🎬 Phases of a FINAL EXAM – The Movie You’re All In! 🎬
🎞️ Scene 01: The Attendance List & The Mysterious Camera
The moment the students walk in, they’re greeted not only by me but also by… The Camera! 🕵️ Yes, I installed one, and guess what? Almost everyone takes a sneak peek at it. Maybe it’s curiosity, maybe it’s nerves—or maybe you all think you’re starring in a reality show! Either way, before the exam begins, you must sign the attendance list. One signature to mark your presence... and a glance at the camera for dramatic effect. 🎥✔️
🎞️ Scene 02: The Sacred Instructions
Ah, the golden rules! 📜 I explain the path to exam success (and survival):
Phones OFF – Not silent. Not screen-off. Not pretending-it’s-off. It must be completely turned OFF and placed on the desk. Many forget this, and well… you’ll see what happens in Scene 04! 📵
Vocabulary section – Use numbers to match the words and meanings. No lines, no spaghetti drawings on your paper, please.
End of test protocol – Sit tight and wait for me to collect your paper. You don’t just get up and walk out like it’s a movie theater. 🎬🍿
🎞️ Scene 03: Test Distribution – The Calm Before the Storm
Tests in hand! All instructions have been given. Now the mission is simple: 📝 Write your name, class, and university number! I can’t magically guess who you are when correcting the test. If you want your grade, give me the info! I’m good, but I’m not a mind-reader. 🧠🔮
🎞️ Scene 04: Phone Patrol – Teacher vs The Tech Ninjas
Now comes the action scene: me vs. your smartphones. 📱🕵️♂️ I walk around checking if phones are actually off. That day, eight of you were caught with phones still ON!
Some of you get crafty:
You dim the screen so it looks off. Sneaky!
One student told (claim) me his phone turned on “very very fast”… the moment I picked it up to check (and press the button) the phone turn itself ON look liking it was ON already. Latter I asked him for video proof that was the case. He made a great video—Hollywood-level editing—but if you watch closely, he cut the video to make it look like the phone turns on instantly. 🎬🪄 I gave him credit for effort (and creativity),but remember this: fooling your teacher may work today, but in a future job interview, only real English skills will get you hired.
So… just study, okay? I’m on your side.
🎞️ Scene 05: The Great Exit Drama
The test is over. Yay! But suddenly… everyone wants to leave at once. 🚪 I take my time collecting the exams. Why? Because if you all leave together, you start chatting, sharing answers (yes, I know!),and the quiet test room becomes a loud subway station. Be patient. You’re almost free. Test days always end earlier than class. You’ll survive a few more minutes.
🎞️ Scene 06: The Final Heroes – Sorting Stars
After the last student leaves, I always get help from a few kind souls who stay behind to sort the tests by class and number. You are my MVPs! 🏆💪 It makes grading smoother, and I really appreciate it.
🎞️ Final Scene: A New Contract & A Simple Message
Yes, I renewed my contract. 🇨🇳 Why? Because I love teaching here, and because I believe in you.
My goal isn’t to fail anyone. I want you to succeed. But remember: I can’t learn English for you. I can teach, support, encourage, and sometimes entertain—but you have to do your part.
Let’s keep learning, laughing, and growing together. 🎓🌟
The whole video (uncut),our complete day at the wansui mountain will be at the end of this article.
Last Saturday was not your average weekend — it was an unforgettable rollercoaster of fun at Wansui Mountain Park! From the moment we arrived, we were swept up in a sea of excitement (and people — so many people!). But thanks to our amazing supervisor Amanda, who took care of us like a pro, we managed to catch a few fantastic shows amidst the crowd. Shoutout to her awesome assistants, Lemon and Gabi, who helped keep the chaos organized and the vibes high.
I ended up in Gabi’s group — she’s as sweet as her name sounds and probably got a little tired of us trailing behind her like ducklings all day. At one point, I even accidentally turned my solo explorer mode on and got completely lost for an hour. But hey, it turned into an unexpected mini adventure! I discovered some cool spots on my own and felt like a true adventurer.
