Chinese Notebooks

Chinese notebooks have so many fun, cheesy

quirky quotes on their covers.

My students all have notebooks because I give

them a journal writing exercise every class, and

for homework, too.

This week I collected the journals to read and

grade what they've written for the first half of the term. I have 300 journals sprawled across my living room floor in messy little piles. I try to read 30 a day, or one class a day, to get through them in a timely manner.

They have

topics such as:

What activities did you enjoy as a child?

or

If you could speak to anyone from the dead who would it be?

They have 15 minutes at the beginning of class each day.

They write away, and I take the time to prepare my materials and brainstorm.

Since I have 300 students total, what ends up happening is I just check to make sure they've written all 13 entries, and I read the last entry which is: What do you want to learn in this class for the remainder of the term?

I keep a note pad near me and write down any good suggestions. Most of them say something like: Ms. Kraft you are so beautiful, and I wish you more beautiful every day, and I wish our lesson more learning every day! Love, Cherry.

I'm in a great mood after I read journals, and question why I am leaving this job this summer. What other job would I get to hear 300 times that I am beautiful and have a kind heart and am a great teacher?

Also, the journals themselves are fun, colorful, and filled with pictures of Caucasian little girls, cartoons, smiling couples and hearts and flowers. Even my male students carry notebooks with these kind of silly covers. They all have cheesy quotes on them as well. One is: Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have."

Although it is hard work to read and grade all these journals, I enjoy reading their thoughts about their families, China, our environment, their friends, dreams and hopes for learning English.

The colorful and fun covers contrast their dull and assiduous life ahead as college students. No wonder why they choose the most optimistic and lovely of notebooks. Just looking at one instantly makes you feel glad.