Fie Woolly Monkeys

So my second week of teaching has ended! This week has been lots of fun but it's also been challenging.

I was told to teach the kids a song. I've spent all week teaching them the Five Little Monkeys song. They LOVE it. We dance to it too. Once they have the whole song down, I'll try to video it and post it for you guys. It's really funny listening to them sing it. Some of them get the words so wrong. Some of them sing "Fie woolly monkeys" instead of "Five little monkeys." Cracks me up. A few times I've even caught myself singing it that way. And don't get even me started on how they say jumping and bumped. It takes everything in my power not to die laughing every class period.

This week classroom management has been a little interesting. Class 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 are all perfect little angels. I have almost no trouble with them. Class 4 and 6 are a little rowdy but I can usually get them under control. It just takes time.

But class 5 ... oh class 5. They are my worst class. Only about a third of them actually pay attention. Even my Chinese co-teacher has given up on them. There's one girl in particular. She just does not listen. And she laughs at everything I say, mocking me. My Chinese co-teacher told me there is no controlling her. So I've got to get creative.

Despite the naughty ones, I have completely fallen in love with my kids. It took them a little while to warm up to me. They are finally starting to actually call me Miss Lindsay. It took two weeks but they've got it. And now every time I step out of my office, I am surrounded by them. I'll have like six or eight hugging and clinging to me as I try to walk down the hallway. Here are a few of my kids that like to swarm me.

This is Pat. She stops by my office at every break and stands by the door until I come out. And she loves to give hugs.

This is Ashlin. She's very smart and super sweet. Whenever she hugs me, she wraps her arms around my waist as far as she can and squeezes.

This is Becca. She likes to run right at me and almost knock me over with her hugs. Her pigtails are so cute.

And this is Shanae. I haven't quite gotten to know her yet, but she loves to come with the other three and always grabs my arm.

These two are Annie and Hannah. Today they almost made me cry because as I was walking down the road back to my apartment, they passed me and said "Hello Mees Lindsay!" THEY KNOW MY NAME!!! After two weeks of trying to get these kids to say my name, they finally did! Without me having to say it for them. They're very sweet and very smart.

And here are four of the boys that I love so dearly.

This is Eli. Named after Eli Manning. Don't judge me. He can be a little bit of a troublemaker. Yesterday I had to make him stand up in front of the class because he and another boy were fighting. Despite the fact that I punished him, he still loves me. He says Hello to me every time he sees me and he makes sure I say it back to him.

This is Wilson. He is SO smart. He has the Five Little Monkeys song down, and he usually says it correctly. And he was the first one to walk past me in the hallway and say "Hello Mees Lindsay!" Oh, the reason he has a sticker on his head is because for some odd reason the kids like to put their stickers on their forehead. I think it's adorable.

And this is Sheldon. Named after Sheldon Cooper from my favorite sitcom the Big Bang Theory. Again, don't judge me. He is scary smart. He gets what I teach faster than any of the other kids. And he's one of my best behaved boys.

And this is Josh. Josh has a very special place in my heart, and it's only been two weeks. He is an absolute delight, aside from being a bit of a troublemaker. He always raises his hand when I ask for volunteers to come to the front. And he makes sure that I say Hi to him in the hallway. And he always tries to talk to me in Chinese. It's hilarious.

So yeah, my kids are the best. I love them all, even when I can't remember their names. I'm getting better with their names. You would think that I would remember since I named them all. Nope. Still sorting out who is who. But they make all the hard things about China go away. Even when I'm having a bad day, when they smile at me and say "Hello Mees Lindsay!", all my worries and troubles are gone. They make it worth it. Every single one of them.