scrappin'

When I got up this morning, I have had this lesson plan formulating in the back of my mind for several weeks now.  Today was the day I decided to set myself down and get some things down on paper. 

In thinking about moving to China for a year to take on a psychology teaching position, I know it is going to be nothing short of an experience and an adventure- be it good or bad.  I prefer to see the bright side of things.  While there will be the inevitable challenges (pollution, 23 million people, the language barrier, and children with split pants doing their business on the sidewalks, to name but a few), I am counting on the positives far outweighing any negatives.  For starters, my salary is much, MUCH more than teaching at the college.  At the college I carry about 175 students in the gradebook. I charge through a 700 page text book in 15 weeks.  In China, I will cover that same material over the course of both semesters- say what?!  I will meet for 50 minute periods M-F, not for three hours once a week. I won't have six classes of 30-35 students; I will have just two classes of 15-20 students each.  I'm wondering what they will do with me the other time in the day? Surely not five prep periods?! Lunch room supervision perhaps?  Hall monitor? Scraping gum off toilets?!  Are they even allowed to chew gum in class in China?  Who the heck knows?!

I'm hoping I can take a Mandarin class during the school day, or maybe work out at the school's facilities if I'm really lucky.  Maybe I can start a drama club- that would be a hoot. It doesn't matter to me.  For now, I have a contract that states my salary and benefits, my housing is paid for, my transportation is paid for, I have eight weeks vacation time, I have allowances for this and that, and my honey gets to come with me...so, I cannot complain.  I say that now, of course.  Maybe when I have to suffer through a winter season (which I have not done in four years) and I have chronic sinus infections from the smog, I may be singing a different tune.  For now, I am very much grateful for the opportunity. I sincerely thank God for this opportunity; for the change of pace and the change in atmosphere in this season of our lives. It will be a learning and growing experience for us all, including the family left back home.

Thinking of all of these changes in my work day has had my head swimming with the possibilities.  I am going to have SO. MUCH. MORE. TIME. with my students, that I am giddy with creativity. My right brain has been humming a happy tune :)

Which brings me back to this morning!  I have to find a way to get acquainted with these kids.  I also have to find a way to create an atmosphere of safety and self-disclosure. (Is there any other way to teach and learn about psychology?)  And I must do this while overcoming a language barrier and the cultural difference that believes silence is both honorable and respectful.  In other words, I have to get these non-talking kids talking!  Because if I am left to do ALL the talking, I will likely get myself called into the head master's office before the end of the first week for saying something inappropriate.  Besides of which, I have been told that my lesson plans must be submitted weekly (it's a Communist country and all).  I have never had to do that before, so I at least have to get something appropriate down on paper :)  I also have to prepare these kids for passing the AP Exam in May, which has a significant essay component to it.  I have been looking over previous year's AP questions, and I don't recall being asked these kinds of detailed essays until I got to graduate school- um, thirty years ago.  Given that English is a second language for my students, I have been warned that while they may listen and understand what is being said, their ability to communicate in English, both orally and in the written word, is 'very noticeable that the English language is far from mastered'.  So, I'll be teaching a bit of grammar and the mechanics of the English language as well.  I have decided that I need to have a pretty significant writing component incorporated into the psychology curriculum, with the intent of asking them questions similar to, and preparing them for the AP exam. 

OK, now, I am finally back to this morning!  I have been mulling this idea over for weeks.  I want to have the students keep a journal, of sorts, to improve their writing skills and to practice writing for the AP Exam.  I went and bought myself a composition notebook the other day, like I will want my students to have for class.  Then I got this idea that I don't want it to be just any old composition notebook, I want it to give me insight to what the journal owner's personality is like.  And then, I got hit by the scrapbooking bug!  And I want their journals to be something like this...

My front cover...I love my family and my home.
Won't they flip to hear I live in a log cabin in the woods?

My back cover...my winter life on Marquesa in the Keys.

And because my notebook will also be my keepsake from home for
the times I will undoubtedly be homesick, I added some more to
the inside cover...like of my 100 year old grandmother :)
My right brain was in overdrive, what can I say?!
I covered it all in packing tape to seal and protect it-
but clear contact paper would have worked well, too.

While I has happily cutting and pasting, Cap'n spent the morning finishing up the wheelin' and dealin' on the big welding project for our super heavy duty bow plate.  He went back to the machine shop he originally talked to, and got a bid from him.  His bid came back at $975.  We have bids for $2600, $975, and $500.  The guy who bid $500 puts up and welds tuna towers on big fishing boats.  That's the guy we want...not only is he the cheapest, but if he can weld a tuna tower and make it strong in heavy seas, he's clearly the man for the job.  There's no decent scrap metal yards here on the islands for Donnie to do his own kind of scrapping, but he got a couple of leads on places to buy the stainless up on the mainland.  It would save us $80 for the welder to not send a driver to go get it.  Donnie called around on bids for stainless, and by mid-afternoon he had everything all arranged, saving us even more $.  He was finally able to secure 316 stainless just off the Turnpike (which is closer) for only $188.  Even better, Rupert and Martina are going to Miami on Thursday, and they offered to pick it up for us. Nice!  The welder can't get to our project until the first of next week anyhow.  Donnie then measured all of the pieces in his model, and laid them out like a puzzle to see how big of sheet of stainless he will actually need.  He called the place back, gave them the dimensions (and our credit card) and we are good to go! 

It was time for some much needed R & R and
sunshine by the pool.  We haven't done that in awhile.

We did our good deed and saved a drowning bee.  We watched this little
guy for at least 10 minutes while he collected himself, and got himself
all dried and groomed.  He eventually flew away to live another day.

At about 5pm, we came back to the marina to take a walk about the
neighborhood.  We seldom have even been over on this side of
the marina.  We love it so at Paradise Pointe, why go anywhere else?
Above there is a baby barracuda in the grass. I've never seen one
just a few inches long.  I naturally started baby talking him, and
Cap'n said, "You are your grandmother's granddaughter"  My
girls come by it honest from me, too- we love all baby things.

On our walk we met a bird, who lives aboard a sailboat.
His name is Poncho and he is a Sun Conure.

Poncho sits on Ollie's head, the other crew on the sailboat.
You just don't see a bird on a dog's head every day.

Poncho and I were friends and getting along swimmingly,
until he bit me. hard. and drew blood. and then we weren't.

As Cap'n was grilling snapper, peppers, and onions for dinner, we
saw this lionfish and Queen angelfish just below us.  I got in the water,
stood on the coral, and put my I-phone in the water to get a better shot.
I love my waterproof case :)  Lionfish is really good eating.  It is very
white and tastes like hogfish. You're supposed to kill them if you see them
as they are very destructive and have no natural predators in this area.
Cap'n offered to shoot him, but it didn't seem right after we had
saved a honeybee earlier in the day...

We went to Kenny and Fran's after dinner to watch American Hustle and ate way too many snacks.  I had a good old fashioned belly ache that even six Tums wouldn't touch.  My stomach can't stomach crap anymore...we're too accustomed to eating much healthier these days!  I'm just hoping to sleep it off- thank goodness our new boat slip has Marquesa sitting still in the water. A bouncy night would do me in for sure.  I ate the last of the Tums after 3:00am.  Ugh.

The boys, however, didn't have a bit of trouble falling asleep :)
G'nite y'all!