My Favorite Things (Teaching Edition)

Ok.  Moving to a country/culture that is easily a 180 degree turn from your original can be quite enlightening, in any number of ways.  One thing that living here has helped bring to mind would be all the favorite things I maybe didn't even know I loved so much.  You know, you never know what you have 'til it's gone, and all that rot.

Well, it has also helped me develop new favorites.  Two such new additions have to do with teaching.  The first would be the quirky ways students express their affection, namely the bizarre pick of gifts. Whether it's a faceless wooden figurine, a golden and personally engraved bookmark of Chairman Mao, or Christmas apples, they seem to know no end of generosity.  Perhaps the strangest yet:

Thanks be to Bob for checking to see if this little fella had been properly gutted and then...um...handling it.

The second would be the journal assignments from my students.  Actually, in all fairness, this is a double-edged sword.  Ever tried to grade 5 entries apiece for 500+ students in a week?  "Oy!" is about all that can sum that up.  However, some of them are so precious, revealing, emotional, or downright sweet that it is altogether worth it.

Of course, I see my fair share of brown-nosers  - "I will always do my best to improve my spoken English!" or "Ms. Lin is a beautiful and responsible teacher."  (That's when I know they're really concerned about their grades!)  But some of them take the ambitious opportunity to teach this waiguoren about their own culture or practices.  And, even more precious, are those who truly open up and allow me a small glimpse into their lives, lives in a culture that typically shies away from expressing emotion.  To be so implicitly trusted pulls at my heart.  Every. Single. Time.