judged the Student run Sias Oral English competition last night. Students were judged on Presentation, talent ( piano, guitar, theatre!), and answering questions. They did great!
Tag Archives: TESOL
![20141128_234639[1]](https://deceptivelyblonde.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/20141128_2346391.jpg?w=490&h=294)
Mock Trial in China :)
26 Mar![IMG_0610[1]](https://deceptivelyblonde.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_06101.jpg)
![IMG_0612[1]](https://deceptivelyblonde.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_06121.jpg)
Our students are studying Business Law, and we had them stand in for a mock trial this week. The boy is the Bailiff and the girl in the black robe is the judge 🙂
Spring in Xinzheng
21 MarSpring is arriving in Xinzheng! I went for a walk in the river park with some friends yesterday. We were hunting for fishies and we caught some! Harry was out in the middle of one of the koi ponds balancing on the pots, it’s a miracle we didn’t end up with a soaked, stinky Harry 🙂 the trees were flowering, the weÖather was lovely, what a great day!
Citation Humor
9 MarMore things that make me smile: When students cite “According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary (7th Edition) and my cellphone“. The cellphone part makes it legit. 🙂
English Names for Girls ~ 英文名女孩 (Yīngwén míng nǚhái)
25 FebHere is a good resource for ESL students looking for their English name.
English Names for Girls
英文名女孩 (Yīngwén míng nǚhái)
Name (English Pronunciation)- Meaning (Origin) – Chinese Translation (Pinyin)
**Capital vowels (AEIOU) are long vowels like “lAke” or “bIke” or “flUte”
### Pronunciation is by English standards, not Pinyin!
+++These names are not all common, but are recognizable to Westerners
- Sophia(sOh fEE ah) – Wisdom (Greek) – 智 (zhì)
- Emma (ehm mah) – Complete or Whole (German) – 普(pǔ)
- Mia (mEE ah) – Long desired or wished-for (Latin)– 遂愿 (suì yuàn)
- Lily(Li lEE) – Type of Flower that represents purity (Greek)- 百合 (bǎi hé); 淳 (chún)
- Phoebe (fEE bEE) – Bright, Clear, Radient (Greek) -亮(liàng); 爽 (shuǎng)
- Sabrina (sah brEEn ah) – Goddess of the River – 河的女神 (Hé de nǚshén)
- Emily (ehm i lEE) – Eager; Excelling (Latin)– 殷切(yīn qiè); 要强(yào qiáng)
- Kiley(kai lEE) – Graceful, Beautiful (Irish) – 雍容 (yōng róng); 轻盈 (qīng yíng)
- Laura (laur ah) – Short for the Laurel Tree which represents Victory and Immortality (Latin) – 桂冠(guì guān); 胜 (shèng);不朽 (bù xiǔ)
- Ella (ehl lah) – Light (German) – 轻快(qīng kuài)
- Grace (grAs) – Beauty, joy, elegant, classy (Latin) – 风韵(fēng yùn)
- Helen (hehl ehn) – Light, Sun (Greek) – 昀(yún)
- Anna(an nah) – Gracious (Hebrew) – 亲切 (qīn qiè)
- Julia (jU lEE ah) – Youthful (Latin) – 年青 (nián qīng)
- Jasmine (ja smehn) – Type of Flower that represents modesty (Persian) – 谦逊(qiān xùn); 茉莉花 (mò li huā)
- Clara (klah rah) – Clear, Bright (Greek) – 亮(liàng); 爽 (shuǎng)
- Charity (chA ri tEE) – giving help to the needy (English) – 仁爱(rén ài); 周济 (zhōu jì)
- Daisy (day zEE) – Gentleness, Innocence, Loyal Love (English)– 沉静(chén jìng); 童心 (tóng xīn); 忠诚 (zhōng chéng)
- Selene (sehl EEn) – Moon (Greek) -望(wàng)
- Heather (heh ther) – Type of flower that represents Perseverance in the middle of difficulty (English) – 毅力(yì lì); 滴水穿石 (dī shuǐ chuān shí)
- Iris (I rehs) – Faith, Wisdom (Greek) -信赖(xìn lài); 智 (zhì)
- Ivy (I vEE) – Fertility – 生殖力(shēng zhí lì)
- Rose(rOz) – Love, Grace, Desire (Germanic) – 玫 (méi); 爱 (ài); 恋 (liàn)
- Alyssa(ah lehs sah) – Worth beyond Beauty (Greek) – 无价 (wú jià)
- Violet (vI O let) – Modesty, Simplicity (French) – 简易(jiǎn yì); 谦逊 (qiān xùn)
- Carol (kAr Ol) – Song of praise or joy (French) – 颂歌(sòng gē)
- Eden (E dehn) – Paradise, Place of Pleasure (Hebrew) – 天堂(tiān táng)
- Holly (hahl lEE) – To BringGoodwill (English) – 善意 (shàn yì)
- Ariana(Ar EE ahn ah) – Holy (Latin) – 圣 (shèng)
- Faith (fAth) – To Trust (English) – 信赖(xìn lài)
- Dawn(dahwn) – Sunrise (English) – 晨 (chén)
- Vanessa (van ehss ah) – Butterfly (Greek) – 蝶(dié)
- Harmony(hahr mOn EE) – When music notes are played at the same time to form a beautiful sound; in agreement (Greek) – 和 (hé); 均衡 (jūn héng)
