It snowed here yesterday, about 3 cm...measuring in inches just would not be fair. A soft gray blanket covered everything in sight. I walked from my dorm to the classroom building mulling over potential lesson plans for the day and did not feel any inspiration by the time I got to my office. I arrived just in time for the morning excercises but as it turned out the exercises for the day would be snow removal. We all got dressed and headed out.
Inspiration for the days lessons struck as I stepped out of the classroom building and saw students making snowballs. This is not America where students would be given serious reprimands and/or suspensions due to the possibilty of litigation after Timmy got one in the face....no, this is China and the blind eye that the teachers turned was rewarded by a snowball to the back of their head. After 30 years of Maine snowball throwing, a filthy grin spread across my face because I knew they were rank amatuers in snow shenanigans. I decided that my part of the snow removal would be done one well-packed ball at a time. I started with the high school snow removal team and worked my down to the middle school. I ambushed from behind bushes, trees and buildings. Boys, girls, teachers, headmasters, young and old they all were in my sights. By the time the bell rang for classes to resume, I was still not satisfied.
My classes that day were all middle school (4 of them). Middle school is by far my toughest assignment and I have had many, many horrible classes in my three months here where I wanted to start heaving them out the window one by obnoxious one (side note: those who have had any experience with students this age will understand I am not being overly cruel here...just coping). At the start of each class I suggested to them: "Let's go out and play in the snow." They roared their approval and ran out on to the fields. Little did they know that Mr. Mark was about to exact his revenge.
Again no soul was safe and no quarter was given. When I stepped on to the field I yelled "Shang Ke!" (translation: the lesson has begun) I proceeded to take out months of frustration on them and it felt GREAT. I only had to stand still to avoid their shots at me as their aim, velocity and snowball making skills were certianly lacking. My years of experience were no match for them and I drilled them all in turn. Some ran off crying, others came back for more both responses tickled me greatly. My personal favorite was to have two snowballs in my hands. I would lob one high up and while they laughed at such an easy throw to dodge, they took the second in the face. They fell for it time and again to my delight.
Fate and my schedule were in my favor yesterday. When I woke up I was preparing for one of my long, tough middle school days of "Sit down. Stop talking. Put away the cell phone. Stop throwing things. Wake up." Instead it turned out to be a glorious one.
