Adventures in Guangzhou!

HSFZ (where I am teaching now), though lacking a kickboard, has an interesting school culture. For starters, there is a very distinct school uniform that students wear ALL the time, both in and out of the classroom and campus. Apparently all high schools have a uniform and they are so identifiable that as I walk around the city, I can ask any of my students about another group and they can tell me the name of the school and where it ranks in terms of best to worst, just by looking at their clothing. As HSFZ is the best high school in the province, these kids love wearing their school uniform and barely take it off, even when playing sports.

Every morning between the 3rd and 4th periods, there is a 15 minute break when everyone marches out to the field in the stadium and participates in a short period of exercise. I guess this is pretty standard in Asian cultures but I am astounded. The speed and efficiency in which they can get over 1800 students out on to the field, lined up, and doing coordinated exercises along with music over the p.a. system would make the U.S. army weep. I try to picture my high school doing it and it's laughable.

Anytime a student speaks up in class, either by raising a hand or being chosen, he or she stands up. I can't tell whether or not I like this practice, but it sure puts people on the spot! I have enjoyed picking on students to answer questions who were clearly not paying attention to me. The rest of the class almost looks down on them for not knowing what to say and this, in turn, forces everyone to stay focused. Not exactly my ideal method, but it is effective.

The 11 different sections here are split up in an interesting way. Section 1 is called the Olympic class, and contains students who are the cream of the crop-- those students who compete on a national and international level in physics, math, and engineering. Sections 2 and 3 are the all stars who didn't make the cut for section 1 but are extremely talented, and from outside the city district (all boarders). The rest of the sections are by subject interest, be it history, politics, music, geography, or one of several other areas.

Despite being across the world and in an entirely different culture, the classic "Breakfast Club-" like groups of students appear in every class. There are the nerds, weirdos, jocks, popular kids, rich kids, poor kids, and well-intentioned but awkward kids. The distinctions aren't always quite as pronounced to me as in an American school but they're definitely there. In addition, there is the subgroup of those whose families are Party members. These students all wear a small red pin above the school insignia on their shirts that signify the party membership (I want one!). It seems to be somewhat of a status symbol, yet does not preclude students from being friends or working together or anything like that. So far as I can tell, it basically means that they're going to be hooked up after school, no matter how well they do.

Teaching in general appears to be much more respected here than in the U.S. While I don't know what an average salary is, I can tell that most teachers here tend to live well. They drive nice cars, dress decently well, and certainly seem to be happy. There are various perks to being a teacher that provide discounts at various stores (much like in the U.S.) and even a national teacher's day which happens to be this weekend. Apparently anybody who has ever taught at the school is welcome and we all go to some fancy restaurant for another banquet, all paid for by the school/city. Needless to say, I am definitely looking forward to it.

A few other funny teaching stories: I mentioned before that I was asked a rather inappropriate question about my dating habits, but I got a few more queries that were even more unexpected. One student asked if I thought racial bias among the Bush administration prevented an adequate response in aid towards the Hurricane crisis in New Orleans(!) Sidenote- I've been following the news of Katrina over here. How awful! Thank god the Betheas, my former Spring Break parents, managed to get out okay. One student asked what time I go to bed, followed immediately by, how long does it take me to fall asleep. Ummm, 5 minutes? I don't know! Another student asked if I thought China was better than the United States (no specifics there, just on an overall level). A different student asked what I thought about Bush in terms of his decision to invade Iraq. Geez! No sugarcoating that one! I find it somewhat difficult in these situations to adequately articulate my criticism of Bush without sounding like I'm trashing America. It could be in my head, but I get the feeling that a lot of the questions are definitely loaded and spoon-fed from either parents or other teachers. It makes me a feel a little awkward. That's about it for now. More to follow soon...