The park itself? Huge! And as a foreigner, everything felt fresh and fascinating. Sure, I didn’t get to see every show, but honestly, that didn’t even matter — the best part was chatting with all the friendly Chinese visitors, especially the adorable kids who were super excited to talk with us and take pictures. I became a bit of a celebrity — especially among girls dressed in stunning hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing). They looked absolutely magical, and I couldn’t resist snapping a bunch of photos with them!
Our group was made up mostly of brand-new teachers from the university. I was the only “veteran” around, but trust me — I never get tired of these kinds of activities. Meeting people, enjoying the atmosphere, and soaking in the culture is my idea of a perfect day. The Chinese people are always so welcoming, polite, and curious about us — and I just love every conversation I get to have.
And if that wasn’t enough to make the day amazing, Amanda surprised us with a delicious dinner to wrap things up. We headed home with full hearts and even fuller bellies!
Most of the other teachers already sent their big thanks to Amanda in our activity WeChat group, but I was waiting until my video was ready to share. So now, in this post, I just want to say: Amanda, Lemon, and Gabi — THANK YOU! You three were absolute legends. You organized everything so smoothly, even doing the boring behind-the-scenes stuff like queuing for tickets and arranging appointments. None of that went unnoticed. You basically babysat us like champs — and we truly appreciate it.
Eu parei de escrever meu diário regularmente depois de alguns meses desabafando sobre meu divórcio em 2014. Não deveria ter parado, mas, sem enxergar muita perspectiva no futuro e desencantado com a vida, fui deixando as páginas em branco…
Alguns anos depois, já na China, nasceu meu blog dentro do meu website de ensino. No começo, era apenas um espaço para compartilhar dicas de inglês como segunda língua, estratégias para manter o idioma vivo e conselhos práticos para estudantes. Mas, pouco a pouco, esse espaço foi se transformando: minhas experiências pessoais, minhas opiniões e até minhas memórias começaram a ganhar lugar entre os textos que eu postava.
Talvez tenha começado porque eu sempre recebia as mesmas perguntas dos novos alunos na faculdade. As dúvidas mais frequentes viravam posts, e esses posts se tornavam respostas prontas para quando a mesma questão surgia novamente. Com o tempo, percebi que o blog era mais do que um recurso pedagógico: era uma nova forma de diário. Cada acontecimento importante, cada reflexão que eu queria guardar para o futuro, virava um texto. Era como se eu estivesse escrevendo não apenas para mim, mas também para deixar um rastro de quem eu sou e do que acredito.
Entre meus posts, há um que fala sobre o preço de morar fora. Nele, explico que o custo não é financeiro, mas emocional: perder o convívio com irmãos, pais e familiares próximos. Esse é o verdadeiro preço. Quando vim para a China, meus filhos já estavam nos Estados Unidos com a mãe. Minha mudança não foi a causa da distância deles, mas sim um recomeço após o divórcio. E que recomeço! Foi tão inesperado e transformador que não consigo deixar de acreditar que o Pai Celestial me trouxe até aqui por um propósito maior. Hoje, sete anos depois, vejo com clareza: meu trabalho não é apenas ensinar inglês, mas inspirar uma nova geração a ser melhor, a viver com honestidade e integridade. É como se eu estivesse em uma nova missão, tão significativa quanto a que vivi em 1990-1991, na Missão Manaus (A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias)
Mas hoje escrevo com o coração pesado. Poucas horas atrás recebi a notícia de que meu irmão mais novo faleceu. Ele havia passado por uma cirurgia de coração aberto, que correu bem, mas complicações inesperadas o levaram de volta à UTI, onde acabou partindo. Deixou esposa e dois filhos pequenos.
Esse é o preço de morar longe: não estar presente nos momentos mais difíceis.(e nos alegres também)
Hoje, o preço de não estar perto da família é muito alto...
