Life as an English Teacher in Taiwan

Standards and Backwards Mapping Subject and Grade Level My subject is English Literature for sixth grade. However, due to the fact that my students are not native speakers of English, and are only exposed to English in the classroom, I have and will continue to adjust the standards to suit their English ability. I will also adjust the standards so that I may assess them in their mother tongue. This is in part because the skills I am teaching are not always linked to language, but to cognitive development. As the students are bilingual, I also want them to become proficient in the skill regardless of which language they are using. Chosen Standards Because of this, I have chosen the standards below that both address their English skills (as they will be reading and writing in English), but can also, when push comes to shove, be adjusted for Mandarin Chinese, which is their mother tongue. From the very beginning of the school year, I have been introducing and teaching the studen...

Using Positive Reinforcement I have always had trouble with positive reinforcement. I rarely received it as a child, so it was always awkward when I found myself at the receiving end of it. That said, I recognize its importance. One of the huge drivers for my behavior as a child was the desire for praise. I knew I wasn't going to get this at home, so I strove to get it at school. So while I have trouble with it, I also know how important it is to a child who may never get it. The majority of my students come from affluent, wealthy families. However, this does not necessarily translate to having emotional stability. Many of them were raised by absent parents who were busy going on business trips. Their children are left at home with nannies or other relatives to care for them. For the ones raised by nannies, these children are rarely given negative feedback. After all, it would not be in the interest of a nanny to discipline the "little lord of the household," not if t...