Introducing Chris

Ah, biographies are always fun to write, so here it goes:

Currently I am working at an International School in Shanghai, China. I have a classroom that is too small for the 25 eight- and nine-year-old students I have on a daily basis, but the students are excited to be there and we have a good time. I share my responsibilities with a Chinese partner teacher who teaches Chinese, Math, and IT while I teach English, Science, Social Studies, Art, and Personal Growth. I also get to lead activities for a daily storytime, lunch, library, weekly assemblies, and other assorted duties. It is a busy and hectic job, but I love it all the same.

People often ask “Why China?” The answer is that there is no real reason for choosing China other than the ease of going somewhere different. When I first left for China I taught in an ESL school and, on the third week of having a 120-student class, to never teach at that style school again. I moved back to Portland to earn my teaching license and Masters degree. I worked in Portland for a small while until teachers started getting laid off from budget cuts. Seeing everyone I knew getting laid off I decided to be proactive and return to China, but this time in a better position. It was a good decision.

Currently, my goals are to work with this program learning web-based integration into the classroom. This will present some unique challenges as the Great Firewall of China (hereafter referred to with an affectionate tone but lasting distaste as the GFW) and my school try to maintain as much control on information as possible while I try continually to expose my students to the world outside their door. Eventually I plan to have earned a second Masters degree in Curriculum and Design and continue to teach internationally until I am ready to return to the United States.