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This is me doing some Chinese writing.
Today I am doing my own Home school. I have just done an hour of chinese and next I will do some maths for about an hour. I always make a bit of a mess on the desk I am doing my homework on. Tina isn't coming in today so it dosn't really matter. Today I am also going to play a bit of Hulusi. My Chinese writing isn't that good but I still like to write. The book in the bottom right coner is my Maths note-book. It is quite cold today that is why I am wearing a jacket and a body warmer. It is also quite misty today and the class bell has just gone of so there are lots of students about.

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Keep up the good work Freda!

 
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Teachers, students, leaders and Jinggu Education Bureau gave us a warm welcome when we arrived in the small township of Zhengxing on Sunday evening. This banner, hanging from a balcony of the teaching building, read: "Welcome VSO and Simao Teachers' College experts to guide us in our work."

This trip to a Jinggu County school was organised to give our VSO visitors and clearer insight into our work here in Simao. We carried out a two-day follow-up visit that included teaching observations, a model lesson by me (Lesley), an English Corner, various meetings, various meals and even a bit of karaoke at the end. Henry, one of our recent TLTs, led the observation feedback session - the start of our TLT follow-up this term. Hou Wanxia and I led the main part of the school meeting in the afternoon. As well as being a good opportunity for VSO to meet our key partners, it was a chance for us to bring them together round a table - Education Bureau leaders, school leaders, team leaders, VSO, Simao Teachers' College and teachers. It's not often we have the opportunity to talk directly about our goals and challenges.

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One of the more challenging but definitely most rewarding parts of the day was the school meeting. I divided participants into groups, according to their jobs. Each group had to come up with their key targets then write, on pre-prepared arrows, how they were going to achieve these targets. Each group gave feedback and the other groups were invited them to ask questions. I also asked each other group if they thought the targets were realistic, and whether they would support them. Mr Chen, the Vice Headmaster of the school, was unusually direct with the Education Bureau when he turned to them and said: "It's unusual for us to have such Education Bureau office directors here. In fact, we hardly ever see you. What support are you going to give us in the future to help us achieve these aims?" I was thrilled to see the school make the most of this chance to communicate and make some demands. It's rare. At the end I gave a speech, with Hou Wanxia interpreting, which involved me at one point getting down on my hands and knees and begging them to put this theory into practice, not just turn their backs at the first challenge they meet. It was clear that some progress had been made since my last visit in 2007, but not nearly enough.

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The school requested that I paid a visit to every class. Even if this were physically and mentally possible it would take, with an average of 5 minutes per class, about two hours. As an alternative we decided to get all the students out onto the playground for a few English language activities. Each English teacher was given an orange and sent to a class. Each class stood in a circle and passed the orange, saying something in English when they caught it. In my group [above] we progressed from "My name is...." to "I like...." and "I don't like..." They were very shy at first, desperate to avoid having the orange passed to them. This wasn't just because they were facing me, a foreigner. The other groups were reluctant too. They're simply not used to playing such activities - semi-structured with room for free-thinking. Free-thinking carries with it responsibility and the potential for 'making mistakes', every student's worst nightmare in the Chinese classroom. Delighted that we managed to get this enormous English Corner off the ground, and that the kids gradually and happily warmed up and took part, I didn't of course correct any English mistakes. The aim was communication and they achieved that very successfully. The orange was a little battered and bruised but that was the only casualty. I'm just sad I couldn't get round all the groups. To finish off we gathered the school together to teach them Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, which we all sang and did the actions for. With over 570 people present, that's definitely my record. My throat was hoarse by the end.

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As you know, stolen moments to play pingpong with primary school children are always a highlight for me on these trips. This one was no different, but I was in for a special treat. After playing with the Primary 3 - 4 kids for 20 minutes I suddenly found myself opposite a familiar face. I played pingpong with this little boy in December 2007. I instantly recognised him and was delighted that he'd pulled himself away from his basketball game for a re-match. He didn't give much away but I knew he recognised him, and sought him out later for a photo. It's unlikely that I will have the chance to visit most of these townships again. As this school wasn't even part of the follow-up, it was a real surprise to meet and old friend. Now that I have his name, I'm going to print up our pingpong photos and send them to him.

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Pinpong boy during our China-Scotland match in 2007, as I passed through Zhengxing Primary after my follow-up visit to the nearby middle school.
 
