A Teacher’s Heaven?

Teaching in China has been a terrific experience.  I have heard other foreign teachers say that China is a teacher’s heaven.  At first I snickered at these comments but I understand it now.  The students here in China are lovely.  The experience of teaching here is a beautiful challenge with so much room to make a contribution.

I think the stereotype about Chinese students is that they are hyper-disciplined and obedient to a fault.  This stereotype really presents a dehumanized image of Chinese students.  I think the culture of education in China is definitely more formal, more structured.  It has to be when K-12 teachers have classrooms of 50-60 students.  At the university where I teach, I have 40 students in a classroom that is only big enough to fit 40 students in 5 rows of bolted down wooden desks.  There is a blackboard and a podium for me – that’s it.  The teacher stands, students sit.

Part of the formality in Chinese classrooms is efficiency of time, space and classroom management.  Another part of it is respect. Teachers are highly respected here.  I would say that Chinese culture places a high value on knowledge.  Thus teachers are revered as individuals who have studied diligently to master an academic or intellectual content area and impart their knowledge to others as a kind of service to the nation. This is different from the anti-intellectualism pervasive in the U.S. and the patronization of teachers.  In China, it appears that what teachers lack in salary, is compensated by the admiration and adoration they receive from their students and other community members.  Teacher’s Day is a widely celebrated national holiday, one of the few days off work.

If I ever felt un-/under- appreciated as a teacher in the U.S. Chinese students have more than made up for it.  Most of the time, most of the students seem to really concentrate on what I am teaching them.  I think they realize that as a native English speaker I can unlock some of the mystery of pronunciation, rules of grammar and authentic use of the language.  I swear there are times when I look at them and they are not blinking!  Of course there are times like today when I reprimand them for talking during their classmates’ presentations.  One reason why they do this is because the traditional view is that the teacher has the knowledge not the students.  Therefore listening to fellow classmates cannot be an educational experience. It’s a natural extension of traditional teaching styles.

After class students will ask to talk to me, meet with me, and study with me.  They want to improve their English. Chinese students on my campus are very earnest about that.  Students from other classes want to meet with me to improve their English. Their friends in neighboring cities have called me to talk to improve their English.  As a foreign teacher from America, I am an opportunity for Chinese students to learn the intricacies of the English language.  I try to be as available as I can for that. The way I see it is that we only have two years together – let’s work!!

Students constantly express care, affection and interest.  For example, it is very cold in northwest china and growing colder every day now.  So students often tell me “Miss Deanna, it is getting cold, wear more clothes.”  They say this without me mentioning the weather and even if I am wearing a puffy down coat with all the winter fixin’s (scarf, hat and gloves).  I have come to see it as a way to say goodbye or more like Americans might say “take care.”  My students say,” wear more clothes.” Or “eat some delicious foods!”  It is very sweet.

Now that I am less busy with classes, students want to eat lunch with me in the canteen.  The canteen is really a series of three buildings that house cafeterias.  This is no jello, hamburger or hot dog kind of joint.  This food is made to order. It is fast, but it is good, fresh and made by one of many lightening fast cooks in the enormous kitchen.

Canteen 1

The third canteen is a Muslim place so the food is prepared appropriately and the regional specialty beef noodles is served.  You can watch them stirring the beefy stock in a gigantic vat and whipping the fresh made dough through the air, into thin strands of noodle just before tossing them into the soup. It’s amazing!

When I go to lunch with students it’s a great time because we can talk about all those things that we don’t have time for in the classroom: do you have brothers and sisters? What is your dream job? Where would you want to live? Since we spend so much time talking at lunch, the students begin to worry that I am not eating enough. So as I speak they are gingerly placing choice pieces of meat and vegetables on top of my bowl of rice.  They watch to see if I know how to use chopsticks (I do).  They wonder if I like the food. Is it enough food?  Is it too spicy? Is it enough? Do I mind them placing food in my bowl?  I think it is one of the sweetest gestures I have ever experienced! I love it.  It’s the idea that someone cares so much about you that before they put food in their own mouths they offer it to you.  What an incredibly loving gesture.  Besides that they ordered so many dishes my arms are not long enough to reach across the table to try the suantai rou.  Even with chopsticks I’d be lucky to bring back a single garlic stem. I need the help.

This afternoon I coached two students on their pronunciation. Afterwards, Jack encouraged me to call him when I have free time so that he can cook dinner for me and five students.  What a great idea! I got really excited about it.  Then he added, ”We know you are far from home and we worry that you will get lonely. ”  That evening I was thinking to myself, these students are seriously paying attention to my well-being.  I promise you all I am not sulking around here.  They are just very sensitive to the position I am in, far from the things that they value – like family, layers of clothes and foods I might find delicious.  They want me to be healthy, happy and have an overall great experience of China.

I adore my students and cherish them.  They often appeal to me to lean on them, to call them if I need any help.  They make me feel so loved, I wish every teacher who feels defeated, deflated, exhausted, cynical and depressed could come here. They would be restored so fast!  In turn, I try to offer myself to students as someone they can be proud of. Someone they can talk to. Someone who will gently coax them out of their shyness and more towards their own voice.  I think I’m some kind of English Language leader! It’s a new role but I take it on whole-heartedly. English can be a powerful tool for students as they prepare to take their place in both Chinese society and the global community.  Jia You! Come on! Let’s do this!

I do want to say this…my work with students of color at the University of Utah and with Southeast High School students really prepared me to take on this role among Chinese students.  They brought me to many insights as to the kind of adult leadership that young adult students need and long for.  They taught me how to catch hell from students and how to protect them from harm.  They taught me that laughter is often the gateway to respect.  And that honesty is the only way to build trust and affection.

So Big Up!! to all the students in my life, past and present. Thanks for helping me prepare for this terrific experience.  You’re the best!

JUST LAST NIGHT…  A group of students called me yesterday afternoon. They were nervous about their assignment to prepare a 20-minute teaching lesson for their methods class.  They asked if I could meet them in the evening and give them some suggestions.  We workshopped and practiced together until 9:30pm. So as we were leaving the students tell me,”It’s very cold. wear more clothes now.”

There is not a lot of lighting on our tiny campus so I brought my flashlight with me.  When the students saw it they asked,” Are you afraid of the dark? We can accompany you home.”  I assured them I was not scared of the dark and would be a-ok walking home.

So, all nine of us began to walk out of the building. Upon exiting, we immediately merge with scores of other students who had been studying all evening also.  When class is not in session, the classrooms are always occupied by students studying quietly for hours. On cold days the sunniest seats are filled first.

The students’ dorm is to the left and my apartment is to the right. I wave good bye and take my turn. Then I see that all eight of the students are following me like a shadow.  ”You’re going to walk me home?” Of course they are!  I laugh and we all scoot along on the ice and snow. We talked about how you have to be who you are when you teach rather than mimic some other teacher you admire. Lucy was emphatic that there really are camels in her hometown Wuwei – I was surprised. We shared our plans for the upcoming Winter Holiday. Then suddenly we were all standing in front of my apartment building.  Lucky Star announces,” Miss Deanna, you have arrived.”

“You’re right, Lucky Star,” I say, “I have arrived.”

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