Witnessing educational progress in Guangdong

When classes finished, I went out for a badminton session with the students or took the school bus downtown - some married staff lived on other campuses with their spouses. There was little privacy, which I found more amusing than intrusive: my behavioural quirks initially provided a source of conversation for my colleagues until they became more familiar with me.

I was timetabled for 'Intensive Reading' with several graduating college classes. It was with some trepidation on a hot September morning that I approached my first class. There were 30 students - 25 girls but only five boys. They greeted me with cheerful applause, followed by a rendition of the national teachers' song. The blackboard read "Welcome Mr. Bruce!" I felt almost in tears when a sudden silence fell. What was wrong? A quiet voice informed me, "We are waiting on your lesson to begin." I mentally sang "I'm in heaven" a few times before pulling myself together and into a teaching style more like university than school.

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