Reflections about teaching in Taiwan

I am 4 and a half weeks into school. I am teaching 7th, 8th, 11th and 12th grade math. Teaching in Taiwan has been a fascinating experience. I feel as though I am getting an upclose look as to how the hierarchical culture is ingrained from such a young age. While many of the students have been at this international bacalaureate (IB) school since a young age, it has been difficult for the students to adopt the culture of questioning and independence that the ideology of the IB purports. Oftentimes, my class-wide questions are met with silence. This is caused by a combination of not wanting to be wrong and lose face, feeling insecure about their English ability and not wanting to stand out. This last notion is wholly unfamiliar to me as a Saint Ann's alumna and teacher. I am trying to be extremely enthusiastic and open with the students so that they will feel comfortable asking me questions. It will be a challenge but I have already seen some progress. Here teachers are revered as gods and even the biggest clown in the class would not even think about questioning the decisions of the teacher. Along with that, the "clowns" maybe make one or two jokes and then get back to work. While there are certainly students who lack good work habits and do not fit into the stereotypical "Asian student" prototype, the majority of the kids care tremendously about understanding and getting ideas "right". Those who are slacking are the ones living in the dorms Monday through Friday and I am convinced they are not trying as a cry for their parents' attention. The school day is long, from 8-5, and I do not have my first vacation day until January. There are 210 school days a year and there is almost perfect attendance every day in each class. My students generally have strong math skill ability but have a very low level of understanding as to how all the pieces fit together and what the conceptual underlying ideas are. After school, most students go to buxibans, after schools where they get math and English language tutoring. These schools are mostly teacher-centeredd where the students get skill and drill. Students oftentimes do not get home until 8 or 9PM. Then they start their homework.