Tea -chers

 

While Ted and the other administrators were away at a retreat for party members I attended a tea ceremony hosted by the Women of Wuhan.  I learned more about different types of Chinese tea and tea accessories.  After sampling teas a few of us traveled to a spa and endured a 110-minute Chinese massage.  I’ve never been in so much pain following a massage.  After three days I felt a bit better, but it may be while before I have a bone filing massage again.  

The spa’s building space was exquisite.  Attached was a private museum with a collection worth billions.  The main focus of the museum are pieces of furniture carved from single trees or pieces of wood, but they also have an extensive collection of rare jewels, jade carvings, Czar Nicolas II’s dishes, a stuffed albino crocodile, and a small dinosaur skeleton.  Hopefully they’ll be able to open their museum to the public in the future.  

No drink better represents China more than green tea.  Loose green tea is a standard in any home or office.  The basis of the Chinese health care system is free Tai Chi and green tea.  Generally I prefer black tea, but green tea is growing on me.  I don’t think it will replace the status of Cuban coffee in the morning, but it has a gentle kick to it.  After a long week it is a welcoming sight.  

In the past week the director of Montessori studies at Xavier and another XU consultant from Taiwan were here.  This was a hundred times more welcoming than a cup of green tea.  Their support and guidance was the perfect Thanksgiving blessing.  The four classroom environments changed dramatically and allowed for more fluid access to all Montessori materials.  The director delivered an impeccable speech for hundreds of school families.  After lecturing for ninety minutes she answered questions for another half hour.  One parent asked if she could give just one or two sentences which sums up the essence of Montessori.  After a reflective moment, she delivered:

“Educating the individual within a community setting, having at its heart the future of humanity.”  Later was added “through a rigorous education”.

The Xavier ladies will be greatly missed, but I have gained a stronger sense of purpose in my work with the Montessori teachers here.   My schedule will change in the future so that I can work directly with teachers and the materials without children around.  Developing skills in anything requires independent practice. I look forward to seeing how the changes impact the educators. 

Many families in the US will celebrate Thanksgiving this week and I will celebrate with a few other Americans here.  We’re not many, but it will be an after-work treat. Not sure what will be on the menu, but I look forward to trying a Chinese style turkey. 

Blessings to all