Corporal punishment, reporting in.

When I was first teaching at my school, I didn't know how much disciplinary power I had over my students. Am I allowed to make them sit outside the classroom, for example, or to even dismiss them entirely? After all, they're paying good money to be in these classes. (The answer, by the way, is yes.)

A big part of dispelling my fears came from my first round of PTMs, or parent teacher meetings. All of the parents wanted to know that their kids were behaving well and paying attention. There was little to no sense of entitlement from the parents of students with disciplinary issues.

The other part came from seeing the parents interact with their children. A great many still use physical punishment on their kids for acting up. Mostly it's a slap on the wrist or something, but once in a while I'll see a mother being quite forceful with her child's backside/thighs.

Now, I remember being spanked (once?) as a kid for acting up in church, and I'm sure I deserved it. No problem. But these parents are much more cavalier in dishing out smacks, and are not afraid to do it in front of other students, parents, and teachers. From what I can see, it's not effective as a long-term solution.

Kids are wily. As soon as their parents/teachers aren't watching, they'll act up again. In my experience, though, if you teach them why they shouldn't act up and provide incentive for good behavior, it'll stick.

100% effective? Nope. More effective than hitting them often enough that they don't care anymore? Damn right.

Mystery meat

It's common in Shanghai to see raw vegetables, fish, fruit, fungus, and meat just sitting on trays in front of street food vendors. You just give them the skewered ingredients, and they'll grill it, add it to noodles/rice, or cook it in spicy broth for soup. It's delicious!

Most of the time, I have no idea what sort of meat I'm getting. It's small seasoned bits that usually end up being chicken meat and innards. Last night, though, I got some crunchy-chewy giblets that were really confusing to my mouth. I ate them all, though, and figured it was some animal organ that I hadn't tried before. It tasted fine, but had a bizarre texture. So, I went and asked them what it was!

Through a series of pointing and confused looks, I found out.

It was balls. Yes, testicles. I ate them. Not sure which animal.

On the bright side, it was one of the funniest hand-gesture conversations I've ever had! They thought it was hilarious.

Big fancy Chinese wedding

One of my coworkers, Aimee, got married, and almost the entire teaching staff from my school went. There was a bus to pick us up from work, which took us directly to the ritzy hotel that hosted the reception. For the most part, it was similar to American weddings. Lots of food, lots of family and friends, and lots of pictures.

Aimee changed dresses three times that day, which is symbolic of her transition from an unwed woman to joining with her husband. The groom had it a little rougher. Each table got to play a prank on him, of their choosing. I saw him eat some really inventive combinations of food, drink a scary looking mystery liquid, and light a cigarette through a 2-liter bottle. (They smoke everywhere here. Seems weird at first to see people light up in a hotel, but you get used to it.) Needless to say, the groom had kind of a rough night. The idea behind it is that their lives together start on a low point, and it only goes up from there. They handled it very well.

I had the honor of accompanying Aimee's husband in front of everyone on a traditional Chinese song. A few of my coworkers recorded it, but I don't have it yet. It was fun!

The reception was very laid back, fun, and full of craziness. There was a KTV (karaoke) contest, audience participation, quizzes, random gifts given out, and even a Gangnam Style dance contest. (If you don't know what Gangnam Style is, you can find it here. It's a silly Korean pop song that has swept the world.) Of course, that's about the only thing I got a decent picture of.

Speaking of Gangnam Style, this was in the Family Mart across the street from my apartment. I think I'd like their election coverage.

This is what happens...

...when your students have paper, scissors, and free time after a test. You can call me Princess Tom.

The workings of fire

Just as I turned the corner to enter my apartment compound, I saw, and heard, something unexpected. There was a toddler barely old enough to run holding a stick, quickly backing away from what appeared to be the sparkler he had just lit. I was about to walk past it when it exploded.

Now, this wasn't one of those "government regulated" fireworks that is "safe" to use and "doesn't blow your thumbs off." This was an ear-smacking, pants-messing surprise that almost made my grilled veggies and rice go flying. And it was lit by a kid who couldn't have been more than two and a half. His parents were there, but still.

Fireworks were invented in China, and it shows. They're used for weddings, parades, and, apparently, keeping your toddler entertained. At first, I thought maybe there was construction near my apartment, until I realized they were just fireworks being used for various celebrations. I've been here for two months, and I've had to temporarily stop class on account of a surprise fireworks show at least four times. Not that I'm complaining, mind you! Who doesn't like a free fireworks show now and then?