I feel like I should explain a little more about Lincang Number One Middle School and what exactly I’m doing here. Those of you who’ve seen the pictures of the school (they’re on my shutterfly site) have probably gathered what a spiffed up place this is. I’m not sure when the school was built, but I know that the facilities are relatively new. Lincang is a large prefecture in southwest Yunnan, and this middle school serves 5000 of the prefecture’s top students. Most board on campus, sharing with seven others a space that feels a little cramped with three. They attend classes from 7:30 AM until late in the evening—usually somewhere in the 8-11:30 range—and weekends don’t always mean time off. Plus their summer breaks are far shorter than our own. All the while, they’re preparing to take the 中考, the all important test that will determine not only where but whether or not they are eligible to attend high school. For students who fail the test, or who drop out before they can take it at the end of ninth grade, working life starts at fifteen.
The reason CEI focuses so heavily on middle schools (although this year they’re expanding into elementary schools) is to try to get more of these rural kids through the gauntlet and into high school. That’s why we’re training so hard, and that’s why my days are super, super busy even before school’s begun.
So my days. I wake up at 6:30, shower, get to breakfast at 7, and have from about 7:30-8:15 for either lesson prep or internet time. After that there’s class. Every morning that means three things: an hour-and-a-half long Teaching as Leadership session, a 45 minute teaching period, and a 45 minute observation period. I’ve mostly watched one of my team members teach during the observation period, but they just opened that up so that now we’re allowed to observe any CEI teacher.
At noon, we break for lunch, and the afternoons vary. This week, I have Chinese class from 2-3 and from 3-4 I have a daily lecture from this crazy Yunnanese teacher whom CEI has to get along with for political reasons. At least that’s my impression. He’s an awful teacher and most of us spend that hour doing lesson planning or other equally unrelated things. After 4, there’s sometimes a meeting or sometimes not. If not, we start lesson planning or Chinese homework. Dinner’s at six, and then the planning continues late into the evening. We have to get our lessons checked out by our OSM (ongoing support manager—the person who will be living in Heqing with us) before we’re clear to teach.
Of course, just as in college, there are many distractions and side conversations and other fun but not productive activities that get in the way of lesson planning. These include swing dancing and contra dancing, taught by American fellows, and lots of random debates involving religion, movies, politics, etc. And, just as in college, these distractions—whatever the effect on my sleeping schedule—are totally worth it.
Usually, I get back to my dorm around 10:30, journal and read or write, and get to sleep at 11:30 or 12 after chatting with my roommates. It works out reasonably well, although I do find myself more tired than I’d like to be.
The reason I’m writing this now is that I was able to get a head start on my lesson plan and am, in fact, done for tomorrow, but I’m not getting my plan checked until nine. Plus there’s no internet in my room. Or outlets. It’s ironic, because I should actually (supposedly) have better internet access in my Heqing village than in this prefecture capitol. It’s good to have things to look forward to.
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