The RCEF Blog 博客

Autumn in Houjiazhuang has left behind the scorching heat of midsummer and the village tracks are once again covered with the vivid yellow of a new corn harvest, which mirrors the glow of the setting sun. As I step back into the school campus, everything seems to reverberate with the same freshness and tranquillity of change.

hardworking teachers

Every day you can see them deep in debate, busy preparing lessons and carefully reviewing their progress. The new office has made everyone more relaxed and the congenial relationship between RCEF and the teachers is even more heartening. Everybody is working flat out to show what they can get done;, perhaps it’s the excitement in our hearts, or even something better.

Something to lift our spirits even higher: the ideas we took from the civilian school have already been put into place. The school has organized a student survey about the environmental conditions of the village, and has made the students clear the lanes and alleys of rubbish. In only two days, there are already some students picking up litter of their own accord on the way to school from the dormitory. The school yard is looking cleaner than ever - no more can you see discarded food wrappers and lollypop sticks. The speed of the results has taken everyone by surprise!

The new term has also brought me new responsibilities… as the school’s teaching  assistant for sports. For two days I’ve been searching the web like crazy for “chasing games” and “ball games”. I have realized that the most attractive parts of sports lessons for the students are its entertaining and relaxed qualities, and so I’d like to emphasize these aspects in particular and roll exercise, skills and teamwork lessons into one. Of course, the particular needs of the countryside need to be taken into account, like the “Village Competition” which I plan to put on. Afterwards, I will publish some notes and reflections to share with everyone. The research I’ve put into this has given me a lot to think about, I’ve also started trying a few improvements to fine-tune the exercises. Perhaps when the term is over I will have gathered enough information for a short article or two.

In conclusion, a new term gives you a new perspective, and I believe that after three years of grind and one extraordinary summer vacation the Guan Ai School has reached a milestone - the curtain has been painstakingly opened and we can now perform.

Translated by Jay Sheldon and proofread by NK Wong