E essa não é a primeira vez que isso acontece. Há poucos anos, meu pai faleceu (eu já estava na China). Duas semanas atrás, minha tia faleceu também. Ela tinha mais de 100 anos e morava com minha mãe. Sempre que eu ia ao Brasil nas férias, visitava-a. Meu pai já estava muito doente, lutava há dez anos contra o mal de Parkinson, e minha tia tinha 101 anos. Apesar de a morte quase nunca ser bem-vinda, nesses casos já era esperada. Mas no caso do meu irmão caçula, eu não imaginava que a última vez que conversaria com ele seria numa chamada de vídeo, poucos dias atrás, quando falamos sobre sua cirurgia e recuperação.
Todos temos falhas, mas as lembranças que ficam são as boas recordações. O Glauco sempre foi um bom irmão. Tenho gratidão por tê-lo tido como irmão. Minha vida foi melhor com ele do que será agora sem ele. Eu e meus dois irmãos servimos no mesmo tipo de missão da qual falei há pouco. Hoje, meu filho está realizando esse mesmo serviço (Missão Nova York 2024-2026). E se o que pregamos for verdade, isso significa que há esperança de que um dia nos reencontraremos.
ENGLISH
I stopped writing in my journal regularly after a few months of pouring out my feelings about my divorce in 2014. I shouldn’t have stopped, but without seeing much perspective for the future and feeling disenchanted with life, I gradually left the pages blank…
A few years later, already in China, my blog was born within my teaching website. At first, it was just a space to share tips on English as a second language, strategies to keep the language alive, and practical advice for students. But little by little, that space began to change: my personal experiences, my opinions, and even my memories started to find their place among the posts.
Perhaps it began because I was always receiving the same questions from new students at the university. The most frequent questions became posts, and those posts became ready-made answers for when the same question came up again. Over time, I realized that the blog was more than just a teaching resource: it was a new kind of diary. Every important event, every reflection I wanted to keep for the future, became a text. It was as if I were writing not only for myself but also leaving a trace of who I am and what I believe.
Among the posts, there is one that talks about the price of living abroad. In it, I explain that the cost is not financial, but emotional: losing the daily closeness with siblings, parents, and other loved ones. That is the real price.
When I came to China, my children were already in the United States with their mother. My move was not the cause of the distance from them, but rather a new beginning after the divorce. And what a beginning! It was so unexpected and transformative that I cannot help but believe that Heavenly Father brought me here for a greater purpose. Today, seven years later, I see clearly: my work is not only to teach English but to inspire a new generation to be better, to live with honesty and integrity. It is as if I were on a new mission, as meaningful as the one I served in 1990–1991, in the Manaus Mission (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
But today I write with a heavy heart. Just a few hours ago, I received the news that my younger brother had passed away. He had undergone open-heart surgery to place a valve, and the operation went well. But unexpected complications brought him back to the ICU, where he eventually passed away. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.
This is the price of living far away: not being present in the most difficult moments (and in the joyful ones too).
Today, the cost of not being close to family feels very high…
And this is not the first time it has happened. A few years ago, my father passed away (I was already in China). Two weeks ago, my aunt also passed away. She was over 100 years old and lived with my mother. Whenever I went to Brazil on vacation, I would visit her. My father had been very ill, battling Parkinson’s disease for ten years, and my aunt was 101 years old. Although death is almost never welcome, in those cases it was expected. But in the case of my youngest brother, I never imagined that the last time I would speak with him would be on a video call, just a few days ago, when we talked about his surgery and recovery.
We all have flaws, but the memories that remain are the good ones. Glauco was always a good brother. I am grateful to have had him as my brother. My life was better with him than it will be now without him.
My two brothers and I served in the same kind of mission I mentioned earlier. Today, my son is carrying out that same service (New York Mission 2024–2026). And if what we preach is true, that means there is hope that one day we will meet again.
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