Christmas Party

Saturday was our big Christmas party for the students and parents. It was an all-day event with lots of decorations, goodies, musical performances by the students, and activities for the students and their parents. Everyone worked hard to make it a success!

As foreign teachers we are fortunate to get the light end of the workload. Each of us was scheduled to be there for three hours that day. I (Teacher Jonathan) was there from 9am-12 noon, along with Teacher Liz and Teacher Jay. We started with a meeting to confirm all our roles for the day, and then it was time to go downstairs and greet the parents and students as they arrive.

One of the great things about our Sanxia school is that it’s a large building with lots of facilities. We have a large auditorium with a stage called the MM (Music & Movement) room, and this auditorium has a large gated door that opens up, so parents can come into the auditorium directly from outside.

While greeting the parents, we also had to lead the students to classrooms where the Chinese teachers could look after them and help them prepare for their upcoming performances. This can be a little difficult at times, as some students are very young and are reluctant to leave their parents. For really small children, the event can be a little disorienting at first. Fortunately the Chinese teachers are well-versed on how to comfort troubled kids.

Soon it was time for the performances! Each class had a Christmas song that they had to sing and dance to on the stage. I was very proud of my K1 Lions class. They sang and danced to the Bangles’ cover of “Hazy Shade of Winter”, and most of them danced and sang very well. I felt redeemed, as a few days earlier they didn’t perform it very well (more on that in an upcoming blog).

The last classes to perform in my section were the ‘baby’ classes, the T3 Ladybugs and the T1 Bears. One of the students, she could see her mommy in the crowd and wanted to run to her. I gently persuaded her to stay on the stage. I tried to use soft words “It’s OK, we’re going to sing now” and thankfully she stayed on the stage. She was so funny, because she looked so sad and upset on the stage, but as soon as the music started her face suddenly filled with confidence and she immediately started singing the song and doing her dance. It was adorable! I guess she had practiced it so many times, she knew exactly what to do.

After the performances, it was time for the activities! Parents could freely wander from room to room and decide what they want to do. Each foreign teacher was charged with hosting a room dedicated to decorating gingerbread cookies! I made my own cookie to demonstrate for the students and their parents, then went around and helped them. It was a lot of fun, and most of the kids seemed very excited about it.

After about an hour of gingerbread cookie decorating, it was time to say goodbye! So we stood outside the school and handed out candies to the students as they left. We also posed for several pictures (and to be honest I really enjoy this, it makes me feel like a celebrity).

As I left, I saw Teacher David, Teacher Lewis and Teacher Elle as they arrived for the next round, from 12-3. I really enjoyed this event and felt that it was a big success!