Lettersssssssss

So for this week and next week, every single class I teach is the last class I teach. Does that make sense? I teach 4-6 classes per day and I teach every class once every two weeks. So yes, I have over 3,000 students. I mean, it's fine, right? After teaching the Christmas lesson last week, I really wanted to conclude everything solidly by making sure they know I love them and want to remember them. 

I asked them to write letters to me about themselves--to be creative, tell me their 'favorites,' use color, draw pictures, etc.

Here are some gems I received:

- "I want to fly in the sky."
- "It is important to remember: I love you!"
- "My English teacher say: 'I am her friend. We are very Good friend.' We are your students, but we want to and you friend, too. Ok?"
- "You are a beautiful girl. We are very like you. You are my friend."
- "I like to you."
- "YOU KNOW.!!!"
- "We very love you"
- "Remember me..you are very cute! I'm a girl!"
- "I want to have a travel to America. Because I have a good American friend in there, her name is Miss Marissa. She can speak a little Chinese and she is 19 years old. She like travel, art, her family, her friends, Chinese. I like her first lesson. Because she is very cute. DO YOU REMEMBER ME? MISS MARISSA"

There'll be pictures to come later. 

And I wish I had more than three minutes to write about how much I love them, but I don't. Due to technology failures, computer time is limited haha. No problem, though. I love my students with all my heart. They are so close to God--more than anyone else on this earth. I love them.

Ten Minute Post

So what words are there to say in a ten minute post?

The past two weeks, I've been doing some introductory Christmas in my classes. Each day I add and subtract to my lesson plan until it's really solid, and I feel like I've gotten Christmas down pretty well (now that I only have two more days teaching this lesson plan).

I start out the lesson by either playing Christmas music or this delightful video that's a song of English people trying to speak Chinese, both of which they enjoy. But then I round it off with jingle bells, which they know a Chinese version of (ding ding dong ding ding dong, li something something something..they don't know the rest, I don't speak Chinese--YET, it's just a hot mess). Then I teach them the English version of it. We then go through the Who What When Where Why and How of Christmas, starting with 'songs' under 'What'.

I go Christmas caroling to four of my students' desks, starting with Jingle Bells (they help), then We Wish You A Merry Christmas (they know a little bit of it), then Frosty the Snowman. Before the last song, though, we talk about the Why.

Do you know why we have Christmas?
...........
Do you know...Yesu?
Ohhhhhh!!! Yesssss!
His name in English is Jesus Christ. See? Christ? Christmas?
Ohhhhhhh!
We have Christmas because it is Jesus Christ's birthday.
Ohhhhhhh!
So I love Christmas because I love FUN Christmas songs, but I also love Christmas because some songs are quiet. They make me feel peace in my heart. Do you know peace?
......
Ping'an.
Ohhhh!!! Yes I know!!
Some songs are very quiet. Like this song.

I then sing them Silent Night.

I'm not entirely sure how it works out, but they're sweethearts and applaud after I finish a verse, but I motion for them to stay quiet as I play another song by Cori Connors.

The lyrics:

"Heavenly choirs must have had children
Singing along when they came to the earth
Jesus I know loves little children
So I imagine they sang at his birth

Alleluia, alleluia
Had I been there I would have sung
Alleluia, alleluia
Praise to the Lord, praise to His Son
Praise to the Lord, praise to His Son

(Children join) Heavenly choirs must have had children
Singing along when they came to the earth
Jesus I know loves little children
So I imagine they sang at His birth

Alleluia, alleluia
Had I been there I would have sung
Alleluia, alleluia
Praise to the Lord, praise to His Son
Praise to the Lord, praise to His Son

My children listen in silence, as enthralled with Cori Connors' voice as I am.

Beautiful, yes?
YES!
Do you feel peace?
Mmmmm. (how they say yes)
This is why I love Christmas. I love fun Christmas songs, but I very much love quiet Christmas songs that make me feel peace. It makes me want to give. Instead of thinking ME ME ME, I begin to think, YOU YOU YOU. It is very good. 

I then go on with pictures of Christmas trees, learning what goes under the tree, what goes on the tree, THIS incredible light display, and terrible drawings of ornaments, candy canes, and one-horse-open-sleighs.

But the beautiful thing is seeing a glimmer of recognition in my students' eyes as they feel the one thing that Satan can't replicate--the one thing the Atonement can bring us, the one thing people spend their whole lives trying to obtain, the one thing that softens hearts and opens eyes: peace.

My students may not ever learn the truth of the gospel in their lives, but I hope they can at least distinguish that peace comes from a being greater than them, yet a being that knows them personally to give them a hope in their heart that they will be able to recognize in the Spirit of the Lord.

This definitely didn't end up being a ten minute post, but, Merry Christmas!

I have nothing to add.

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I HAVE NO TOLERANCE FOR THAT, SIR

I spent yesterday getting myself in the holiday mood, as it was fast Sunday and I had no desire or energy than to watch Christmas movies and Mormonads. I did end up watching The Santa Clause, which caused me to reflect on the time when my sweet mother informed me that Clause in Santa Claus is not, indeed, spelled with an e on the end. 

I KNOW IT'S UNREALISTIC TO DEVOTE THE REST OF MY LIFE TO INFORMING THE WORLD THE TRUE SPELLING OF SANTA CLAUS BUT THE DIRECTORS MADE A CLEVER PUN THAT SCREWED UP EVERYONE'S SPELLING OF SANTA CLAUS AND I WISH I COULD FIX IT.

Also. Please, don't screw up your/you're. This is YOUR spelling error. YOU'RE a bad speller, Petey.

Effect/affect. These are the EFFECTS of YOUR bad spelling. It's AFFECTING me for the worse.

To/too. I suffer TOO many angry physical reactions to bad spelling. I'm going TO do something violent.

Anyway. Time is nearly up on Dragontales.

Bye.