I'm going to miss being called "teacher".

I've been thinking a lot lately about next year giving up my job to become a student again. While my time in Chin.a up to December, I was both a teacher and student, the role I attached myself to on a great scale was that of teacher.

I love everything about being a teacher.

I love the attention. I love to have control of a room full of people. I love to talk. I love the chance to inspire. I love the thought that for 90 minutes a week, these people are "mine" and I am "theirs." I love that I learn from my students, that it is a two-way street. I love that I can be creative and change my plans according to my students needs. I love that we read parables and act out role plays and discuss what we live for. I love that we laugh and sometimes cry. I love that in English class students are encouraged to be vulnerable, to be honest, and to share opinions without judgement. I love the light bulb that goes off in a students eyes when theyfinally get what the heck I am saying. I love using Chin.ese to surprise them when they need help with vocabulary. I love when they are talking so loud that we don't hear the bell ring. I love notecards. I love noticing when they get haircuts. I love telling them that No, Amer.ica is not a big verion of Gossip Girls. I love when they write notes about what I am saying during class in their hello kitty notebooks. I love when they ask each other for help. I love when they ask me for help. I love surprising them with activities, that they never know what to expect. I love that they shock me sometimes with their opinions - good or bad. I love that for 15 hours a week, the world is right, I am in class, and we are doing life together.

After last week's stereotype madness, I really needed to remind myself that regardless of how different the cultural upbringing of my students is than my own, it doesn't mean that an English class is fruitless.

Last week was a singing competition at my university. Tickets were precious and few, but one of my students was one of the competitors and gave me a ticket! The event was so popular that students even stood in the aisles for the whole 3.5 hour shenanigans. It reminded me of how much I am going to miss this job. I really pra.y I get a chance in this life to have a job that I love this much in the future. I think I am making the right choice to leave since teaching ESL abroad is a high turn-over job and not really used as a career. As much as I am blissfully happy, I am also frustrated with the confines of the system (and dirt poor). But that has nothing to do with my students themselves. I still can't help but hope that one day I can have equal job satisfaction wherever I land.

Just doing some reflecting as I upload pictures from the performance.

Here are some pics of Steve (Su Peng)'s performance!:

The cheering section: my students, Frank (in the background), Jasmine, and Jack.

Singin' his little Chin.ese heart out:

All 18 contestants:

It's fun working for a big university. I hope I get the chance again. All I know is...gotta relish these last few weeks on the job! Thanks for the reminder of how lucky I am to be here, Su Peng!

Walk Slow. xoxo.