- Joy (jO EE) – Happiness (French) – 乐趣(lè qù)
- Mercy(mehr sEE) – To show compassion or forgiveness (Latin) – 留情 (liú qíng)
- Hope (hOp) – Faith or belief that something will happen (English) – 期望(qī wàng)
- Katrina( kat rEE nah) – Pure, Clear (Swedish) – 白 (bái)
- Ariel (Ar EE ahl) – Lion of God [basically it means warrior who represents heaven when fighting evil] (Hebrew) – 上帝的狮子 (Shàngdì de shīzi) [maybe a bad translation]
- Brenda (brehn dah) – Flaming sword (Norse) – 火焰的剑 (Huǒyàn de jiàn) [maybe a bad translation]
- Veronica(vehr on E kah) – Honest image; True Image (Latin) – 廉洁相(Liánjié xiàng)
- Abby(ab bEE) – Short for Abigail, means Father’s joy (Hebrew) – 父亲的喜悦 (Fùqīn de xǐyuè)
- Caitlyn orKaitlyn (kAt lehn) – Pure (French) – 白 (bái)
- Cassandra (kass ahn drah) – Prophetess from Greek Stories (Greek) – 预言家(yù yán jiā)
- Bianca(bEE ahn kah) – White, Shining (French) – 崭亮 (zhǎn liàng); 白 (bái)
- Alicia (ah lEE shah) – Nobility (Latin) – 贵族(guì zú)
- Miranda(mEEr an dah) – Worthy of Admiration, Wonderful (Latin) – 令人钦佩 (Lìng rén qīnpèi); 美妙 (měi miào)
- Diana (dai an ah) – Heavenly, Divine, Goddess of the Forest (Latin) – 仙(xiān); 森林女神 (Sēnlín nǚshén)
- Irene (ai rEEn) – Peace (Greek) – 安乐(ān lè)
- Scarlett(scahr leht) – Red, a color that symbolizes Passion (English) – 激情 (jī qíng)
- Stacy(stei cEE) – Fruitful (Greek) – 产量多 (chǎn liàng duō)
Couldn’t be more Proud
28 Nov![20141128_234639[1]](https://deceptivelyblonde.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/20141128_2346391.jpg)
My Finance Students in their Graduation Photo. ❤
I’ve just spent the last week working for hours and hours with some of my students to get their papers finished. One of my students told me it was the first time a teacher had ever told him good job, and another said he had never worked so hard on an assignment. In the end, I’ve never been so impressed or proud as I have been of these people. They work their butts off trying to not only comprehend difficult subjects, but also to explain it back to you in a completely foreign language. And after looking at the finished works tonight, I could almost cry I’m so happy. They got it! and they wrote it! and they even added in some really great ideas for the solutions part, things that I wouldn’t even have thought of. So tonight I want the world to know that my students rock and I love them all!
ESL Trouble
7 NovMy students are all Senior’s in college, and as such are prepping for their big college entrance examinations / English proficiency exams. Many of the come to me looking for help with their papers and writing practice, and I’ve been noticing a particular trend in their work.
They almost all have excellent understanding of noun, verb, adverb, adjective placement; however, two significant blocks for them are the Prepositions and the Articles (a, an, the). The students simply don’t understand how those words fit in with everything else.
So I pulled together a brief list of practice worksheets I found on the internet. Just in case someone else was interested, here they are!
Prepositions:
“A preposition is a part of speech, just like a noun or a verb. It connects a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence, showing us the relationship between them. Prepositions usually answer the questions where? or when?, telling us about a person or object’s location in either time or space.”
http://www.englishcurrent.com/worksheets/prepositions-exercises-worksheet/ (Excellent Practice)
Articles (A, An, The)
http://esllibrary.weebly.com/uploads/2/1/7/8/2178024/articles.pdf (Helpful, but maybe confusing? ~ the rules)
Hope something here is useful!
Chinese Teaching Objective Passed!
19 SepThree Cheers! Woohoo! Yay!
Oops, sorry I got a little carried away – I’m teaching my students about leading by being the team’s cheerleader and got a little caught up in the chanting and cheering 😛
I recently accomplished a great triumph in my classroom here in China – a student raised her hand and asked me to repeat myself.
Yes, you heard that right. . . she raised her hand and spoke in class. (wipes away a tear) I’m just so proud.
