I went to Stevenson School’s Carmel campus to observe a third grade Chinese class. The third graders take the Chinese class once a week and are at entry level. The teacher, Sisi, created a lot of attention getters herself, which were not only creative but also quite useful to manage a class with twenty eight to nine year old kids. Third graders get bored easily during the class, so Sisi arranged all activities perfectly. She put song singing after students finishing writing handouts on their own; she asked the class to form a circle on the carpet, after they danced and did some stretching with Chinese slogans with her; she also asked the students to take turns answering her question, just to make sure everybody did participate the class and no one was being neglected. It’s very inspiring and enlightening to observe such a well-organized third grade class. A teacher’s confidence and presence matter a lot when leading a class of small kids, because children “observe” their teacher first, and then respond correspondingly. When teaching a class of third grade students, it’s always important for the teacher to focus on the ultimate goal of teaching (like what are the three major grammar rules that these students are supposed to know at the end of today’s class?) other than paying too much to the details (like not every one of the students raised their to participate the class, some spaced out and some were talking to their peers). A confident teacher should always teach at his or her own pace.

-Chung-Hui Kim Liao