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Letters to Lisa Part 6
Paul
Dateline: March
Dear Lisa,
I’ve been talking to Paul a lot more lately. He doesn’t frighten me anymore. I understand him more now. He is actually a pretty cool guy. Intense yes, but it comes out of a passion for this school, these kids, and the desire to have good teachers for them. In this, Paul and I are identical. We both tend to be extremely sensitive. I was too sensitive to him before, hence my fear and uncomfortableness. He bounces ideas off me now regarding things in the office and life in general.
Paul is now one of the few people I actually spend time in conversation with. What a turn of events that is! And as I learn more about the school and see some of the things he deals with regularly, I have a better understanding of why he “seems” so intense. He has frustration from some really ridiculous situations that I’m afraid I can not talk to you about. (You’re a manager so I know you understand personnel stuff.) But I get it now. I’m his sounding board now.
Sometimes we strongly disagree on things, but it’s always work. We know work is work, and relationship is relationship. If we get into about a work issue, we can still be friends afterward. It’s nice to be able to do that. There’s usually a little bit of a short cooling down period after, then everything’s ok.
Paul told me recently he’s moving back to Thailand, were he taught before. If I have a Taiwanese soul, Paul’s is in Thailand. I wish him well and will miss his camaraderie in the office.
Everything else is just daily life. I get up, go to work, go home, relax (eat dinner, watch a movie, talk to friends etc.), go to bed and do it all over the next day. Life he is just like in America. You have routines you follow as you live your life. The only difference here is everything is in Chinese. I am ever aware of being a foreigner. On the days, I don’t think about or feel my foreign-ness are good days. It means I didn’t get any crazy looks, nobody asked me to take a picture, and I was able to communicate in Chinese relatively easily. Those are very good days!
Zijian, (See you later)
D
Paul… Post Script. It’s the end of May now and Paul has moved back to Thailand. I’m the Lead Teacher now. Meaning, I’m the intense asshole everyone treads lightly around. I so completely understand why Paul was grouchy at times. It’s funny how life is so circular sometimes. My boss even comments sometimes..”You remind me so much of Paul.” In this case, I take it as a compliment because I know it’s meant as such.
Showing posts with label Teaching in Taiwan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teaching in Taiwan. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Letter to Lisa part 2
Letters to Lisa Part 2
Work and Paul makes me crazy!!
Dateline: March
Dear Lisa,
Everything is going ok. My third graders are so cute! I really love these kids. I’m most happy when I’m in the classroom. No news on the Taiwanese woman I mentioned before. We go to the movies and dinner, but ALWAYS in a group. It’s really hard to get to know her. Chinese women are a tough nut to crack.
(As a quick aside here. I will use the terms Taiwanese, Taiwain People and Chinese interchangeably. These are all words that people in Taiwan use to describe themselves. After being here a year, I have a sense of when and with whom to use each term. But it’s too complicated to detail here. We can talk about it the next time I come home to visit. For now just know it all means the same thing.)
At work we have two new foreign teachers. Tina is ABC (American Born Chinese). She was actually born in Taiwan, then her family migrated to American when she was 2 years old, is a naturalized citizen and carries a US passport. She seems a sweet girl. 26 years old, funny and strangely innocent. Getting to know her will be interesting. The other new teacher is Oliver. He’s my age and from New Zealand. But get this, he’s as black as I am. When he told me he was from New Zealand, my response was “HUH?!” His story is even more complicated than mine. The short version: born in South Africa, but is of India decent. Grew up in S. Africa had a family, moved to New Zealand 13 yrs. ago, became a citizen there. Recently divorced and now teaching in Taiwan. Oliver is a funny dude. Light-hearted and kind. I look forward to getting to know him better.
Now, let me tell you about Paul. Paul is British and…..very intense. He is also the Lead Teacher amongst the foreign teachers. All of our lesson plans flow through Paul. I used to worry that I could never get them right. Well because quite frankly, I couldn’t. But I’m learning to write my plans in a way that work for him. The more we talk about my plans I’m learning that problem is in terminology, not in the idea or even the application. But because of his rather intense nature, we’re all afraid of Paul. I sit next to him. He’s a movie buff like me. So when we talk movies it’s great. When we talk work, I say little and just listen. My motto is it’s better to be the devil’s ally than be in his path. I wish the other teachers would learn this. We’d all be happier.
