{"id":363,"date":"2007-10-10T06:06:13","date_gmt":"2007-10-09T22:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stevepeer.net\/?p=385"},"modified":"2007-10-10T06:06:13","modified_gmt":"2007-10-09T22:06:13","slug":"utter-beauty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stevepeer.com\/blog\/utter-beauty\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching English in China: Utter beauty"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stevepeer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/me-class.jpg?w=1000\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Five days, 24 classes, more than 1000 students.<\/p>\n<p>I spent the week making Grade 1 and 2 students laugh. I gazed into astonished eyes and saw a sea of toothless smiles. As I looked at those faces I wanted to weep at the utter beauty and innocence.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stevepeer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/students.jpg?w=1000\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Can you remember those days? Cut-and-paste and crayons, PE class and boundless energy? Pale fragment are all I can recollect. There were few worries, no planning for the future, and no need to watch your back. Every day was fresh and the rising sun brought new adventures. There were no strategic plans or projections.<\/p>\n<p>The week made me remember why I do what I do. In a world of paperwork, meetings, plans, and back-up plans, I remembered to soldier on. I do what I do for them, my proxy children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Five days, 24 classes, more than 1000 students.<\/p>\n<p>I spent the week making Grade 1 and 2 students laugh. I gazed into astonished eyes and saw a sea of toothless smiles. 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