This is a behind the scenes look at the latest piece of propaganda the university made us do. This year is the university’s 60 year anniversary, which means they’ll harangue us into doing something weird in the new term. I bet it involves singing. But for now, it was just some pictures of us sitting [...]
Archive for June, 2009
More Doodle Propaganda!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged China, teaching, University on June 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Grading Exams
Posted in China, tagged China, ESL, exams, teaching on June 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Good lord! It takes a freaking long time to compile 430 student’s grades. Sifting through papers, tallying numbers from my flawed grading system. Despite the benefits of being able to do whatever I want in class (hell, I could probably skip a month and no one would say anything) I wish the university would have [...]
“Rock Music is Just Noise”
Posted in China, tagged China, ESL, Music, teaching on June 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but the Doodles, generally speaking, don’t like rock music. Most of them enthusiastically say they prefer “light” music. I think they mean soft, romantic ballads. A la Kenny G and “My Heart Will Go On” from Celine Dion, which you will hear from time to time somewhere in the [...]
Beijing, Part Yi
Posted in China, Travel, tagged Beijing, China, Travel on June 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Because of classes, Chris and I could only spend two full days in Beijing. No worries, though, because we’ll be going back at some point. The reason for our impromptu trip was Chris’s soon-expiring passport needed to be renewed by the end of the month so Friday morning we spent over twenty minutes (and a [...]
Donghuamen Night Market
Posted in China, Travel, tagged Beijing, China, Donghuanmen, Travel on June 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Near where Chris and I stayed in Beijing is the Donhuamen Night Market (which I’m pretty sure NBC did a segment on during the Olympics). Vendors at this market, in their red aprons and hats, sell omnipresent noodle dishes, steamed or fried dumplings, and skewers. Skewers everywhere with their poky little ends wanting to take [...]
It’s Exam Time Again!
Posted in China on June 10, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Finally! The end of the semester approaches!
Last term, with the exception of my two asshole classes, I enjoyed Exam Week because 1) I didn’t have to prepare anything and 2) watching the students prepared sketches was actually entertaining. The best students were creative and put in effort to write and then perform a piece.
Monday I [...]
Juno in Doodleland
Posted in China, tagged China, Juno, living, pregnancy, teaching on June 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Finally, all my classes have finished talking about the film we watched, Juno. All eight of them (and even Chris’s classes) shared opinions that are remarkably different from, I’ll say, an American interpretation. At least mine and Chris’s.
First, they all hate Bleeker. Why? I thought he was funny, a contrast to outgoing, self-assured Juno. I [...]
