Entrepreneurship Class

Entrepreneurship Life Club (Class 2): The kick-off class last week drew 41 people, which is significant considering that the life club classes are typically limited to 15 people. Despite the hot and sweaty conditions caused by packing so many bodies into a small space, the first class went successfully as we discussed Peter Drucker's Seven Sources of Innovation.

The second class had 21 students, fortunately, which made it much easier to have quality teaching and discussion about the topic of "Opportunity Recognition and Industry Analysis." Although the vocabulary is quite difficult, I think the students are motivated to learn the material quicker because the material is relevant and interesting.

On another topic, I'm feeling overwhelmed because I'm trying to do too much at once: teaching full time, preparing the material for the entrepreneurship class (usually an additional 10 hours per week), daily professional development (i.e. Grammar), working out 3 times per week, trying to find time to learn Chinese, meeting with friends, staying in consistent contact with my family and close friends, studying business, and trying to find a business to start next year if I decide to stay in China. I'm in a perplexing situation. On one hand, doing so many things at once spreads me thin. On the other hand, I'm energized by the opportunity to pursue so many things that interest me. Yes, I feel energy that I have not had for a long time, but I also feel like it's hard to relax sometimes. Perhaps that's just life in the big city, in the bustling metropolis of Shanghai; perhaps I'm starting to appreciate what young people feel here: like they're always working, always on the move, always trying to stay ahead of the competition.

Teaching Porter's Five Forces (ok...this was taken after class)

Students working in groups to solve a problem