How are you? Have you had a relaxed weekend and started a good new week?

I have just submitted 3 new assignments in my training after working on them for whole of Friday, Saturday and most of Sunday. With a little bit easy heart, I would like to say Hello to you now.

This week,except for giving some lesson at the library, mainly I worked on my English and training.

Now I have attended English lessons for 16 hours in the advanced class. I felt so surprised for I have been able to understand 90% or more of my instructor in the USA, but I just got 77 in the Assessment Test of my Chinese English School. So, now, I have also started my online English study at the Chinese English School for I wanted to improve my English grammar and the ability of joining in examination, even though its video breaks often, it hardly worked on it. ：-）

In my training, aimed at the problem that my course “Poetry, Painting, Music – Comprehensive and Artistic Chinese ” is new and creative, and I have little experience on American college education, I went to consult my training tutors at OTC. With so much patience and so many smiles, Ms. Sherry Phelan and Ms. Jacque Harris talked with me for 2.5 hours. Just like the name of their office “Creative Service Department”, their creative ideas gave me so many inspirations. So, as soon as I came back from their office, I involved of re-design my syllabus and course schedule according to their good directions and the school’s templates.

Do you know what I thought in the break of my work? I thought how I had worked with Mrs.Leigh Ann Hughes—The former Grant Administrator of City of Pikeville, KY, Oct, 2012 to May, 2013. For designing my art exhibition and teaching, she had given me so many questions. Just for answering her questions, I thought and thought, wrote and wrote, then I not only gave my Chinese painting lessons, but also I gave my first poetry lessons in 3 public schools and got welcome. At the same time, my first volume of “Poetry, Painting, Music – Comprehensive and Artistic Chinese ” was published when I was in Pikeville, KY, USA.

Now, my tutors did the same thing and they have given me many more questions. These questions have not only “ forced ” me to think and think, but also, they have given me a lot of inspirations and lifted me up to a new level to work according to the requirement of American education.

This process was quite hard, but I could learn something new and helpful every day. I felt so happy and it was full of the appreciations in my heart. After all, when I just came to Springfield, MO, USA in 2008, I did not know anyone here; when I went to Peckville, KY in 2013, I was the only Chinese who worked in the 3 schools and the Eastern Kentucky Expo; and then when I came to OTC and to meet Mrs. Kat Allie --Chair of Humanities Department and Manager of Fine Art Gallery of OTC by a phone call on a piece of advertisement. Then I was sponsored art exhibitions and got so wonderful training opportunity for teaching... As a lucky foreign student who has no any “Relationship”, I cannot help thinking What behind my luck is and What I should learn from those kind people behind my luck, and then to treate other dreamer as they have treated me with an open mind, wide chest and forsight...

Here are two pieces of good news: This week, the number of my students at the Park Central Library has been increased to 10; a bigger library of Springfield, MO had offered us a single room to teach and or study. I have not gone there yet, for I thought it was the park central library offered me a place to work when we had no any place and even though my art exhibition was finished, so, I did not want to go, however, the number of my students have required me to think of going or not. Anyway, even though we would like to go, we should tell the library ahead. Right?

How about you? Do you have anything special to share?


Sincerely,

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Nov 8, 2015 (American Local Time)