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- Best class ever: democracy September 18, 2007
- YuYao September 4, 2007
- Quantum aliens and gifted kids August 3, 2007
- Again, the summer school August 3, 2007
- Summer school July 21, 2007
- Breeding for mediocrity July 7, 2007
- Chinese dentistry June 19, 2007
- Chinese influenza and medicines June 12, 2007
- Critical thinking, “inappropriate for university students” May 25, 2007
- More bureaucracy May 23, 2007
- Legend and Arissa May 7, 2007
- Shanghai Museum of Natural History April 19, 2007
- Cooking segments April 7, 2007
- Fertile ground March 27, 2007
- Chinese superstitions March 4, 2007
- Beijing 3, The Great Wall of China March 3, 2007
- Beijing 2 February 22, 2007
- Beijing 1 February 16, 2007
- Frankenstein scar January 10, 2007
- Feng Shui management October 19, 2006
- Only English October 18, 2006
- Shanghai commuter trains 2 October 13, 2006
- Shanghai’s commuter trains 1 October 3, 2006
- Zheng He and Malacca September 7, 2006
- Banks August 12, 2006
- More visa crap August 12, 2006
- More around home July 21, 2006
- Home at Cloud Nine July 21, 2006
- Geography and another summer July 21, 2006
- Teaching futility June 30, 2006
- Huang Shan 2 May 25, 2006
- Huang Shan 1 May 21, 2006
- Longre April 29, 2006
- Nanjing April 9, 2006
- Be among women March 29, 2006
- Xi’an 4, museum March 16, 2006
- Xi’an 3 March 16, 2006
- Xi’an 2, Chinese archaelogy March 8, 2006
- Xi’an 1, terracotta warriors March 7, 2006
- Not booking flights February 18, 2006
- Another Chinese New Year February 17, 2006
- Zhongshan Park 3 January 30, 2006
- Zhongshan Park 2 January 30, 2006
- Zhongshan Park 1 January 30, 2006
- More on IELTS students January 7, 2006
- Staying for a bit January 6, 2006
- Hysterics and heresies December 19, 2005
- Not cancer November 2, 2005
- Bad attitude November 2, 2005
- Visa crap November 2, 2005
Tag Archives: students
Breeding for mediocrity
Recently at the uni school, I’ve been doing some of my standard topics: attraction and parenting. They’re great topics anyway, plus I’ve got a bunch of relevant BBC DVDs which add variety and interactivity. Even the dullest Chinese won’t mind … Continue reading
Posted in University
Tagged attraction, breeding, china, chinese, codependency, DVDs, education, english, mediocrity, parenting, partner, pregnancy, rationalisation, relationships, romance, selection, students, teachers, teaching, thinking, trogs
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Legend and Arissa
It amuses me to write about my various schools. I’d have to check, but I think now, after 2.5 years, I’m up to about fourteen. Before I left home, a uni assignment required me to interview someone currently teaching ESL … Continue reading
Posted in University
Tagged academic, affair, china, chinese, complaints, education, english, incompetence, longre, management, scotland, secretary, skills, students, university
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Cooking segments
I suppose it’s common experience that something someone says may clang a bit at the time, though mostly we let it go. It’s interesting for me that the clang of Chinese remarks can increase the more one thinks about them. … Continue reading
Feng Shui management
Now I know the school’s really in trouble because they’ve been doing some heavy construction. A blindingly illogical conclusion one may think, but it goes like this. The construction has been to seal off some old doorways and to open … Continue reading
Posted in Schools & teaching
Tagged business, china, chinese, competence, crisis, english, feng shui, goodwill, management, morale, school, students
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Only English
Recently, for about the last month, I’ve been working full time plus a bit. It’s draining, I can’t do it all the time, but it’s okay once in a while. When the school’s short I nearly always agree to whatever … Continue reading
Posted in Schools & teaching
Tagged business, china, chinese, cost cutting, education, el cheapo, english, management, part time, school, students, teaching, turnover, visa
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Teaching futility
Following recent events at Longre, I expected they’d put me into a downer. However, I didn’t expect it to last a month. I’m only coming out of it now. Essentially it was the combination of two separate problems. As I … Continue reading
Posted in Schools & teaching
Tagged application, china, chinese, employment, fired, futility, idiot, incompetent, longre, pointless, students, teaching
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Be among women
Although I resist labeling myself as a teacher, and I concede it only as a temporary part-time interest, actually it can sometimes be really good. I’m not saying I have good moments all the time or even often, but when … Continue reading
Posted in Schools & teaching
Tagged china, chinese, discussion, educator, esteem, girls, IELTS, students, teaching, test, women
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More on IELTS students
These days I mostly teach IELTS classes. IELTS is a huge international English test with written, listening, writing and speaking components. It’s used by universities around the world to set standards for admission, and it’s really interesting that so many … Continue reading
Posted in Schools & teaching, University
Tagged admission, avoidance, babysitting, china, chinese, chinglish, defeatist, difficult, edutainment, english, IELTS, laws, students, test, university
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Bad attitude
I don’t often say this, but sometimes I get close to liking it here. I’m mostly accustomed to the frustrations and I think on balance I have a pretty good lifestyle: there’s much to appreciate. Lately the autumn days have … Continue reading
Posted in Schools & teaching
Tagged china, chinese, complaints, english, herding, lies, me, mistake, nonconformity, participation, passionless, sheep, students, suitability, topic
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Crazier English
During the recent week-long Chinese national-day public holiday, I had been concerned about not getting enough work. Most schools were shut. So before the holiday, a school I previously wrote about in passing (Crazy English) called me for a perfunctory … Continue reading
Postcards from Shanghai 