Sandra & Hockey Pucks

Sandra, one of my students in my Wed/Sat class, is one of those kids that you just know is going to succeed in EVERYTHING she does. She is a real joy to teach. Seems like she raises her hand with an excellent question every class. A teacher would be in 7th heaven with a classroom full of kids like her. Anyhow, after class yesterday she came to my desk and asked me if I wanted to watch her perform in another class she was taking...of course I said yes. She is also taking a summer composition course which requires students to get up and speak in front of the class on the final day, which was yesterday. I feel so honored that she cared enough to ask me to watch her. Most kids her age (13, I think) are big-time embarrassed when performing, not her. I followed her into the room and sat down to watch. She went first. It was great. Her topic was her favorite holiday. Shockingly, she chose "Teacher's Day". In Taiwan, they set aside a day every year to honor teachers. She talked about how she likes to give her favorite teachers gifts...last week, Sandra gave me a beautiful necklace! The speech was wonderful, I clapped loudly and told her I was very proud of her.

What does this all mean? It means that I have a fan and I gotta stay sharp! There is no way that I am going to give anything less than 110% for this great kid. She doesn't now it, but her actions do wonders for me. Knowing that this kid looks to me to better herself means that I have no choice but to continue to strive to do better. I graded the classes latest written tests last night, these tests are extremely difficult. The average score for the past eight units is around 89 to 90%, she scored a 97%, the highest score any of my students has ever earned!! I'm so proud.

My faith in Taiwanese food has been given a boost. Yesterday, my boss Gavin came into the office with a bag full of food that smelled incredible. I asked him if I could try whatever it was..he was shocked because I NEVER eat what the Taiwanese teachers eat. He gave me one. I took a bite and nearly fell out of my chair. It tasted like my mom's meatloaf!! (a.k.a. heavenly). They are called Sien Bing, or something like that, my Chinese is hysterical. They are about the size of a hockey puck and have a shell that is similiar in texture to that of a dumpling/pot sticker. The inside is a scrumptious blend of beef and onions. I'm hooked.