Storytime


Afternoons some students arrive before the gates open at 1:30. The students are impatient for the start of their afternoon classes. .......OK, maybe they just like hanging out with their friends.







Thursday of this past week the third graders at the gate were waiting for a special activity. When the gates opened they went to their classroom, picked up their seats and carried them out to the playground area where they sat in rows with their classmates. All six third grade classes. That's about 360 students





Mrs. Li sat with her students as they waited for the storytime to begin. She has been their teacher since first grade. Next year she will get a new first grade class and these third graders will move on together to a new teacher. But on Thursday she sat with her third graders to watch the performance. I sat with them as this was my normal time to be in their class.

The first and second graders who had PE during this time sat in the back. No PE today. They listened to the stories from the fringes of the playground.

Ten third grade students recited stories from their reader in front of the third grade classes, their teachers and a panel of four judges. This young man is one of my students. He is quite outgoing. He was the most animated in this story recitation activity. He was quite entertaining while other performers were trying to remember all the words.

After her performance another of my students posed with her mother. Her mother, when she is able, sits in on our class in order to learn English along with her daughter.

In amongst all the third graders I spotted one or two students following along in their books. Actually I'm not sure they were following along. They might have been taking this opportunity to read ahead.

To the left of our "auditorium" area, the older students continued with their PE class. They played badminton and basketball while we watched the performance. Well, some of us did. Many third graders visited with each other. Some teachers also. Occasionally even the judges. And, of course, the first and the second graders in the back didn't last long.

The reciters were noble in their efforts. Nothing distracted them. Especially the last three performers. Unfortunately I had returned my camera to my apartment, in order to be ready for teaching my next class, by the time the last three performed. But picture this. The bell rang for the end of the class and the kindergarten students and first and second graders came pouring out. Our performers were in their play area. Some recess takers recognized a performance was going on and stood on the stage area watching and listening to the stories. Some of the recess takers were oblivious to the performance and ran, chased, and tussled next to the performers. The third grade teacher in charge tried to keep them at a distance, but that was a chore. I tried not to laugh. And the reciters continued on like nothing was happening. It was priceless. The third graders continued listening, visiting and horsing around as before even though they were missing their recess. The last reciter finished. The teacher in charge read a short statement. And we left. No applause needed. No standing ovations. We just left.

An aside......

The school likes to display the students' works. Another way they do this is to mount written works on large boards that are placed along the stage area. They must be displayed outdoors since their are no indoor halls. The photo was taken when art and calligraphy works were on display. This week papers from students' English classes were on display. Next time the display could be works from their Chinese classes.