23 july 06

Greetings,

We’ve completed week 3 of the TEFL course, conducting 1-1 and group lessons. We’ve been working and finishing a variety of tasks; grammar, phonetics, language modules, and core method teaching techniques.

During this final week we continue teaching groups and receiving observation reports from our peers and trainers. We will complete our teaching portfolio and materials compilation project.

Teachers are coordinating with their groups regarding specific topics and individual lesson models. Everyone is writing lesson plans and preparing materials - illustrations, tapes, and realia.

We finish on Thursday, the 27th and return to Fujian next weekend.

Early every morning in the plaza near the Gateway Language Village, Chinese groups composed of middle-aged women practice red fan and sword martial art dances.

One woman practices her sword techniques alone. Her balance and posture is smooth. She’s very centered in a beautiful calm way. She gently shifts her posture through stances, thrusts, parries, a loquacious dream-like state. Her focus and posture is clear and pure.

When she finished one sequence, an older man rose from the bench, spoke with her, received her sword and demonstrated a section of the movement. She stood silent and erect, breathing silently, focused on him. It was a subtle lesson in clear creative expertise.

As he danced, orange, white and green streamers attached to her sword handle waved. Maybe he never really danced, it was all too subtle and all in my imagination.

I retain this calm warrior vision every day.

Peace.