I teach English in Kinmen, Taiwan, a rural island home to beautiful natural beaches, large evergreen pastures of land, tropical birds and lots of cows—lots and lots of cows. Kinmen’s nature is very well preserved, and when I want to get away from the stresses of the classroom, I am just a five-minute bike ride [...]
Rewind two years ago I would have never thought I would be in Taiwan teaching English to students. However 10 months into my experience, I'm convinced that Taiwan is a great place for Americans to get a break from home and experience a vibrant culture and education system. Culture of Appreciation for the Teaching Profession- [...]
In Taiwanese society, the “group” is more important than the individual. This is very salient in the classroom. At my school, students are given IQ tests to measure their academic abilities against their fellow peers (because here, everyone needs to be on the same level) and when students perform subpar they are often classified, quite [...]
Disciplining students doesn’t have to be tiresome and stressful. It can be fun! Here are 5 fun classroom management tactics to use in your elementary classroom. Erase the Animal (2nd-5th grade)-Before each class I let my students decide what animal they want me to draw on the board. If they are showing positive behavior, I [...]
On January 30, 2016, I had the pleasure of attending a social justice workshop with my co-teacher. While I was initially upset that this workshop would take place on a Saturday for 8 hours, in the end, I was delighted to have attended such a substantive professional development opportunity. The purpose of the workshop was [...]