TeachingAbroad

I woke up early morning on Sept. 3rd… my first day as a Primary school teacher. My stomach was in knots as I prepared to shower. Mary knocked on the door and informed me Mark and her were going to exchange money at the Bank of China. She apologized that she could not attend my first lesson but I felt relieved… the less pressure the better. Mark also wished me good luck and told me that overplanning on activities is always best. That made me even more nervous as I had no back up in case time ran out! I jumped out of the shower and focused on my outfit… most important part of my presentation… I put on a long, white skirt along with a black top which tied in a bow. I looked cute and very presentable… all in all the heels tied it all together. I grabbed my teaching materials and a bag of candy, which ensured they wouldn’t hate me because every 4th grader loves candy… especially if they are wrapped up in an American flag and provided by their cool American teacher. As my heels clicked down the hallway I exited the Foreign Experts Building and an Asian man stared and me in awe. It was the first time I had looked nice in awhile so I did expect a positive reaction. Sweats and a T-shirt had become my primary attire the past couple of days… very different than my usual self. Regardless, the more confidence the better I thought, as I began my journey to the Primary school building.I was about twenty minutes early so I walked up the stairs towards the English Office. I met up with Grace who informed me she is already teaching English grammar to the 4th graders. I was basically there to encourage their speaking as she will be present in the class to bridge any communication barriers. I was relieved to hear she will be my helper, as I lacked knowledge of the Chinese language and was not sure of the speaking ability of the students. We walked to the class together as she assured me there was nothing to be nervous about… they will love me!

I stepped inside the classroom, placed my materials inside a wooden desk, and walked up to the chalkboard with my clicking heels. The students rushed into class and took their seats on their teeny wooden chairs. They were chattering all about until Grace yelled out to be quiet… or so I think… it was in Chinese…perhaps a threat that a lynching might follow if they continued talking. The students quieted down and  in a chorus said “Hello Teacher!” Cutest moment in the history of all moments… these little Chinese kids, with their tiny beady eyes, were all smiles…”Good Morning!” I said. “My name is Miss Alina. Can you say Good Morning??” Grace spoke in Chinese…. and later they repeated “Good Morning!” Can you say “Good Morning Miss Alina.” They repeated once again and stayed quiet. I then introduced myself and told them I am from America… they were in awe of me. I started passing around Chicago flyers and pics… they started talking and laughing amongst themselves… they saw the picture of my dogs, Zoey and Marley, and immediately cracked up. I was happy to see they were having a good time. I even progressed to making monkey sounds when I was explaining the Chicago flyer of Lincoln Zoo.

Once I passed around the pics I realized class got a little rowdy. Two boys in the front left row proved to be the founders of the rowdiness. Grace helped me quiet them down as they returned the pics and I explained to them making a name tent. I showed them mine… which said “Miss Alina” (with little stars, flowers, and an American flag sticker) and began passing around pieces of red construction paper… this was all Grace had provided me with. I guessed it went along with the political theme. I started walking around making sure everyone knew what was going as a swarm of children immediately surrounded me. They were saying “me you, me you.” I showed them other people’s name tents in hopes they would get the picture. They looked saddened as they still shouted “me you.” The rowdy boy from the front left said “no name, they have no name.” It clicked… I had heard “me you” before when I had asked for water and did not receive any… because they did not have any to provide… Aha! Some of the kids had English names from previous classes and some of them did not. I began naming them… one of them Travis… he was adorable… other ones Brad, Steve, Mike, and so on… the rowdy boy kept messing me up trying to trick me into naming them other people’s names within the class… I was a bit frustrated until I looked at his name tent…. Allison… ha ha ha!

I finished writing all the kids names and explained the activity in which they will practice saying my name is… i am from… and so on. I picked their partners and it quickly became apparent no one liked practicing with their partners… especially the boys with the girls… I then called them back to class with a special clap which they had to mimick.. I found it gets people’s attention much easier than yelling… no one wants to be the last one catching on to the clap rhythm… I then began calling each name in order to practice the statements I had put on the board… the first three did a good job and I gave them the candy I had brought… it was when they saw the candy that people began raising their hands so they could say the statements and win candy as well… it was no longer in order and some kids tried tricking me into calling on them twice so they could get two pieces of candy.. Allison of course! Taking advantage of an old lady’s memory… the bell rang and I was sad to find out three kids did not get to go…they barely noticed the sound of the bell… it was Grace who reminded me. I was happy to see they were having such a good time the bell received no reaction. As for the kids who did not get to have their turn… I gave them candy anyways… there is always next time.

After class I began heading back to my building as my students kept smiling and saying “Bye teacher!” They followed me as far as they could without leaving the school’s grounds and I felt much more relieved… the first day is over… with many more to come…

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