For some reason, thoughts about my teaching filled my mind this morning (noon, or afternoon to be exact) when I woke up. Students from my "dream classes" out of the many I've taught came to mind: one from my Cantonese class, one my community English class for TESOL practicum, one English grammar class at the ELC, and my current but former team's Chinese class. I already "miss" these students of my former team even though I'm still teaching them. It's a pleasant surprise to see them thrive, especially the ones who everyone including themselves thought were low achievers. The class leader who was so behind on everything before is much more relaxed now and shocked the class today by answering a rather complicated question. I felt like I was prompted to ask him and it was funny to see the other students' jaws drop when he answered it perfectly. I have such a good rapport with these wonderful classes that working with them is more fun than work. And the best compliment I get from these students would be "Time flies!" which means the class is enjoyable. I became very reflective of my teaching these days trying to look at teaching from the students' perspectives. I strive to avoid things I dislike about my own teachers. I've learned from the few great teachers I've had (my thesis chair, my English TA boss, my first Japanese, Spanish, and French teachers, and many of my dance teachers) that they never patronize me or talk in a condescending tone which unfortunately many other of my teachers or current fellow teachers do. I actually looked forward to the classes with teachers I liked. I hate it when teachers or people talk to me like I'm a dumb-dumb. I think that's the first no-no rule for me.
I'm pleased to report that I've lost six pounds over the past month and many might find it surprising that I do have a bit of a weight problem. The thing is that it does not quite show but on my face and the scale only. I used to only pay more attention to what I eat. But to lose weight is more a simple math problem. One needs to lose more than the intake. So my workout and swimming do pay off in spite of my occasional indulgence in soda and chips! And another thing is I sometimes park further from where I need to be on purpose. It's partly because I dislike parallel parking and it is a good excuse for me to walk a bit more. People think I am weird when they ride with me that I park so far away from the perfect parking spot. :)
The last thing or question I want to bring up is why things keep popping up every time I think I can have a little extra money or savings? Like car breakdown or some government documentation fees or insurance down payment and stuff. Just like today I got called by this stupid new insurance company that I thought I saved money on but was told they had to raise the premium because of miscalculations. So I had to call my old insurer to reinstate my policy but it requires a down payment. What a hassle (say the last word fast and you would know what word I REALLY meant to say ;p)! The lesson learned is NEVER jump into any commitment where money is involved!
For some reason, thoughts about my teaching filled my mind this morning (noon, or afternoon to be exact) when I woke up. Students from my "dream classes" out of the many I've taught came to mind: one from my Cantonese class, one my community English class for TESOL practicum, one English grammar class at the ELC, and my current but former team's Chinese class. I already "miss" these students of my former team even though I'm still teaching them. It's a pleasant surprise to see them thrive, especially the ones who everyone including themselves thought were low achievers. The class leader who was so behind on everything before is much more relaxed now and shocked the class today by answering a rather complicated question. I felt like I was prompted to ask him and it was funny to see the other students' jaws drop when he answered it perfectly. I have such a good rapport with these wonderful classes that working with them is more fun than work. And the best compliment I get from these students would be "Time flies!" which means the class is enjoyable. I became very reflective of my teaching these days trying to look at teaching from the students' perspectives. I strive to avoid things I dislike about my own teachers. I've learned from the few great teachers I've had (my thesis chair, my English TA boss, my first Japanese, Spanish, and French teachers, and many of my dance teachers) that they never patronize me or talk in a condescending tone which unfortunately many other of my teachers or current fellow teachers do. I actually looked forward to the classes with teachers I liked. I hate it when teachers or people talk to me like I'm a dumb-dumb. I think that's the first no-no rule for me.
I'm pleased to report that I've lost six pounds over the past month and many might find it surprising that I do have a bit of a weight problem. The thing is that it does not quite show but on my face and the scale only. I used to only pay more attention to what I eat. But to lose weight is more a simple math problem. One needs to lose more than the intake. So my workout and swimming do pay off in spite of my occasional indulgence in soda and chips! And another thing is I sometimes park further from where I need to be on purpose. It's partly because I dislike parallel parking and it is a good excuse for me to walk a bit more. People think I am weird when they ride with me that I park so far away from the perfect parking spot. :)
The last thing or question I want to bring up is why things keep popping up every time I think I can have a little extra money or savings? Like car breakdown or some government documentation fees or insurance down payment and stuff. Just like today I got called by this stupid new insurance company that I thought I saved money on but was told they had to raise the premium because of miscalculations. So I had to call my old insurer to reinstate my policy but it requires a down payment. What a hassle (say the last word fast and you would know what word I REALLY meant to say ;p)! The lesson learned is NEVER jump into any commitment where money is involved!
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