That’s another thing about the life of a teacher—searching for missing kids in the bathroom. I found R. He says he was not on iPad because it had no power. But with R, it’s hard to know the truth. A sixth grader new to our school. He’s already been suspended for a week from the…
6th Grade Nightmare
Was getting the class back, pulling em from the brink, until W. threatened to kill C. Then C threatened to kill W. Then W hit C. That’s about how it went. W got sent out to teacher office, as I stood in doorway talking to C. Meanwhile, V—1st grader impersonating a sixth grader—was engaging in…
Upcoming Ultra
Saturday: My second ever ultra marathon. Trepidation? Not so much. Actually, excited about it. Helps a lot to have gotten in my July challenge in Guiyang. Longest ever run of mine—54.23km (33.69 miles). Feeling confident now. Solo, most likely. Qing Pu district of Shanghai. Goal: Dice Challenge 48km. Earning 140 points for the monthly Dice…
Tragedy in Guizhou Province, China
A time like this reminds me yet again how blessed we truly are. August 1st—we were on this exact route in a very similar (if not the exact) bus. Now, a catastrophic accident has occurred on this mountain highway, in Guizhou province. Translated from the Chinese… At 2: 40 on September 18, a passenger car…
Yesterday, But…
On a Monday with a bunch of crazy 6th and 8th graders, I must return to my Happy Place—time and time again.
FRIDAY!
Each and every Friday should be savored and relished to its fullest extent. This Friday, September 16th, even more so. This week in Lingang, alongside the Shanghai shoreline, has seen: a typhoon throwing its strongest winds in the city down upon our area; 15 colleagues sent home—hours before typhoon struck— in the midst of a…
Uncertainties
In the ranks today, we’ve had 15 colleagues forced home into lockdown. 3 alone from our Lower Secondary department. They were all called to leave even though we get COVID tested here at school every single morning , five days a week. Lotus grocery store at the end of the block where colleagues live has…
And then he hugged me
Tuesday, September 13 Tony. Oh, Tony. Smallish boy of sixth grade. Brand new to our school. Very little to no English—yet. On his way out of afternoon homeroom yesterday, he suddenly walked over and gave me a quick half-hug. First and only student to do that this school year. It was incredibly endearing. All my…
Bike Rides & Blessings
Sunday, September 11th: Jinshan-Fengxian-Pudong (3 districts of Shanghai) Another 61 mile ride in the books. So, within 32 hours, we cycled about 123 miles. But whereas Day 1 took about 5 hours 45 minutes including breaks, Day 2 took a total of 7 hours 25 minutes😩 Stiff headwind, some posterior fatigue and heavy packs full…
Charlie & Hercules
Those who have passed on are not lost, but waiting for our arrival. In fact (or very real possibility), they may never have left us at all. Just a few days back, I dreamed of Hercules, my parent’s sprightly little chihuahua-poodle mix who passed on (perhaps) around seven years ago. His beige hair was shaggy…
Friday is Cake Day!
Yes, it’s true. I’ve seen it with mine own two eyes: A tall, dark chocolate VEGAN cake in our English Dept. fridge. It is really going to happen—again this week. Four days after Cake Monday, Cake Friday is coming! I’ve said it before and it’s worth saying again: no teacher is as happy as they…
Peanut
The Tale of “Peanut” She is a small, sprightly girl. She is in the sixth grade. Her name is Peanut. I must refrain from smiling too much as I call her name. Her classmates don’t seem to think anything is askance. In China, some students choose English names close in pronunciation to a given Chinese…
Don't Let My Parents Read This 