Teacher Appreciation Day

In Republic of China (Taiwan) Teacher Appreciation Day is celebrated on September 28. The day honors teachers' virtues, pains, and also their contribution not only to their own students but also to the whole society. People often make use of the day to express their gratitude to their teachers, such as paying them a visit or sending them a card. This date was chosen to commemorate the birth of Confucius, believed to be the model master educator in ancient China.
The festival celebration occurs in the temples of Confucius around the island, known as the "Grand Ceremony Dedicated to Confucius" (祭孔大典). The ceremony begins at 5 AM with drum beats. 54 musicians dress in robes with blue belts, 36 (or 64) dancers dress in yellow with green belts. Three animals -- the cow, the goat, and the pig -- are sacrificed. The hair plucked from these sacrificed animals are called the Hairs of Wisdom. In addition, local education institutes and civil offices award certain teachers for their excellence and positive influence.

I started the day at 3:45 am to attend the Teacher Appreication Day ceremony at the Confusius Temple. It is the oldest temple in Taiwan. As you can see, there were sacrificed animals (yes, I did go up and pluck some of the cow's hair) and the Mayor of Tainan City drank the blood of the animals in honor of the day. YIKES!! The ceremony was very solemn. You can see the honored teachers from each school dressed in white. My principal gave me his badge/ticket for the event and with that I also received a very nice calligraphy pen. You can also see a few of the cards I received today--many were homemade.

Using paper helicopters to teach English

I was on my own today to teach a lesson so that the students could begin to hear English in a conversational manner rather than repetition of phrases. For the most part the day went well (hey, teachers, there are always a few who try to go "too far"). Anyway, we used paper helicopters, groups, and, finally, exploration. You can only get done so much in 40 minutes, but you can see that we found a great place in the school to lauch our helicopters. The students had great fun!!

Moom cakes for the Moon Festival

The Chinese Moon Festival is on the 15th of the 8th lunar month (Oct 6). It's also known as the Mid-autumn Festival. Chinese culture is deeply imbedded in traditional festivals. Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West, the Moon Festival is one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese.
The Moon Festival is full of legendary stories. Legend says that Chang Er flew to the moon, where she has lived ever since. You might see her dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival. The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. I've had a few Moom cakes that people have brought to me. Most have a center like the one with the orange ball--it is cheese and represents the moon. I also had a sweet cappuchino one with a marshmallow ball inside. Some Moom cakes are sweet while others are savory. The white one above is sweet while the one has cheese, the other pork (similar to mince meat). The print on the white Moon cake, I'm told, means wealth and that I will have this. It does not mention what type of wealth though.

Appreciating Teachers

September 28 is Teacher Appreciation Day; it is set on the birthday of Confusius. Early Sept 28 (5:00 am) there is a celebration at the Confusius Temple where the teachers are honored with gifts and the mayor gives a speech. I am going to try to attend. You'll see a blog if I do.

Practice makes perfect

These young gentlemen (Eric and Joseph) are practicing a song from the Lion King for the all-city English competition next month. It is tiring work. :-)

Walking home

These pictures were all taken as I walked home from school--there is always something new to see whether it is new flowers blooming, a celebratory greeting sign made with gold and red paper, or the nice view I get as I walk down an alley with a patterned road.

School ends

School ends at 4:00. At that time all of the students line up on the track to be dismissed. Some walk to the front of the building to go home while others go out the back. With 2,300 students, this help alleviate a mad rush.

A Franklin College grad in Taiwan

Hi all,

This gentleman is "Lucky". His real name is Koo Cha Chin and he is a graduate of Franklin College, 1981. He lives about 50 miles south of Tainan City and we spent the afternoon talking about FC, Taiwan, the US, etc. He and his wife both teach English in Ping Dong. He says "Hi" to his buddy Greg and his former professors at FC.

Dinning out

Hi all,

I was taken out to dinner at a 5-Star restaurant in Tainan City. The Tien's and friends were part of the party. The food was wonderful and we had lots of fun!! As you can see, I am being treated royally. For my dinner I had a fruit salad with squid, taro soup (like a sweet potato but purple), sauteed mushrooms, fish with a wonderful sauce and for dessert, bean curd flan. I'll have to walk an extra few miles to burn this off, but it was well worth it.

The Last Group of 6th graders

Another bunch of 6th graders

More pretty flowers

More 6th graders