Back To Basics

Today was my first day back to work. It was actually a bit different because this school is actually located outside of Changchun. It's a smaller country school, catering to the scattered villages between the cities. I guess you could say it reminds me of home in that regard. The school teaches both middle and senior high students, though due to overcrowding some of the classes are held in other buildings on-campus (again, just like home).

Interestingly enough, these were some of the best classes I've ever had. Partly it was the smaller class sizes - they averaged probably half the size of the classes in the city. However, there was also a notable difference in attitude between these kids and most of the ones in the city schools. I am actually the only foreign teacher there right now, and based on most accounts there hasn't been one in a while (if ever). That means the kids are grateful. Gratitude . . . how novel. This is the big difference between the poor schools with mostly working-class kids and the private, upper-class schools I worked at when I first got here.

I did fine until the end of the day, but getting back when you're out of town is not easy. While I was only about 30 minutes out of the city, it took nearly two hours to navigate the bus routes to find one that went to my street.