Teaching in China

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For Part 1 of Teaching in China, see Canadian Teacher Magazine, Spring 2005 at www.PacificEdgePublishing.com.

Student relationships, of course, were the reason many of us went to teach in China. The student work ethic and respect for teachers are both legendary. Every returning teacher has praised this aspect of the job. Students loved their teachers. We became surrogate parents and were given love and obedience beyond anything we had experienced in classrooms before. We found that even the lazy students could be called to account and would respond without the hostility that could be expected in so many North American schools. The sense of responsibility which this kind of unabashed affection and loyalty engendered made us work the extra hours without complaint.
Be forewarned though; if students worked hard, they also cheated with an energy that dismayed us. It required great vigilance at times to circumvent the cell phone calls or screen displays, the cheat sheets (in some cases photocopied for mass distribution), and plain old neck-craning copying. The consequence for cheating which amounted to a dressing down by the dean, was not seen by all to be severe enough to dissuade them. Although their enthusiasm to know more about western culture was clear, contrary to the stereotype of hard-working Asian students, many were not particularly interested in the work necessary to learn a new language. The university experience was what they enjoyed; assignments were a nuisance. This speaks to the wide range of students we had. Does this sound familiar to Canadian teachers coping with the diversity of students in their classrooms? Nevertheless, we were, and continue to be, overwhelmed by the love that they were so willing to give.

The age range was 18 – 20 year olds; many were “onlys” because of the official government policy of “One family: One child.” Often these children were dressed in modern, trendy clothes and clearly were from the middle to upper class where the party line was strictly adhered to. Money was not an issue. Others were from distant villages and they may have been the only child from a large family receiving higher education. Many people in the family or village would be relying on them and financing their schooling. As you can imagine, the poorer students had a much stronger work ethic, with much more riding on their marks, but unfortunately, they often didn’t have the same background experiences to make English more accessible.

Most students showed a genuine desire to learn the language and they spoke openly about the economic advantages such knowledge would confer. An interesting side note to me at the start was that so many were interested in business and trading. The WTO was viewed as a very good thing and they were surprised by my expressed reservations about WTO and the World Bank.

As a former primary and learning assistance teacher, I firmly believed that students must use the language, and that they need materials they can read. I couldn’t separate the writing and reading components of a curriculum, so I gave myself an almost impossible task — I used Listen or Read, and then response journals, rather than the text. I had 80 students a week for Reading class and 120 for Listening and Speaking. I have never worked harder in my whole life. A good friend wrote me some sage advice, “Your problem is you are taking it too seriously.”

The students also took seriously some of the opportunities for self-expression that our course organization afforded them. I was making my orderly way from group to group during a discussion period in which, in pods of 4, students were talking about a variety of assigned topics. I noticed that in one group a young man was speaking quite forcefully, and I headed over to listen in. Andy, an articulate and poetic writer was giving his opinions on the group’s discussion topic which was, “How could we improve education in our schools?” He paused to acknowledge my presence and then carried on with his declamation. “Here, we are asked for our opinions,” he said, and then, punctuating each word with an increasingly forceful thump of fist on tabletop he enunciated, “No one ever asked for my opinion before—EVER!

Someone, sometime, somewhere, started doing something called “English Corner” and it seems to have become the national norm in all educational institutions in Asia. In Nanning where we were teaching first and second year university students, English Corner was held for one hour one afternoon a week. It was either wonderfully practical or terribly boring, depending on how creative we felt. We did geography conversations, pets, Canadian customs, card games, songs and family stories. Sometimes we had ten students; at other times there might be fifty people crammed into one room or squatting under whatever shade was available. English Corner was also held at different venues in the city at different times so that we could go to a section of the central park on Sunday morning and be mobbed by all of these Chinese folks who were practicing English and really wanted to talk with a native speaker. One restaurant owner invited us to have a free breakfast on Saturdays if we would mingle with the paying customers who wanted to practise their English.

With my student Tina’s permission, I wish to use her words, from a letter she wrote to me at the end of the year, to express and illustrate the potential for “Teaching in China” being one of the most powerful experiences in your life. That’s what it was for me. Tina wrote:
I can still remember the first time we met in class! When you walked into the classroom, carrying a big, big, bag on your shoulder, I thought that “why is it an old lady? Then we must have less fun in class.” To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed since I always thought that old teachers were strict, serious and mean. But during the following days we spent together, my attitude towards you changed completely. I can strongly feel that teaching has become a part of your life. You are responsible, humorous, patient and emotional. You have different ways of teaching. You enjoy the moments being with us and you never tease our poor English. I like your sweet smiles, for they remind me of the beautiful sunshine. I like the way you dress yourself, for it makes you look energetic. I like the way you talk to us because you keep encouraging us.

Beverly you know what? You give me a lot of valuable gifts which will influence the rest of my life: I’ve learned that a sense of community and teamwork spirits are the most powerful arms to overcome any difficulty in my life. I’ve learned that we are now living a better life, but there are many other places in the world still in poverty and people there need help from us. I’ve learned that there is always a solution to any conflict if we sit down together and negotiate with each other. I’ve learned that we should be kind to each other, giving people “warm fuzzies” instead of “cold prickle balls.” I’ve learned that if I smile to life, life will smile to me. I’ve learned that everyone should be young at heart, even though one day we will be old in appearance. See !! Those are all the valuable gifts you give me. I truly, truly appreciated that you are such a good teacher who can teach me something internal rather than external.

Derek and Beverly are retired educators who taught in China in 2002/03. Beverly is the author of Names Will Never Hurt Me—Bullyproofing for Children. Derek has several educational books in progress. They live in Victoria, BC