The Library , the Interviews and Ted's Blueberry Pancakes!

We have had a busy and interesting last two days (Thursday and Friday, March 26 and 27)!!
First, I asked Ted if he would cook breakfast yesterday morning, as he has no classes on Thursdays. The other day, we had bought a pancake mix (at least that is what the picture on the front looked like!) As you know, we sometimes get surprises when we open packages!!) and had gotten some fresh blueberries at Costco!

Ted did his usual superb job, just as he does in Maine when we have company at breakfast time, and we truly enjoyed our Western breakfast!

Then, we did some work in the office. After that, we went to the University's library for our first time ever, not exactly knowing what to expect but hoping there might be an English literature section, as I have completed all 17 books I either brought with me or got, at very dear prices, when we were at a big dept store or at Costco (where the selection for English books is extremely limited and usually also only in hardbacks).
Well, to our delight, with Professor Repa's I.D. card , we not only had easy entrance but found a section of carrels with English, Russian and American literature, in English. So I am now reading some classics by Dostoevsky, Fitzgerald, Cheever, etc!


Today, we had a fascinating and informative interview with three special education teachers at Ta Jen Junior High School (the concept of a middle school, not just as transition pupils waiting to get into high school, where students of that age have a unique set of traits and needs rather than a "junior" high school, has not caught on in Taiwan, at least not that we can see). This interview (and some others to follow in the next few weeks), is to help provide Ted and me with more information than what we have been able to research so far, regarding how the needs of learning disabled or emotionally or physically handicapped kids are taught in the Taiwanese educational system. The ultimate goal is to co-publish a comparative paper on Taiwanese and American educational programs for teaching the special needs students.

The three teachers were young, attractive and clearly caring instructors. In this particular school, kids with special needs, as evaluated by regular teacher recommendations, observation (for typically two months), and testing by the special ed teachers using a variety of evaluative procedures but including standardized ones from the Minister Of Education for Kaohsiung, are then approved (or not) for being in a pull-out resource room for one or more periods a day as needed, to assist them in their learnings. Teaching assistants who accompany the child throughout his daily schedule are provided when the committee determines that need. These teachers modify the curriculum and create exactly the same form, called an IEP (individualized education program) as we do in the States. They said they learned it from America and this is their first year of implementing IEPS in Taiwan! (I have worked with sp ed teachers almost my entire professional career and rely a lot on the IEPs for ideas how best to modify my curriculum to allow such kids to have learning success.) Many of the techniques they use to help the slower or disabled learner are similar to ours: use of computers and other adaptive technology; a modified curriculum and modified expectations; peer-assisted learning, etc. Typically, the resource room class is composed of no more than 5 or 6 kids, and often just 1 or 2 at a time.

After that interview, we also got time with a counselor at the school, who basically is there as supervisor of all the students; he is the one to go to if a youngster is troubled, whether it be because of some teasing or is suicidal and everything in between.









The school classrooms look similar to ours but I did notice three differences. One is that a picture of Sun Yat-Sen adorns the office and several classrooms. Two, the courtyard of the school is beautifully kept with a gorgeous profusion of flowers. Very nice. And three, just as in our villa and private residences, the expectation for persons entering the classroom is for them to take off their shoes and put on the slippers by the door!


And look at one of the ways they teach English!! I have enlarged the picture but it still may not be clear enough. Steps are labelled with a category, such as in this photo:Flowers. Then each step has the name of a flower printed in English on a sign attached to the step!






We ended the day by attending a free jazz quartet who evidently have been on a world tour, ending here at the University. It was a terrific crowd and the jazz performers were fabulous!! We really enjoyed the performance, even though before we went, we felt tired and almost did not go. But our opportunities here for all these wonderful experiences are really not to be missed.