Ten Dollars for Three Tries

We just wrapped up our annual Walk-a-thon and Fall Festival fundraiser. The big excitement was that we had a T-8 typhoon bearing down on Hong Kong. So 48 hours before the big day, administration had to make the call. They decided to postpone the Walk-a-thon and FallFest. Naturally, just after the decision was made, the typhoon hung a right and veered away from Hong Kong. The whether on the day that things were scheduled turned out to be a beautiful day.

The Walk-a-thon and FallFest were pushed back one week which put them on the same weekend as the secondary parent teacher conference. So after meeting one-on-one with parents all Friday afternoon and evening and all Saturday morning, I swapped out my shirt and tie for my yellow walk-a-thon t-shirt and helped sell ice cream bars and man the 8th grade fingernail painting booth for the rest of the afternoon.

Occasionally I think that relations between students and teachers in the States has gotten too casual. There is certain level of respect that is missing. I occasionally have to remind my students in Chicago that I am their teacher not there camp counselor.

Hey Jimmy, I'll make you a deal. I'll teach you about verb tenses and you can save the high fives for your youth group leader at church.

But if the informality of teacher-student relation in the States is one our weakness, it is also one of our greatest strengths. It foster accessibility. At it's best, it creates an attitude of true collaboration in a joint educational endeavor.

Attitudes in Hong Kong are of course informed by Chinese ideas of education as much as they are by British and American ideals. Teaching in an American school that is dominated by Chinese nationals, we are right in the nexus.

The women who oversaw the planning for last weekend's Walk-a-thon passed along all the email comments she received from parents and staff. I thought the following comment was pretty telling. I am fairly confident that it was written by one of our Chinese staff members.

"I wore the yellow tee and it gave me great identity....The worship time was great..... So surprised when principals allowed themselves to be sponged at by students and parents...... great relationship reflected between teachers and students....... not like other schools at all.." (from a staff member)

I guess its fair to assume then that when the local schools when they have their Fall fun days, the teachers aren't volunteering to put their face in the clown cut out and allowing students to throw sponges at them. Nice to know that our efforts are appreciated.