Teaching English! (Feb. 28)

Mabel and I woke up at 7 am and got ready to head to Mabel's school. We left at about 7:30 am and bought some breakfast on the way there. Once we arrived at the school, Mabel showed me around.

The campus:

The front gate






The students' dorms
Badminton courts



Sports field



As we were walking around, both students and teachers were staring at us and started chatting excitedly. Some of Mabel's colleagues asked her who I was. Mabel and I walked up the stairs but stopped suddenly. She pointed to a classroom where a boy was writing on the blackboard and said, "See him? He's writing the slang on the board." Mabel assigns her students to research slang words or phrases because she feels it's important to know that since it's used in everyday life. So every class, one of her students writes a slang word or phrase on the board before class starts and then explains it.

Mabel's classroom


We finished walking up the stairs and the students in the class next door were standing outside and started talking to Mabel. Once the bell started ringing, Mabel went in her classroom and I followed. As I walked in, the students were thrilled and started clapping. I could see their eyes widening and smiles were across everyone's faces. The students didn't know beforehand that I was going to be there, so they were extremely surprised and caught off guard. Mabel introduced me and then I explained the slang word on the board with the help of her student.

Explaining "bone up"


The student went back to his seat and I began my speech. Mabel had told me on Wednesday to prepare a lesson for her classes. She told me to pick a topic, talk about it and maybe teach the students some new slang. I chose to talk about what American teenagers do in their free time. I included that many teenagers in Florida like to go to the beach and the movies. They also go out to eat, hang out with friends, read comic books and play video/computer games. I taught them some slang words and phrases, such as "that sucks", "zoning/tuning out", "fender bender", "cold turkey", "out of the loop", and "caught up".






Teaching slang




Mabel's first class is not as advanced as her second class, so they didn't ask me as many questions as the other class. However, during the break, all of the students came to the front of the class to ask me where I've been in China, why I came to China, and if I like China. They also wanted to have their picture taken with me and asked if they could hug me. I, of course, let them do so. It was so unbelievable for me how enthusiastic they were about my being there!

During the break



After the class, Mabel told them to go outside so we could take a class picture. I felt like a celebrity because every student had their camera phones ready to take my picture. So many students rushed up to me and wanted me to pose with them. Some of them hugged me and even a few of the girls asked if they could kiss me on the cheek. I thought that was a little weird, but I let them anyways.





After the photo shoot, Mabel and I walked up to the fifth floor to her second class and we could already hear the students talking eagerly. Naturally, they had already heard what was going on. As Mabel and I walked in, the students began to clap and again Mabel introduced me. I asked the student to explain the slang on the board and helped him.

Explaining "hot potato"



After we finished explaining "hot potato" to the class, I once again started my speech on American teenagers. However, this time, the students started asking me questions during the class. One of the boys, for example, asked me about gays in the U.S.. He asked whether they're accepted, if they can marry, and if they live in communities. The same student asked me what I think about Tibet and if I've ever been there. I told him I don't know enough about Tibet to say what I think about it and told him I had never been there. I asked him if he'd ever visited Tibet and he said, "No, but I would like to go." He also asked that if I were to visit Tibet that I should inform Americans that other countries shouldn't get involved in the matter between Tibet and China.

The student who asked about gays and Tibet.



I didn't really say anything after that to him and just chose another student to ask her question. She asked me what type of sports I like and if basketball is popular in the U.S.. I told her I don't really play any sports, but that I enjoy canoeing, kayaking, and working out. I also told her that basketball is popular in the U.S., but not as much as football. Another student asked me which movie stars are my favorite and I replied with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Angelina Jolie. Yet another one asked me what I think about Obama. She told me that she likes him and thinks he will be a great president.

Students asking me about what I think of the earthquake, Japan/Japanese anime books, and Barack Obama



One of the students touched me deeply. She asked me if the U.S. has a lot of Chinese schools and teachers. I told her that the U.S. doesn't have many Chinese schools, but there are many Chinese teachers, especially college professors. She told me that she wants to live in America and teach Chinese, but she doesn't know if she'll be able to. She said it had to do with her twin sister and the fact that her English is not as good as hers. She began crying and the class became silent. She said that it might be impossible for her to realize her dream and it was obvious that this was a very big issue for her. I felt sorry for her and told her that it would be hard, but that people have done it and that she shouldn't give up.





I feel like Chinese students have so much more pressure than American students for a number of reasons. First of all, there are so many more Chinese students, which means that they are all competing with one another for the same jobs. Furthermore, they have so much more schooling and homework than American students. Some of them, in addition to their classes and homework, have to go to extra English classes, learn to play a musical instrument or have some other talent that will make them stand out when they apply for jobs. Their families, who want them to succeed, can put too much pressure on them to the point where it isn't encouragement anymore. It seems like it stresses the student out instead. During the class break, these students also wanted pictures with me and asked if they could hug me.

The girls in the pink and yellow jackets are twins and the one in the pink is the one who asked me about Chinese schools and teachers in the U.S..





This had to have been one of the best experiences of my life! I'm grateful that I had the chance to meet with these students and learn more about their lives.