On Tuesday, my ASA (After School Activity; which runs Tues/Thurs from 3:30-4:30) Eco-Team munchkins wanted to do the environment some good. They asked if we could clean up the (already pretty cleanly) campus and then head out to the surrounding neighborhood of Li Ren to do a trash pick up. I grabbed some recycled plastic bags and gloves from the kitchen, and we headed out into the crisp November air.
Everything was going well, until I almost had a heart attack when one of the "elves" who doesn't understand much English picked up a stick and stood along a wall at the river's edge to fish out some trash, nearly falling in. There was no way I'd jump into that nasty river to save him! (Ok, well, maybe if I absolutely had to...)
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| Picking up trash alongside the river |
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| Fishing for trash |
"NO NO NO NO NO!" I shouted, dropping the camera and running to bring him away from the banks. No wonder I'm hoarse. Reigning in six ten-year-old (ELL) boys is no picnic!
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This was the day when Jett came home with us.
(See him off in the distance with the boys?
Most of them loved having the puppy along) |
But when all was said and done, we had a good time scavenging the area, and, all combined, the boys collected nearly enough garbage to fill a whole bin!
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| Eco-Team! |
Everything was going well, until I almost had a heart attack when one of the "elves" who doesn't understand much English picked up a stick and stood along a wall at the river's edge to fish out some trash, nearly falling in. There was no way I'd jump into that nasty river to save him! (Ok, well, maybe if I absolutely had to...)
I'm failing to see the point of this group... unless you're just looking for a random activity to do while hanging out. If that's the case, I'd suggest Chess or Go. Much better use of their time.
ReplyDeleteI thought I had explained Eco-Team before. It is an after school activity, or ASA (all teachers are required to supervise/lead an ASA). The club exists, in effect, to heighten awareness regarding sustainability, and to enact endeavors that strive towards sustainability and ecological balance.
DeleteThus the trash clean up. This is a very worthwhile endeavor. China is full of trash, and this helps change their mentality about how to treat the environment. Also planned by these boys is a Waste-Free Lunch Day, when students will attempt a lunchtime without garbage. The boys are also really excited about growing an indoor winter garden in my classroom. These are all very good uses of time. I'm sad that, especially growing up the way we did, you don't see the value of neighborhood clean up.
The boys are darling in that picture, and the Dog? well, he's even cuter!
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