Wowza. A wonderful word--part wow, part pizza. That's where it comes from right? Regardless, Wowza indeed.
Today was INCREDIBLE. Have I said that before in China? I'm not sure I have. So really, are you excited? CUZ YOU SHOULD BE. I have an INCREDIBLE DAY to share with you!
Today was our rubbish fashion show. That's right, I somehow got kids, teachers, and Chinese staff to think that it was "fun" to use plastic bags, cardboard, tin foil and more to make outfits and then walk on a catwalk with music. IN CHINA.
The back-story: I work in a culture where creativity and education are not often in the same sentence. China is a test culture where tests open doors to everyone's futures. Projects, group work, etc. seldom seem to surface (based on observations in three Chinese high schools). Sure, student activities to exist to some extent, but they are in the shadows of the exams.
After describing the struggles I face here to friends and family, many conclude: you can't change a culture. And that...that got me thinking. I'm an extremely stubborn person when it comes to proving people wrong about what I am capable of doing--often to a fault. And no, I am not trying to change Chinese culture. I picked something smaller for my last project in China (though this is the theme of this second and last year): School culture.
Why was my high school successful? Why did I follow the rules? Why did I feel teachers cared about me? And the answer seems to be the culture of the school. My high school was old and it cared a great deal about each of us. My schools in China don't have this kind of culture, especially the school I was teaching in last year.
So it needs a jolt. It needs something to get kids thinking and feeling. It needs CREATIVITY. My principal approached me to teach 7 periods a week of AP Psych to junior-level students. A plan that confused me much, so I countered it with an idea. What if we change everything? What if we try to make a schedule with space to breathe? I quickly partnered with a teacher who had shown much concern over the situation and the words I uttered snowballed into a full blown schedule weeks later which much support from our staff. My favorite part of our schedule is Monday because Monday we cancelled all afternoon activities to make room for a big group activity. Today was the 1st Monday!
After working weeks on a plan, the fashion show idea was fleshed out Friday night alone in an office. I used feedback I'd gotten along the way to create a plan. Today we met as a staff and we put the plan in motion. Somehow my day ended with 19 or so students clad in trash bags, newspapers, etc. walking to music on a red carpet to the delight of their classmates.
Although I was pretty darn stressed the whole day, but on the way home from work I received a wonderful text from a teacher who's had a rough year with our students (it can be one of the most frustrating places as our students, while easier to control, are often hard to inspire and motivate).
It read: "Thank you Johnny. Thanks to you I've seen for the first time in one year happy kids today. So happy and innocent."
So there I was riding the subway and my spirit just soared. I was laughing. I was that laughing crazy foreigner on the subway. And something changed, I looked around the subway and I just saw love. I saw friends chatting. I saw new couples laughing. And I just saw people. And I saw hope.
There are not many days at all where I feel incredible here. I've written about days where I've woken up and burst into tears because of how frustrated I am. But today I stand tall. Today I am elated beyond belief. Today I firmly believe in the power of education and creativity.
I have four weeks left in this job. Only four more weeks to pump as much inspiration into these schools as I can. Four weeks to share the joy of being with teenagers. Four more weeks and so much left to do. Finally I feel though I'm making the difference I wanted to this year.
Finally I'm being that change I wanted to see.
Today was INCREDIBLE. Have I said that before in China? I'm not sure I have. So really, are you excited? CUZ YOU SHOULD BE. I have an INCREDIBLE DAY to share with you!
Today was our rubbish fashion show. That's right, I somehow got kids, teachers, and Chinese staff to think that it was "fun" to use plastic bags, cardboard, tin foil and more to make outfits and then walk on a catwalk with music. IN CHINA.
The back-story: I work in a culture where creativity and education are not often in the same sentence. China is a test culture where tests open doors to everyone's futures. Projects, group work, etc. seldom seem to surface (based on observations in three Chinese high schools). Sure, student activities to exist to some extent, but they are in the shadows of the exams.
After describing the struggles I face here to friends and family, many conclude: you can't change a culture. And that...that got me thinking. I'm an extremely stubborn person when it comes to proving people wrong about what I am capable of doing--often to a fault. And no, I am not trying to change Chinese culture. I picked something smaller for my last project in China (though this is the theme of this second and last year): School culture.
Why was my high school successful? Why did I follow the rules? Why did I feel teachers cared about me? And the answer seems to be the culture of the school. My high school was old and it cared a great deal about each of us. My schools in China don't have this kind of culture, especially the school I was teaching in last year.
So it needs a jolt. It needs something to get kids thinking and feeling. It needs CREATIVITY. My principal approached me to teach 7 periods a week of AP Psych to junior-level students. A plan that confused me much, so I countered it with an idea. What if we change everything? What if we try to make a schedule with space to breathe? I quickly partnered with a teacher who had shown much concern over the situation and the words I uttered snowballed into a full blown schedule weeks later which much support from our staff. My favorite part of our schedule is Monday because Monday we cancelled all afternoon activities to make room for a big group activity. Today was the 1st Monday!
After working weeks on a plan, the fashion show idea was fleshed out Friday night alone in an office. I used feedback I'd gotten along the way to create a plan. Today we met as a staff and we put the plan in motion. Somehow my day ended with 19 or so students clad in trash bags, newspapers, etc. walking to music on a red carpet to the delight of their classmates.
Although I was pretty darn stressed the whole day, but on the way home from work I received a wonderful text from a teacher who's had a rough year with our students (it can be one of the most frustrating places as our students, while easier to control, are often hard to inspire and motivate).
It read: "Thank you Johnny. Thanks to you I've seen for the first time in one year happy kids today. So happy and innocent."
So there I was riding the subway and my spirit just soared. I was laughing. I was that laughing crazy foreigner on the subway. And something changed, I looked around the subway and I just saw love. I saw friends chatting. I saw new couples laughing. And I just saw people. And I saw hope.
There are not many days at all where I feel incredible here. I've written about days where I've woken up and burst into tears because of how frustrated I am. But today I stand tall. Today I am elated beyond belief. Today I firmly believe in the power of education and creativity.
I have four weeks left in this job. Only four more weeks to pump as much inspiration into these schools as I can. Four weeks to share the joy of being with teenagers. Four more weeks and so much left to do. Finally I feel though I'm making the difference I wanted to this year.
Finally I'm being that change I wanted to see.
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