The first six weeks of classroom routines are up and running, and everything (pretty much) is running smoothly! Oh what a joy it is to begin a year with more confidence, a map of the year in mind, and a better handle on language expectations. I feel as though my life has gone through many seasons upon coming to China. It reminds me of "Desert song" by Hillsong....going through the fire, battle, desert, and then the harvest. With the challenges set before me with the sheer number of students in my class last year, and then the lack of language ability nearly drowned me...I surely felt like I was fighting for my sanity and joy. Yet this year, it is as though my life is in the harvest, and I am reaping the fruits of His sovereign promises that plan to prosper us and not to harm us.
Many things have changed for the better this year: We now have an English program for 1st grade to help support those who need basic vocabulary and speaking/listening skills.....(I wish I had that last year). Due to the effects of this program, the 13 first grade students enrolled for this year turned into 6 in the ES class and 7 in mine! Woah! At first, I was unsure what I was going to do going from a quiver-full last year to only 7. As time went on, I was overwhelmed with the blessing of a small class....not only is it much easier to manage, but I genuinely feel like I am able to create an individualized intervention plan (if needed) for each child in my classroom. Over the summer I researched a lot of new techniques to create more effective reading/writing instruction. With a smaller class, I am able to play around and experiment with this new framework for my teaching. Using the reading/writing workshop method, more time is allotted for actual independent reading and writing.....I actually have students saying "Mrs. Evans, writing is my favorite time of the day!" (no exaggeration). I have had many tearful moments of joy by the growth I have already been able to see this year. I can't wait to share more stories of how adorable my students are.
I have been trying to upload pictures, but for some reason the vpn is not working....I'll give it a try in a little bit.
