Hi Mom!

I started this blog to keep you up to date on things related to your first born son. Hehe. Sorry there aren't more pictures of me. It feels a little strange to go around taking pictures of myself and the pictures my friends take of me are inappropriate for public viewing hard to track down.

Not much happening this week. Vacation has started. I wrote the final report cards for my students.

All year my boss made a big deal about our integrity and commitment to standards of evaluation and the minimum requirements the students have to meet in order to pass. Then at the end of the year she revised a bunch of student's grades so that they would pass and her boss wouldn't be angry.

Because it is a private school and because in China all students (and their parents) expect to pass, there is a real conflict between maintaining standards of student performance, making the students accountable for their grade, and the expectations that have been encouraged by the current educational system and the culture. That is, that the teachers are solely responsible for the success of the student and a failure of a student is a failure of the teacher and the school. This actually sounds reasonable. The problem is there is no way to keep students out of the program who do not have the English level required for success. Once you are admitted to the school you are able to choose any program, regardless of your ability.

So, whatever. I just give them the grades they earn and if the boss changes them I guess that is her business and ethical problem.

I will be staying in Shanghai for a week and then going to Yunnan for about a month. It is really too hot here in Shanghai, I need to escape to the mountains. It has been about 100 degrees the last few days and really humid. Not too bad today, so far.

I will try to keep this blog current so you can track my whereabouts and doabouts.

P