One of the cultural differences I’ve found here in China as a teacher is that students respect their teachers almost to the point of worship. It’s both self-confidence-inspiring and terrifying. They have a general fear of speaking in front of other students due to the risk of sounding like an idiot (one I’m sure students around the world share), a problem compounded by their culturally-specific fear of asking the teacher a question. I rather suspect they expect the event to go something like this:
**************
S: Teacher, I am so incredibly sorry, and I know it’s my fault, you are oh so wise. But I’m utterly lost.
Me: Shock! Gasp! Horror! You are telling me I (a foreigner from a strange land speaking your third language) didn’t explain the concept of Kantian ethics precisely the first time for you to immediately grasp all nuances? How dare you! Fiend! Horrible creature! Someone call the class monitor and have this child fed to wolves immediately!
Class Monitor: Off with his head!
Classmates: Bwahahahahahaha, what a fool!
***************
And so forth.
Average China Teacher’s Salary
26 JunThis page from AbroadChina.org offers a really great list of average salaries in the different areas of China. The list of local resident and teach salaries tells you at what level you can expect to live, while the list of foreign teacher’s salaries lets you know if your pay is the equivalent to the Chinese Standard in the area. Admittedly, it was based on 2003-2005. Still, Great Resource!
| Base Monthly Pay Only |
| Location | Foreign Teacher① | Chinese Teacher② | Urban Resident③ | Rural Resident④ |
| National Level | 1,942.00 (College) 1,108.00 (High School or Elementary School) |
897.56 | 234.39 | |
| Anhui | 3,150-4,050 | 880.83 | 727.11 | 199.15 |
| Beijing | 3,850-4,950 | 2,214.00 | 1445.41 | 627.97 |
| Chongqing | 3,014-3,875 | 994.33 | 907.12 | 188.11 |
| Fujian | 4,030-5,182 | 1,211.08 | 1032.18 | 338.39 |
| Gansu | 3,241-4,167 | 1,038.83 | 737.93 | 123.20 |
| Guangdong | 4,150-5,336 | 1,533.67 | 1283.76 | 362.74 |
| Guangxi | 2,722-3,500 | 900.50 | 790.30 | 192.93 |
| Guizhou | 4,283-5,250 | 813.42 | 704.67 | 126.39 |
| Hainan | 2,917-3,750 | 1,054.08 | 746.62 | 242.44 |
| Hebei | 2,970-3,819 | 873.83 | 603.26 | 251.31 |
| Heilongjiang | 3,617-4,650 | 1,091.00 | 657.90 | 251.59 |
| Henan | 2,902-3,731 | 888.83 | 842.91 | 178.13 |
| Hubei | 3,098-3,983 | 949.58 | 756.32 | 200.78 |
| Hunan | 3,138-4,034 | 1,014.83 | 639.52 | 245.46 |
| Inner Mongolia | 2,917-3,750 | 971.75 | 799.01 | 227.67 |
| Jiangsu | 3,150-4,050 | 1,258.92 | 976.84 | 395.22 |
| Jiangxi | 3,684-4,737 | 834.42 | 731.57 | 207.06 |
| Jilin | 3,135-4,031 | 994.25 | 726.55 | 251.22 |
| Liaoning | 3,650-4,694 | 1,070.33 | 776.34 | 318.12 |
| Ningxia | 2,800-3,600 | 1,130.17 | 672.12 | 224.36 |
| Qinghai | 2,667-3,429 | 1,055.67 | 790.96 | 148.41 |
| Shaanxi | 3,354-4,312 | 931.50 | 746.83 | 168.47 |
| Shandong | 2,975-3,825 | 1,046.83 | 906.98 | 320.90 |
| Shanghai | 4,529-5,823 | 2,057.17 | 1661.96 | 704.08 |
| Shanxi | 2,882-3,705 | 883.42 | 821.54 | 157.15 |
| Sichuan | 3,182-4,091 | 980.75 | 712.92 | 207.92 |
| Tianjin | 2,333-3,000 | 1,421.92 | 1118.86 | 458.34 |
| Tibet | 2,342.50 | 723.59 | 115.83 | |
| Xinjiang | 2,800-3,600 | 1,186.92 | 732.96 | 165.11 |
| Yunnan | 2,333-3,000 | 1,065.50 | 725.84 | 141.43 |
| Zhejiang | 3,911-5,029 | 1,852.58 | 1454.08 | 610.16 |
Moving Abroad Questions: What’s For Sale?
24 JunIn August, I will be officially changing my residence address to one in Xinzheng, China, selling my possessions here in the States and starting a new life over there. I have been really blessed in that my University has established a Facebook Group for all the foreign teachers there. All of us newbies are asking tons of questions of those who went before, and I thought I’d share some of the important ones as they come up. If you are moving to teach or changing jobs for one overseas, you might want to ask your organization or contacts the same questions!
1. What’s for Sale?
I never really thought about, but sometimes the people leaving have things for sale. Leaving teachers at my school are offering things like medicine, water purifiers, American towels, potted plants, shelving, curtains, etc. The kind of things I don’t want to take, they don’t want to bring back, and no one wants to buy. See what your place has to offer!
“She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city” ~ Roman Payne
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