Jenny and I took the students on a field trip this week: the bookstore right across the street from the school.  So, what was the purpose of this trip?  To encourage students to practice buying things in English. 

In Kaohsiung, I believe most elementary schools established a partnership with a local business - either a bakery, 7-11, or, in my case, a bookstore - that allows students to practice buying things in English.  To encourage students from our school to go to the bookstore, Jenny has prepared a prize bucket for students who have received three stamps from the bookstore, which means that they have practiced buying something in English three times.  The prizes are pretty neat stationary products, which I kind of need.  Unfortunately, I am not eligible for any stamps. 

Before going to the bookstore, we ran over the lines a couple of times with the students and explained the meaning of each line.  At the bookstore, Jenny and I became the store clerks, and the students became the customers.  The girls practiced their lines with Jenny, and the boys practiced their lines with me. 

Taking lower graders (Grades 3 and 4) to the bookstore was a little stressful because it was so hard keeping them in line and not breaking anything.  With the upper grades, Jenny and I would have an opportunity to look at the books as well, but with the lower grades, we were running around, catching balls, telling students to only look at the music boxes and not to touch them.  I even had to tell one Grade 3 student to stop looking at the “more mature” magazines. 

Regardless of the chaos and monotony, I still enjoyed my time with the students and working with Jenny.  And I loved hinting to the students the last line of the dialog, which is, "Thanks!  You too," which comes right after the clerk's line: "Thank you!  Have a nice day!"  For "you too," I would point to the student, and then after he says "you," I hold up two fingers.  Most students got the hint. 

Also this week, I had hotpot with one of the teachers at my school and her family, which I discovered meant having dinner with one of my students: Charlie from Grade 3.  I did not expect to have dinner with her and the family because I thought she was just giving me a ride to my Chinese class, but then I discovered this new plan when I met her at her classroom and out pops Charlie.  Therefore, Charlie now knows my secret and knows that I can speak Chinese. 

And you're probably thinking, why is it a secret?  Shouldn't more students know you speak Chinese, and shouldn't you be using it in the classroom?  Well....not exactly.  I act like I don't know Chinese when I'm in school cause it forces students to practice speaking in English with me. Even if they can't really express themselves in English, I still can understand them because they say whatever they want to say in English in Chinese first.  So, I hear it.  And the fact that I understand them creates the impression that their English is great and provides them with confidence.  Honestly, I think confidence is the key to learning a second language.  So, I told Charlie that he cannot tell anyone else, not even his best friend. 

For more photos, please click here.