We usually have a little over an hour for lunchtime, which I really like. The lunches here are very good and very healthy. I'll normally get some kind of meat, rice, vegetables and fruit in my lunch. I sit with some other teachers in our lunchroom and talk about all sorts of things. For me, it's a great time to practice speaking Chinese with my co-workers.
After lunch, I change back out of my indoor shoes and go back up to my office. Most days, I don't have any afternoon classes. First-grade students are usually done with school by noon and head home after lunch, whereas older grades still have classes. On most days after school, many students go to English schools or take part in other activities, so their day isn't done yet! Most afternoons, teachers here take a short nap after lunch. I sometimes join them, but I don't like napping very much. I usually spend my afternoons planning lessons for future classes in my office. I can also take short breaks, and sometimes I walk around the school, because it's very pretty.
At 4:00 p.m., it's time to go home! I say goodbye to my other teachers and walk to the MRT station. I take the subway back home and that is the end of my school day!
Tuesdays are a bit different for me. Tuesday is my busiest day, and I teach six classes: five English, and one Culture! Tuesday is also the only day that first graders stay for class after lunch. It's a pretty long day for all of us. At this school, there are seven different first-grade classrooms. Each has about 26 students, so each class might be a little bigger than a typical one back in the U.S. Each week, I normally plan one English lesson and one Culture lesson and teach those to each of the seven classes of first-graders.