Paul is definitely on the inside with the Chinese administration here at school. They love him. I don’t get it. he’s rude and ill-tempered. But, maybe that’s just the difference in my mid-west U.S. upbringing and his British/European, “we’re god’s gift to the world” upbringing. BTW, Europeans in Taiwan do truly have an elitist air about them. And they really think American is stupid. Canadians are a little better, but only marginally so.
Anyway, Paul is special, and he scares the crap out of me. Everything I say to him is always safe.
Wish me luck.
D
Work and Paul makes me crazy!!
Dateline: March
Dear Lisa,
Everything is going ok. My third graders are so cute! I really love these kids. I’m most happy when I’m in the classroom. No news on the Taiwanese woman I mentioned before. We go to the movies and dinner, but ALWAYS in a group. It’s really hard to get to know her. Chinese women are a tough nut to crack.
(As a quick aside here. I will use the terms Taiwanese, Taiwain People and Chinese interchangeably. These are all words that people in Taiwan use to describe themselves. After being here a year, I have a sense of when and with whom to use each term. But it’s too complicated to detail here. We can talk about it the next time I come home to visit. For now just know it all means the same thing.)
At work we have two new foreign teachers. Tina is ABC (American Born Chinese). She was actually born in Taiwan, then her family migrated to American when she was 2 years old, is a naturalized citizen and carries a US passport. She seems a sweet girl. 26 years old, funny and strangely innocent. Getting to know her will be interesting. The other new teacher is Oliver. He’s my age and from New Zealand. But get this, he’s as black as I am. When he told me he was from New Zealand, my response was “HUH?!” His story is even more complicated than mine. The short version: born in South Africa, but is of India decent. Grew up in S. Africa had a family, moved to New Zealand 13 yrs. ago, became a citizen there. Recently divorced and now teaching in Taiwan. Oliver is a funny dude. Light-hearted and kind. I look forward to getting to know him better.
Now, let me tell you about Paul. Paul is British and…..very intense. He is also the Lead Teacher amongst the foreign teachers. All of our lesson plans flow through Paul. I used to worry that I could never get them right. Well because quite frankly, I couldn’t. But I’m learning to write my plans in a way that work for him. The more we talk about my plans I’m learning that problem is in terminology, not in the idea or even the application. But because of his rather intense nature, we’re all afraid of Paul. I sit next to him. He’s a movie buff like me. So when we talk movies it’s great. When we talk work, I say little and just listen. My motto is it’s better to be the devil’s ally than be in his path. I wish the other teachers would learn this. We’d all be happier.
Paul is definitely on the inside with the Chinese administration here at school. They love him. I don’t get it. he’s rude and ill-tempered. But, maybe that’s just the difference in my mid-west U.S. upbringing and his British/European, “we’re god’s gift to the world” upbringing. BTW, Europeans in Taiwan do truly have an elitist air about them. And they really think American is stupid. Canadians are a little better, but only marginally so.
Anyway, Paul is special, and he scares the crap out of me. Everything I say to him is always safe.
Wish me luck.
D
Monday, August 31, 2009
A New School Year
Where in the World is D today?
Looking over the balcony at joyful kids running and playing.
Today is the first day of school. It's been a really quiet day for me. I'm looking forward to spending a whole year with my students. I want to see what I and they can do in a whole year.
Coming in the middle of the year last year was an interestest transition for us all. This job, as much as I love it, can be filled with periods of ...... inactivity. Today's one of those days. So I watch the kids on their break and smile.
I want to be a good teacher. It's the one the few thing I don't question in my life. I know I can teach. I want to get in there and do it! (Somebody keep note of that when I'm feeling less enthusiastic in the future.)
But in the meantime, I will soak up all that unbridaled energy and try to focus it into something strong.
Peace
戴格智
Looking over the balcony at joyful kids running and playing.
Today is the first day of school. It's been a really quiet day for me. I'm looking forward to spending a whole year with my students. I want to see what I and they can do in a whole year.
Coming in the middle of the year last year was an interestest transition for us all. This job, as much as I love it, can be filled with periods of ...... inactivity. Today's one of those days. So I watch the kids on their break and smile.
I want to be a good teacher. It's the one the few thing I don't question in my life. I know I can teach. I want to get in there and do it! (Somebody keep note of that when I'm feeling less enthusiastic in the future.)
But in the meantime, I will soak up all that unbridaled energy and try to focus it into something strong.
Peace
戴格智
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