Mornings, Monday through Thursday, I am at DuTou Primary School. It is the only school in DuTou, a village of 2000. Here I am with the staff. Peter, on the far left, is the principal of the school. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming and helpful. Even though you would not guess it from looking at this photo, they have a tremendous sense of humor!

I am responsible for the English instruction for these third graders. Here they are seen with their head teacher, Mr. Peng.

And I am responsible for the English instruction of these fourth graders. Here they are in their new desks and chairs with their head teacher, Mr. Shu.

The school has seven grades: kindergarten to sixth grade. There is one class of about 30 for each grade. Here the kindergarten students wait in four lines for their turn to jog around the playground with their teacher Huang Qi Juang.

I teach one or two classes each morning I am at DuTou. The remainder of the morning is spent making plans, correcting papers, resting, etc, at my desk in the staff room. Peter's desk is at the front of the room on a raised step. Luke's desk, he's the assistant principal, is also there. The rest of us are assigned to the desks facing each other down the middle of the room. Men are at one end, women at the other.

The staff take turns preparing lunch. When it is their turn to prepare lunch they bring the vegetables and meat that will be the dishes served that day. So there are often peas, beans, peanuts or other foods that need snapping or shelling. The teachers also take turns with those tasks. Here some students lend a helping hand.

At 12:00 the morning classes are over. Most of the students go home for the two hour noon break. However some live far enough away that they bring or buy a lunch and hang out around the school. Although half the staff lives in DuTou and half live across the river in FuLi, Luke and Katie and I live farthest away in Yangshuo, everyone eats at the school. We all enjoy rice and two or three stir-fried vegetable with meat dishes each noon. Here Luke, English teacher and assistant principal, is deciding if he will use chopsticks or a fork I brought to eat the apple pie I provided that day. Much to my surprise, you can eat apple pie with chopsticks. The entire staff gave me proof. And like all food, apple pie is better with hot peppers!

After lunch the teachers adjourn to the staff room for cards and rest, while I head to FuLi for my afternoon classes.