It's All in A Name

Today I thought a lot about names. I wasn't quite sure how the kids here got their "English" names, but they range from Ivy to Jason to Isuki. There were Warrens, Jacks...most of the English names the students have I really like. And then...there are the odd ones.

In a class of 55 it is near impossible to remember all names, especially after two days. But, when there is an odd one...it definitely sticks out. One kid told me his name was Nike. Another introduced himself as Smart. A third stood in front of the class and said, "My name is Milk." I kind of didn't know what to do. Inside I wanted to laugh, but is that disrespectful? When I asked him to repeat himself, the other students giggled a bit, so I knew I maybe wasn't the only one who thought it was funny. There were also some Lions and Tigers in my class. (Never thought I would say that.)

At first I thought it was a translation thing. I guess I kind of thought the kids would go to a computer site - similar to the one English people can go to and get their Chinese names. But, the kids told me their names were given to them by either their parents or by their English teacher. If not, they chose them on their own. Clearly Nike, Smart, and Milk chose theirs.

Anyway I started to think about the origins of names and wanted to learn about how the Chinese get their names. At lunch I decided to do some research. Here is what I found...

Chinese names usually have three characters. The family name character comes first. Next, comes one or two characters which are chosen by the parents. This is different from the names we have, because in our culture, our family names are last.

So, if we followed the same pattern, my name would actually be Miller Maureen. Chinese people commonly address each other with full names instead of just their given name. So, let's take Yao Ming. He would be formally addressed as Mr. Yao not Mr. Ming. His informal name would stay Yao Ming. Seems complicated, but it isn't.

I also came across some information on the Chinese Zodiac calendar. I got curious: was I a rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, tiger, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, rooster, monkey, dog, or pig? And before I even find that out, I wanted to know where this calendar came from!

One story says Buddha was leaving the earth and he summoned the animals together to say goodbye. Guess how many showed up? 12. So, to show his appreciation to those animals, Buddha named each year after one of them in a continuous cycle.

Another story goes on to describe how the order came out. It says that these 12 animals were arguing over who held the head of the cycle of years. They asked the gods to decide. So, the gods decided to hold a contest: whoever reached the opposite bank of the river would be first, and the rest of the animals would receive their years according to their finish. So, off they went. The ox was just about to jump ashore and win, but the rat had hitched a ride on his back. Right before the ox jumped ashore, the rat quickly beat him to the punch...winning the race. The pig came in last. This is why the rat is first in the cycle, and the pig is last.

1982 was the year of the dog. According to what I have read, it is a very likable sign, and apparently loyalty is it's main attribute. Here is what I pulled off about The Year of the Dog:

People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people's confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth.

I kind of struggle with the fact that everyone born in 1982 falls under this category...but hey...it's just a zodiac sign! Find out what you are: Click Here

Toto. I've got a feeling we aren't in Kansas anymore

I set my alarm for 7 am...woke up...grabbed a shower, and got ready for my first day at Er Shin Junior Senior High School in Keelung. I moved around my tiny little apartment in Taipei to get myself a bowl of Special K. I ate it, only it didn't taste like Special K...but it would have to do. I walked out my door and got into the car for my ride to school...

I wasn't sure what to expect. I tend to over plan, and then end up going with the flow when it comes down to it...but I would NEVER go to class without a detailed lesson plan. Well, until today...because I had no idea what to expect.

Before today, my questions to the school went something like this: "What do you do if there is a fight? Or if a student curses at you, or walks out of the room? What do you do if they refuse to work?"

The response I got from the dean: "Never. Not here." I couldn't speak directly with Mr. Liu because he does not speak English well himself, but through translation I could tell he was shocked by my question...probably just as shocked as I was by his answer.

As Jon (the other English teacher) and myself were driven to Keelung from Taipei, I couldn't get that thought out of my mind.

What would it be like in a quiet classroom? What would fill the silence? Was silence even okay!?

I wasn't sure what to expect.

At Er Shin, the students start their morning at 7am, and stay in school until 6 pm. (Talk about a long day)! Some of them go to school on the weekends, too! As I walked into my 7th grade class, they all turned around and looked at me with anxious little faces, curious about their new teacher. You see, the 7th graders have learned English up until now, but most of them have never had foreign teachers, so I was really interesting to them. They were polite, but couldn't help but look at me and giggle, whispering things I could not understand in Chinese. I could see the excitement and interest in their eyes...and I loved it. However, all I kept thinking was...I can't believe I have 55 kids in one class!

I learned very quickly that the students were less willing to speak English alone, so I quickly made notes on my plans to implement more choral reading and speaking to start to build their fluency and confidence. I introduced myself and told my new class where I was from. I explained that I moved here only a few days ago and I did not know any Chinese. They looked at me, and I swear some of them gasped, almost to say, How are you going to survive? In my head I realized I had been wondering the same thing...

The first class was so quiet and shy it was almost unbearable. I could lie and say that I tried to break the ice by falling on purpose, but truth be told...I fell on accident. The classrooms at Er Shin have these little stage-like structures for the teachers, with a podium on them. Not being used to the raised stage, I misplaced my footing and fell right back...onto my bottom. I picked myself up expecting to see kids rolling on the floor laughing...but to my amazement all I saw were blank stares.

Toto. I've got a feeling we aren't in Kansas anymore. -- Exactly.

My second class was not as shy, but truth be told...they were still painfully quiet.

I chatted with Jon, the other teacher at lunch and talked to him about how quiet the kids were. I expected them to be quiet, but surely this can't be how they are ALL the time...

Jon suggested that I call them by their assigned numbers instead of asking for volunteers. I kind of hesitated because I didn't want to reduce my kids to numbers...but then again I am teaching at a school with 5,000 students!! So I tried it, and it worked! The kids even liked it and I could see them hoping their number would be called next. (Who would have thought...)

My last two classes went great, and I think I felt a little more at ease, which transferred to the kids. I made some more improvisations throughout the day - like sticking magnets on large index cards for vocabulary words to stick to the board. This way, I can have a portable word wall. That went over really well with the kids, and they were getting up and using them during our writing exercises and speaking activities.


All in all, it was a wonderful first day. The students are bright and ready to learn. They are motivated and want to impress their teacher. They are respectful, and appreciate the role of a teacher. This is something I can definitely get used to...and that is a good thing because I will be here for a year.

Dào mùqián wéizhǐ, wǒ xǐhuan táiwān.
So far I like Taiwan. (Thank you Google Translate)


Here are some pics from school today:





This was my lunch today. It was very good! They deliver lunch to my office everyday...for free! :)




Here is the view of Er Shin from the English Office. Er Shin is in Keelung, which is a port city. The school is located at the top of a mountain/hill that overlooks the water. The campus is HUGE...and for good reason. The 5,000 students have to be able to walk somewhere!

That's it for day 1!