Closing Ceremony on Friday, July 29

The "Closing Ceremony" was held on Friday to signify the end of the four-week San Sin-TCC Summer English Program. Principal Wu opened the ceremony, welcoming the students and their American teachers. 

Then, Danielle Hess thanked the principal, Mrs. Helen Lee, the San Sin English Department head, Jerry and Ellie Fussell, and Mr. Shih for their continued help with the program. She also encouraged the San Sin students to continue working hard with their English studies.  TAs Willy and Pam served as emcees. Jerry Fussell served as moderator and translated these comments into Mandarin Chinese for the audience.

Each student received a certificate for completion of the Summer English Program. The American teachers also presented special awards to students for Outstanding Achievement and for Excellent Participation in class to individual students. Group photos were taken of the English classes with their American teachers!

After a short break, the student performances began.  Groups of San Sin students sang, danced, and played games. Then, the American teachers performed a "Game Show." 

Farewell Dinner on Thursday, July 28

A Farewell Dinner was held for the American teachers and their host families on Thursday, July 28 at the Han-Hsien International Hotel.  A tremendous amount of planning, preparation, and daily monitoring goes into a successful Summer English Program.  

The American teachers thanked Principal Wu, Jerry and Ellie Fussell, and Mr. Shih for their never-ending help in making the program what it is year after year.  Helen Lee was also thanked for her overall planning and directing of the program.  Jen Tsai was thanked for her capable assistance!

The host families were thanked for their generosity in hosting the American teachers. Each family was given a gift and a framed certificate in appreciation.

The American teachers were thanked individually for teaching in the Summer English Program.  Each one received a gift and a lovely framed certificate.  And the four Teaching Assistants were showered with thanks and gifts from the American teachers! 

Teaching in Taiwan is a life-changing experience for the American teachers, and they expressed their appreciation with gifts and hugs! Although the teachers will be miles apart from their Taiwanese families and friends, their hearts will remain in Taiwan with the truly wonderful people they have come to love and appreciate!

Week Four: "Disney, Potter, and Marvel: Oh, My! A Look at Pop Culture"

During Week Four, the American teachers taught a unit called "Disney, Potter, and Marvel: Oh, My!  A Look at Pop Culture." The new vocabulary words in this unit included:  setting, author, character, comic books, fairy tale, claymation, animation, attraction,ticket, amusement park, performer, and many others. The students learned about popular books and movies, characters, images, and ideas in popular culture.

There were only three days of instruction in this unit.  On Thursday, the San Sin students did their Project-Based Learning (PBL) presentations.  Each class was required to select one or more of the topics from the four-week Summer English Program and prepare a group oral presentation on that topic. 

The American teachers and Ellie Fussell served as judges during the presentations.  The judges were very impressed by how much progress the students made with their English!  

There were eight small groups altogether.  Three student groups selected the topic of Entertainment. Three student groups selected Pop Culture as their focus. One group selected Social Media, and one selected Fun on Land and Sea. 

The judges presented the following awards to the students doing the PBL projects:

Summer English Program Project-Based Learning Awards 2016

Best Overall:

A-2 Kiki, Jason, Yvette, Sandy, Belle, Dennis

Top 2^nd Year:

1. C-2 Jasmine, Betty, Iris, Peggy, Luch, Verena, Cindy

2. C-3 Irene, Shirley, Lucas, Terry, Howard,Ryan, Jessica, Adam

3. C-1 Joy, Anna, Eden, Sandy, Annie, Kathy, Grace

Top 1^st Year:

1. B-3 Felicia, Ciny, Howard, Polly, Wendy

2. B-1 Betty, Ken, Claire, Jenny, Barbie

3. A-1 Kiki, Jason, Yvette, Sandy, Belle, Denis

Most Creative:

B-2 Frank, Lynn, Astrid, Tina, Max

Most Improved:

1. Lynn (Class B)

2. Frank (Class B)

3. Wendy (Class B)

Best English Speakers:

1. Irene (Class C)

2. Cindy (Class C)

3. Ivette (Class A)

Honorable Mention

Betty (Class B)

Shirley (Class C)
Ciny (Class B)

Weekend Excursions

While in Kaohsiung, the American teachers rarely had time to rest or sit still.  Their Taiwanese hosts always had plans for them, and wanted to show them the many beautiful areas of the island!

On Friday, July 22, Jerry and Ellie Fussell drove the teachers to Kenting National Park.  It is Taiwan's oldest and southernmost national park, and it is known for its tropical climate, sunshine, and lovely beach area.  The scenic shoreline, mountains, cliffs and rocks make it a popular tourist attraction.

On Saturday, the teachers went to the Kaohsiung Harbor with Joy, and Joy's uncle served as tour guide!  They rode bicycles, visited an upside-down house, and rode a ferry to Cijin Island to see the lighthouse!

On Sunday, the teachers and their host family members were taken to the Taiwan Indigeneous Peoples Culture Park.  This is a large park located in a mountainous area up to 220 meters above sea level.  The park provides information about fourteen of Taiwan's native aboriginal tribes, including the Amis, the Puvama, the Yami, the Sakizava, and others.  

 

They watched elegant singing and dancing  by tribe members in the 2000-seat Naluwan Theater, and posed for pictures with the performers afterwards!