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How Do You Do Today?

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What we are going through is so unprecedented.  While teaching online reinstalls a form of normality, at the same time, it reminds us how unusual the whole situation has been.  Watching the COVID19 cases and victims increase each day, when US's death toll easily crossed over 10,000 while key politicians are still playing a game of self-worship and personal gain, any reasonable and conscious person would feel the pain, frustration, anger, desperation, hopelessness... inside.  And at the same time, we must be the anchor for our students. I haven't felt so much tension in my shoulders since I started meditating...

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Guess Who Online: Who’s the Thief?

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By Pu-mei Leng: Once we are online, I realize the input activities need to be shortened and students will need to speak more simply because they need to talk. When Lu laoshi showed me her new version of the old mafia game, I was excited. She said that we can simply use private chat to assign the roles to students. I was eager to test it out with my students. To play a game is a privilege in my class. I do not play very often and they will have to listen to the story carefully.  And I usually play...

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Addressing xenophobia

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By Pu-mei Leng I still feel the need for addressing the issue of Xenophobia in the Chinese classes even though our students are stressed and even depressed now. For my lower-level classes, instead of discussing and debating the issues directly, I only focused on a simple message: intentionally or unintentionally, discrimination and prejudice hurt people. In a crisis we are facing, we do not need to hurt more people. I believe my students can get this simple message. What I did was to come up with a simple storyline: A panda was sad and hurt because people call the virus...

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Wait, Google Meet? What about Small Group Activities and Interactive Collaboration?

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By Haiyun Lu The preparation for teaching online is ramping up in my school.  The tech department and administrators have been super supportive.  At the same time, they have also provided an overwhelming amount of information regarding teaching online.  Supports, protocols, challenges, and unforeseen complications... have been pushed out on a regular basis.  This morning, I had three hours' meeting back-to-back online.  Boy, my eyes got so fatigued to a point of getting watery. I guess you have been reading tons of information regarding teaching online as well.  I'm going to keep this post short and simple. We will be...

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The Daily Pandemic Report

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By Pu-mei Leng Our school had two half-day classes for us to get used to online teaching and last Friday (March 27) was my first day of whole day class. I watched CNN to check the pandemic numbers in the morning before the class. And I made a quick slide intend to teach the current event. As I was teaching, I realize it is the best time to teach Chinese big numbers as a routine as long as we are having online school.  The big number in Chinese is confusing to students as we all know. I usually teach big...

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How Are You Feeling Today?

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It was close to midnight, my son still struggled to fall asleep.  He asked me to snuggle with him.  I laid down on the floor on his home camping spot since my niece took over his bedroom, and a friend is staying with us and taking over the guest room.  I wrapped one arm around his tommy, he bursted into sobs. "I'm so lonely.  My friends are the only ones who understand me in my world.  I can't see them with my own eyes."  He complained.  "Awwww, baby!  Didn't you FaceTime them for three hours today?"  I knew this kind...

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Summer, Summer, Dare You Go!

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Back to school is a clear indication of that summer is over!  If you live in a pretty cold climate and you are not a person who enjoys polar vortex or watch snow flakes for 6 months of a year, then, letting go of summer can be ... Reluctant, challenging,  and depressive...    Oh, even heart-broken! Well, I have never been excited nor happy to let summer go.  On the contrary, I would do whatever it takes to keep summer lingering longer. Seriously! How? By creating more memories!!!  By personalizing my classroom with shared memories of summer. Here is how!...

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