Well here we are in Yantai! we have been here over a week now and started teaching on Monday.
So I am teachign 11-13 year olds in Junior 1, thats the equivalent of 1st year I guess, and each class has 45-70 pupils! Ross is teaching Junior 2, who are 13-15 year olds. I have 15 45 minute lessons a week, Ross only has 13!! So we are doing less than 12 hours work a week, which ain't bad! The actual teaching is turning out to be pretty good, I've got over first day nerves and feel like I'm getting into the swing of it. Basically I have to do the same lesson 15 times! This week, however, due to snow, we havent taught in the Day School yet, where we both have 5 lessons. There are two schools, both yantai Middle School Number 5, but one is a boarding where the pupils stay, and the other is just a normal day school. The day school is about 10 minutes away. The kids are pretty friendly, sometimes a little over enthusiastic, but we can understand why. They never see foreigners! We are celebrities in our own right - Ross even got asked for his autograph today!!! You get a real buzz when you've had a really good lesson and they all shout "byeeee!' and wave crazily! I get the impression some are really bright and others do not have a clue as to what is going on! Some talk and mess about, so I'm mastering the stare-and-silence technique so they shut up! It works!
I have to say we feel like we have been thrown in the deep end - before we left no one really told us anything at all and we had no idea what to expect. We only spent 500 pounds on this and I think this refelects the fact that we really havent got that much care and attention. However, two other volunteers we met paid almost 3000 pounds and have been moved school, teaching secondary instead of primary as they were told, and Daniel, who is only 17, is teaching 17-18 year olds!! We feel we got a better deal on that hand. Our accomodation is pretty good too, spacious but cold. I can see this being home!
Talking of home, hope all is grand!
lots of love, eilidh xxx
PS check out our photos at photos.yahoo.com/eilidh_and_ross