviewed the training content and watched TIP teacher-led lessons together. ESEC and Huang Zhong trainers gave advice and scores. We had a blessed time of sharing and learning!

Here are some of the teacher comments:

• Annie, a middle school teacher said, “I learned from watching the other teachers today that I should be more patient and relaxed when I speak and teach. The students will understand me more clearly.”
• Lily, a primary school teacher said, “At TIP I got more confidence in learning English. During this Attributes training, I have confidence to teach in English and help my students be more interested in English.”
• Phoebe, a middle school teacher said, “I need to let my students talk more and encourage them to be active.”

The last day of the visit included another hands-on training day. All teachers and trainers gathered together to study and learn how to use the next set of Teacher Attributes. This time we studied how to be organized, student-centered and creative! The Attribute-focus included Classroom Cooperation, Student Interest, Student-Centered Learning and Taxonomy of Thinking. We showed successful teacher lessons and let the teachers learn from each other. Of course, we danced, sang and used a lot of body language. And we celebrated together with dinner after the long day! PTL!

Just days after the training session, several teachers had already put the activities into practice and shared their results. 

Sara said, “Thank you for your help! I think the “number” game is useful, and I used it in my lesson today. My students were very excited. Next, I let the Ss design their own ad in groups and try to buy and sell some things by themselves. They were more active! It’s easy for them to learn this way. ”

God is good! And we had a blessed time. As it is the Christmas season, we celebrated the end of the session remembering all the learning gifts that we had received! We had a happy time together as we hung our successes written on paper ornaments on Christmas trees!

Thanks for lifting up all of the training activities and the teachers and students!