Teaching in China
By Su-Queen Teo, Staff Writer and Sing Yi Li, Special Contributor

"Teach In China". Our eyes were practically glued to the computer screen. After weeks of frantically and anxiously searching for summer jobs and internships, our efforts were rewarded. Described as being a great opportunity to teach English to students of various ages in China, the internship certainly seemed interesting enough. Needless to say, as Asian Americans, we felt that this would be a chance for us to delve into our heritage and explore our cultural roots. After the usual routine of submitting resumes and writing samples, being selected for the internship, and speaking with the program organizers, we were on our way. Little did we foresee the unforgettable moments of those weeks to come.

Since many of the interns had never entered China before, the group of about 30 was filled with excitement, anticipation and, sometimes, fear. As we were to discover, however, that fear was not unfounded. During those weeks of traveling through Beijing, Shanghai, and Changsha, we encountered an endless number of difficulties, ranging from losing interns in the Beijing Airport to our bus breaking down on the highway to unsanitary conditions to the sweltering 125-degree heat of Changsha. More importantly, however, we were faced with difficulties dealing with the program coordinators. Not only were they young and lacking in experience and leadership skills, but they were also sometimes too occupied with their own relationship to notice any problems we were having. Moreover, the coordinators often did not live up to their promises, whether it be air-conditioned classrooms or free meals. When our contract was cited, the president of the program feigned ignorance. In addition, many disagreements arose with school staff members.

Nevertheless, despite all the complications, the times spent teaching and bonding with the students made up for it. For the first time in many of our lives, we understood what it was to be a teacher. Interns were dispersed to different cities. Six were sent off to Baotou, a remote area in Inner Mongolia. Nine settled in Xian, a famous city, which many believe is the cradle of Chinese civilization. Sixteen were sent to Changsha, a city made famous by its role during China's Three Kingdoms Period.

Because we were sent to Changsha, we will mostly be talking about our group. The interns tried to make classes fun and exciting. Each class came with its own teaching assistant, local college students who, like us, found this to be a great internship opportunity. However, many of them went beyond the call of duty and became our friends and confidantes. Each day was divided into six class periods of 45 minutes each. The first class began at 8:30 am and the last class ended at 4:45 pm with a siesta in between. Schedules were complicated due to several reasons. First of all, interns had to partner with one or two other interns and share classes. Moreover, different interns taught different class periods, which meant that not everyone could take breaks at the same time. In addition, each intern taught two or more different groups of students with each group not necessarily being of the same age level. Interns also became ill very often, probably due to the unsanitary meals, and had to find other interns to cover their classes.

The schools furthered our complications by making us follow a worksheet of what we were to teach and when. For example, on Mondays, the first class period was given over to "oral" while the second period was given over to "listening." On Wednesdays, during the fourth class period, we had to teach an English song, which more often than not turned into a solo performance for the teacher while students applauded. However, after trudging through the tunes of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Take Me Out To the Ball Game", and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", it was time to turn to fresh fields to plow and, hence, we turned to pop music. The students especially loved The Backstreet Boys. Some class periods were given over to playing American games and the students relished these. We played Taboo, Pictionary, Tongue Twisters, Bingo, and various icebreakers. In terms of dedication, some of us spent more time than was necessary pouring over lesson plans. We took attendance, gave exams, and assigned homework. We played games and watched movies chosen from our stash of pirated DVDs, although for some teachers, watching movies everyday was the rule rather than the exception. Once in a blue moon, we went on school trips.

We rewarded and reprimanded, praised and punished. We were beginning to learn and understand just how much dedication, time and patience was involved in teaching. Even though most of the students were either good or bad, the situation was not as black and white. There were students who were slower and, therefore, needed the extra push. Teachers were sometimes faced with difficult questions to tackle, particularly ones dealing with love or politics. Nevertheless, we were astounded by the energy and enthusiasm of the students who made us feel loved and appreciated. Their dedication to us sometimes went over the top, however. Students would attempt to be with us every minute of every day and teachers usually received evening visits from them. Nevertheless, we enjoyed being with the students, most of whom were assigned English names because they did not have one. There were interesting and amusing names such as Cisqo, Happy, Dennis (the Menace), (Michael) Jordan, Kobe (Bryant), Smart, Shadow, and X.

Aside from bonding with students, however, the teachers also had the chance to do other fun things. Some birthdays were celebrated by going to karaoke bars and/or going out to dinner. Some of us even visited seemingly shady massage parlors. Since the food at school could hardly be called satisfying, many of us would escape to KFC, McDonald's, or Pizza Hut. Often, many of us would make nightly expeditions to the local supermarket to gather snacks and Ramen noodles. More importantly, however, we received a weekly stipend, which we promptly spent on food and bootlegged DVDs.

As a result, we fell into a routine. We did not realize how fast the time had sped by until the last day. Class by class, teachers led their students up to the stage and gave a farewell performance. Everyone tried to be creative. Some classes performed plays and dances while others sang songs, such as Enya's "Wild Child" and "On My Way Home." Some students even performed instrumental solos. In addition, teachers would also try their best at singing songs in Chinese. Interestingly enough, two of our interns played the roles of MCs. After many speeches and applause, the closing ceremony came to an end. Teachers and students laughed, hugged, and cried while an endless number of 'keep in touch' and 'write to me' were uttered. After promising to work hard so that, one day, they could come to the U.S. to visit the teachers, the students asked us all to sign their T-shirts as memorabilia.

The morning after, we departed for the train station. Some of us would go to Beijing while others stayed behind or went to other cities. From Beijing, some of us departed for Shanghai where six students met up with us. After touring the city for 4 days, we said goodbye to the students and headed back to Beijing. There we toured the usual sites like the Great Wall and the Summer Palace and were taken on a major shopping spree through open-air markets selling cheap brand-named knockoffs. However, even all the shopping and delicious Peking duck could not erase our memories of Changsha. The time we spent there allowed us to grow and learn. The experience is unforgettable. Lastly, here’s a tip for those who are interested in venturing to China; make sure you bring the signed contract/agreement, lots of sunscreen, a Chinese phrasebook/dictionary, bug repellent, and a light luggage bag (and I mean light!).