We got a tremendous rainstorm last night replete with huge lightning and some minor flooding. I had to wade through a few inches of water on my way to and from class. It was worth it, though, as I had a good day. My Portuguese was really good, my comprehension was also right on, and my classes went fairly well.
The only exception to that last part was when one of the students would not be quiet or would be asking stupid questions all the time. So I covered the teacher's table with chalk dust and told him to sit on it or leave, knowing that he wanted very much to stay, but would shut up if he sat on the chalk, which he went ahead and did. Unfortunately, like most new discipline, made the class go hysterical. Another professor asked me to cut the noise out, to which I replied that I wanted th same thing. Still sucked that I couldn't control them.
I think I've figured something out about the educational system here. It's still young, and so the emphasis is on gaining information over understanding the underlying concepts. Which makes sense. If you have students who know the facts, they become teachers who can teach the facts and the students can then take the next step and find the underlying concepts.
Example. I say the chloroplast contains chlorophyll, and photosynthesis occurs in the chlorophyll. But when I ask what process occurs in chloroplasts, I get a lot of blank stares. Basically, I'm having to change how I teach and essentially WHAT I'm teaching, a whole lot.
Peace
John