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Consultation at Simao's paediatric hospital
Freda's been unwell again. It's been about three months now of good days and bad days, increasing to good days and bad weeks, with various symptoms that come and go. We're in a process of exploration, to try to find out what the root cause is. Following a recent lab test we know it's unlikely to be some kind of nasty bacteria in her gut. The symptoms seem to be too severe to be a result of tiredness alone although that's clearly now a factor. We've narrowed it down to either a virus (Lesley's dad was recently diagnosed with something after presenting with exactly the same symptoms) or some kind of digestive problem (though that would be unusual at her age) or, perhaps the most worrying or upsetting of all, school-induced stress. It could of course be a combination of all three. Thus, we're trying to tackle it from all angles. For months Lesley has been increasing her communication with the school to try to influence the way they deal with certain things - like their over zealous desire to put grades on everything the kids do, from bouncing a basketball to writing maths formulas. Since Freda and Edie entered the education system here Lesley has been tirelessly monitoring, evaluation and supporting or challenging everthing what goes on. Bare in mind that she spends her days facing students and teachers who have suffered a great deal in the said system, a fate she doesn't want to fall upon Freda and Edie. So far we have been pleased and the kids have thrived. Edie is still thriving and seems to thoroughly enjoying Grade 1. She has the advantage of being fluent in Chinese, which Freda wasn't when she started. Now it's time to take stock, again.

This has been a hard term, this week being the crux. Lesley has been negotiating her way through the school hierarchies to build relationships and find a way to communicate these needs in a non-threatening and constructive way. In a school system that virtually never invites communication with/from parents, this is a bit step to take. Nevertheless, the school have been very supportive so far. So much so they have agreed to have a meeting tomorrow afternoon with us, the Director of Studies, Freda's form teacher and her Maths teacher. Let's hope they want Freda to carry on attending the school as much as we want her to have a positive environment in which to learn. With that shared goal I hope we can get to the root of the matter. Of course, it might still 'just' be a virus....

 
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Edie with her new deskmate.
It's Teachers' Day [another of China's unique 'festivals'] and the girls skipped off this morning with a handmade card for their Form Teachers and a box of Scottish shortbread for the others. Edie informed me that the teacher thanked the children at the beginning of class for the first round of gifts, adding: "Please don't give me any more gifts. The best gift would be for you to all behave well in class." At this point Edie realised she had in fact forgotten to give Mrs Zhou her gift. As she handed it over to her teacher she said: "This is from my mum." As Edie said later: "Well, I couldn't give it to her after she said that!"

All Edie's classmates had a deskmate reshuffle today and this [above] is her new study partner. We've yet to find out his name but so far Edie's happy with the choice.

 
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Edie doing her homework.
Edie returned from school yesterday with three pieces of homework: (1) Practise reading the pinyin on page 7 of her Chinese book; (2) Pay attention to her habits e.g. no dropping litter, wash hands after going to the loo etc; (3) [this is the best one] Wash her parents' feet. Very Confucian. As I was about to wash them anyway, I decided to do Edie a favour and allow her to score full marks! Mmmmm, a lame excuse for exploiting our children?

 
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Outside No1 Primary after 1st morning.
As Freda and Edie began their new school term last week, Ali and I found ourselves with a new exercise regime. With dropping-off and picking-up the girls morning and afternoon, we are both spending about two hours on a bike a day. It's already a struggle to get up Wu Yi Street on our all-steel single-speed Flying Pigeon [aka Sherman], never mind with Freda on the back. Having said that, it's great to have some exercise fitted into the daily schedule. We're both getting fitter!

Edie is in Primary one, class one, with Mrs Zhou (apparantly the best in Grade 1) as her Form Teacher. She's loving the classes so far and doesn't seem to be put off by the huge number of books or evening homework. Her only objection has been the army-style classroom routines they have to follow with the stricter teachers: books in a particular place on the desk, pencil case in another; backs straight with hands clasped behind or arms folded on desk; only raise right arm (not left) to ask/answer a question, and a whole load of Teacher-student chants that help maintain order. A week in and the new recruit seems to be doing okay. She is certainly benefiting from her older sister's experiences and guidance.

Ali and I attended a Grade 1 parents' evening when everyone was introduced to the school's ideology by their progressive Headmaster, Mr Luo. The lecture finished with advice on personal hygiene, homework help and basic daily routines - giving the children breakfast before they go to school and getting them to bed before 9pm etc. All very enlightening....

With week 2 ahead, Edie says: "School is fun and I like Zhou Laoshi. I like art, PE, Chinese and Maths. I like them all. The teacher has given my row three stickers because we have the most points for being good. I have six friends. It's lovely having Freda in the school because she's so friendly and she helps me sort of."

Freda says: "School is nice but homework is boring. The teachers are different this term and the timetable. I've got computing and English classes and science too. I've got a new deskmate. My best friends are Shi Yi and Lao Yang. I love Edie going to school but not when she forgets to come and see me at break time!"