Blog 9
So today we got to meet the teachers of Wuhan ("Shout 'wu' for Wuhan!" - "Wu!") and what a lot of sorts they were. 140 of them urned up today and we had to test and group them according to their level. Now testing. Hmmm. I mentioned about having to be firm with the teachers of Chongqing in their final test and even though this was just a placement test (just finding their level to ensure we can put them into the best class), we took the precaution of separating them. And just as well, because even though we did, there was a high degree of cheating we had to put a stop to. Cripes! You'd never believe they were adults. The picture shows the test in action. Exciting, no? But secret texts, mini dictionaries, whispering and swapping papers were all matters to contend with. Unfortunately, the local Chinese invigilators (current head teachers) weren't familiar with 'exam protocol' either, having loud conversations and leaving mobile phones switched on. As some reading may know, it would appear that over here cheating isn't a problem, just as long as you're not caught and it doesn't affect your grade.
As for writing your name on a question paper, how many times do you need to be told? But anyway, exam protocol is quite different here, as is protocol in general. The official speeches this morning were heavily laden in the stuff and, as many will know, I'm a big believer in it too. As long as it's appropriate, naturally. Just how appropriate it is when it comes at the expense of accomplishing one's objectives is another matter.
As it turned out, though, the marking in the afternoon went very smoothly and the local Chinese head teachers were wonderfully effective in assisting us mark and collate scores. Jolly fast, too. If only the local EB were as helpful without smelling of fish, idiomaically speaking that is.
The hotel here is cetainly better than the last place (currently with a flooded lobby after torrential rain and a burst river caused problems, not unlike those in the north of England recently) - for one thing, they have sliced bread at breakfast. This meant I could skip the oily noodles and have a boiled egg sandwich to set me up for the day. The pictures you see are from my hotel window. One view is a little Hitchcock-rear-window-like (notice the grills over the windows. What could they before?) and the other shows a delightful terrace for someone to get some quiet time, away from the city's eight million inhabitants.
The neighbourhood is also quite pleasant. As well as having a delightful Japanese restaurant, where I can actually order fairly well (something of a language problem elsewhere), there's something of a community where people congregate and there are shops and things. People squatting on streets and dumpling vendors - all that kind of thing, makikng it quite Dickensian. Lots of water melons, too, interestingly enough. Hopefully get some photos for you. Not of the water melons, though, although they might feature in the foregroud / background. Who can tell?
Time for dinner now with session prep for tomorrow after.
