Moving On
Aloha!
It was just brought to my attention that I might have failed to inform quite a few people about "the next phase" in however you would label my existence. ;-) I had it all written up in that incredibly boring winter holiday edition blog I didn't post....oops. :-)
Alrighty then...I think I probably decided at some point relatively early last year that I wasn't going to recontract again for my Assistant Language Teacher job in Japan, so the whole Japan adventure is coming to an end in early-August of this year. I really love my town, love the students, love the people I've befriended here, but the job hasn't changed at all in 4 years even though my understanding of everything that revolves around it (language, culture, people, education system, remembering peoples' names....) has changed dramatically. Without all those other things to keep me occupied during the work day, I almost literally have nothing to do anymore in my job, and that isn't really a suitable situation for someone who enjoys being busy.
So,....I'm moving to Taiwan at the end of August. The primary reason I went there over the winter holiday was to check out a bilingual Elementary School one of my Japanese friends told me about ages ago as something I should check out (they are friends with some of the staff at the school). And so I did. :-)
I'll be in southern Taiwan in a city of about 200,000 called Pingtung. The school's name is Chiba Language School. It's a private school for Taiwanese children, but the twist is that the students are taught in only English and Japanese, not their native language. There are 2 English teachers, 2 Japanese teachers, and a bunch of Taiwanese teachers who can speak both English and Japanese. The students are divided into groups with names like Snoopys, Minnies, Mickeys, etc. Each group spends a certain number of hours each day under instruction in all subjects (Math, Social Studies, Science, etc) with an English teacher, and an equal number of hours under the instruction of a Japanese teacher. (So no, I will not be JUST an English teacher at this school....I will be an elementary school teacher teaching IN English.)
In the afternoons, after they have finished their day at a regular Taiwan junior high school, JHS-aged students come to Chiba Language School to do extra study in English language and Japanese language. So for those students, yes, I will be teaching only English again, but as the head classroom teacher, not the assistant. :-)
I can't say that I've always envisioned ending up in Taiwan, but then again I never envisioned ending up in Japan for 4 years either! Taiwan intrigues me in many ways, so I'm excited for the chance to get to know more about it from the inside-out. How long will I be in Taiwan? I have no idea. The job contract at Chiba is the same as the one I had in Japan- annual renewal options. We'll just have to wait and see!
I will be back in the States for a few short weeks in August, so hopefully I'll be seeing some of you then. (^_^) \/
It was just brought to my attention that I might have failed to inform quite a few people about "the next phase" in however you would label my existence. ;-) I had it all written up in that incredibly boring winter holiday edition blog I didn't post....oops. :-)
Alrighty then...I think I probably decided at some point relatively early last year that I wasn't going to recontract again for my Assistant Language Teacher job in Japan, so the whole Japan adventure is coming to an end in early-August of this year. I really love my town, love the students, love the people I've befriended here, but the job hasn't changed at all in 4 years even though my understanding of everything that revolves around it (language, culture, people, education system, remembering peoples' names....) has changed dramatically. Without all those other things to keep me occupied during the work day, I almost literally have nothing to do anymore in my job, and that isn't really a suitable situation for someone who enjoys being busy.
So,....I'm moving to Taiwan at the end of August. The primary reason I went there over the winter holiday was to check out a bilingual Elementary School one of my Japanese friends told me about ages ago as something I should check out (they are friends with some of the staff at the school). And so I did. :-)
I'll be in southern Taiwan in a city of about 200,000 called Pingtung. The school's name is Chiba Language School. It's a private school for Taiwanese children, but the twist is that the students are taught in only English and Japanese, not their native language. There are 2 English teachers, 2 Japanese teachers, and a bunch of Taiwanese teachers who can speak both English and Japanese. The students are divided into groups with names like Snoopys, Minnies, Mickeys, etc. Each group spends a certain number of hours each day under instruction in all subjects (Math, Social Studies, Science, etc) with an English teacher, and an equal number of hours under the instruction of a Japanese teacher. (So no, I will not be JUST an English teacher at this school....I will be an elementary school teacher teaching IN English.)
In the afternoons, after they have finished their day at a regular Taiwan junior high school, JHS-aged students come to Chiba Language School to do extra study in English language and Japanese language. So for those students, yes, I will be teaching only English again, but as the head classroom teacher, not the assistant. :-)
I can't say that I've always envisioned ending up in Taiwan, but then again I never envisioned ending up in Japan for 4 years either! Taiwan intrigues me in many ways, so I'm excited for the chance to get to know more about it from the inside-out. How long will I be in Taiwan? I have no idea. The job contract at Chiba is the same as the one I had in Japan- annual renewal options. We'll just have to wait and see!
I will be back in the States for a few short weeks in August, so hopefully I'll be seeing some of you then. (^_^) \/
posted by Mandy | 5:05 PM
4 Comments:
Hi Mandy, Im really interested in doing some English Teaching in Taiwan.. Im Australian and thinking of travelling there in mid Feb 2011.. I saw the ad on tealit.com for Chiba Language school.. Did you teach there ? What's it like ? You could email me if you had time..It sounds like you had a nice time in Taiwan =)
best wishes ~ Richard
Richard,
If you see this message, if you could leave another comment with your email address, I would be very happy to get back to you! I did find your blog site, but did not see a place to leave a comment, and your comment on my page did not provide me with a way to get back in touch with you. Thanks! I hope we can connect!
-Mandy
Hi Mandy, Many thanks for your reply ! My email address is : rhford_tas@yahoo.com.au. I look forward to hearing from you. Have a Happy New Year ! ~ Richard
Hi Mandy,
Hope all is well with you and your worldly endeavors.
I'm not sure if you are still posting on this blog, but I would love to hear about your experience teaching at Chiba and living in Pingtung city. I am considering sending my resume to Chiba, but when I read more about the school, I noticed some potential 'red flags': (1) they do a monthly activity called "Happy Friday" for which teachers are to prepare activities for students and parents...did you find that to be a lot of work? (2) The website mentioned a "tradition" that they do in the summertime which requires teachers and students to sleep overnight at the school...did I read that right?? (3) How often did you have to do demo classes for parents and extra curricular activities outside of regular teaching hours?
I would sincerely appreciate any advice and/or information you could provide.
Shannon
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