Hump day!

English: Class starts with a passage everyone has to read entitled A Sad Love Story. They're given around five minutes to read the one page story before they take a closed-book quiz on what they just read. The book has bolded American colloquial phrases throughout the story such as, "But she didn't turn up," "He thought she would keep her word," "He was not going to hold his breath," and "He would drown his sadness in coffee."
The teacher made a powerpoint for the quiz with those same sentences, only the bolded phrases substituted with another synonymous phrase. Li Fang started walking home, for example, should be changed into Li Fang set off for home. She didn't keep her promise changed to: She didn't keep her word.

Lunch: I brought a frisbee from home today and rallied kids from Molly's and my class to come play with the Americans outside. Most of them had never seen a frisbee before, which was blatant in their attempts to throw and catch, while others seemed like naturals. A circle of 15 or so quickly developed a group of onlookers, some of whom joined us to play. Because it was cold the frisbee cracked, and later broke into 1000 pieces when Elias threw it on the ground (just for fun, not in anger). Three kids asked if they could take pieces home with them as a memento of the afternoon. Mom and Dad, if you're reading this, please send me a few frisbees in my next package!

Music: It's easy to tell when it's an elective block. Kids talk to one another, food and cell phones are either brought out for the first time or brought from underneath the desk, depending on the kid. When the teacher starts singing I guess I'm in music class. Molly has always said that elective teachers are the best, and it's true. Him, the PE teacher and English (not an elective) teacher are the only ones who have returned my ni hao's and acknowledged my existence. He says something and points to me, and the whole class turns and looks at me, smiling. I make a confused face and laugh with them. I think he said something about me singing the ABC's someday. First we watch a movie of a Chinese elementary school chorus singing songs in both Chinese and English, not simultaneously. Every so often the teacher breaks into a high-pitched tune and breaks out Saturday Night Fever-esque dance moves. Viviane says all the kids think he's crazy. Next he turns on a gymnastics tape from the Beijing Olympics. A Chinese girl is one and a group of students in the front of clause burst into applause. Sean Johnson is on next. Everyone turns to observe my expression, but I'm more interested in the fact that they're all looking at me than on what jump or dance move she's completing. The teacher fast forwards until either an American or Chinese is on the screen.
Spiky Hair and other kids to my left are playing Guess What Card Is In My Hand, with a full deck of cards. Spiky Hair has his back to me, allowing me to see when it's his turn to hold the cards and his friends turn to guess. I start writing the card on a piece of paper and showing it to them behind Spiky's back, and what do you know, all of a sudden they guess card after card. He never figured it out.

Chinese: Last block has the same effect on kids here than it does on kids at South. Although the kids I sit with, the kids in the back of class, pass notes and text, they never make noise during core classes. There was a noticeable rustle in class today, however, that was nonexistent yesterday when Chinese at the beginning of the day.