Teaching at Dao Tian Middle School

I came to China to teach for many reasons. First and foremost， I wanted to explore teaching， but I also wanted to explore new cultures， travel and see what else the world had to offer outside of the U.S. During high school， I wrote a research paper on the differences between Chinese and American education systems and wanted to see for myself how Chinese students were like. As I said my tearful good-byes to my parents and I stepped through the airport security alone， not knowing what to expect. As a college sophomore， I was leaving behind my family， my friends and my education； travelling to a foreign country alone for the first time. As I write this article， it has been less than two months since I arrived in China and everything has been somewhat of a whirlwind. I do not speak the language and I am not very familiar with the culture. What I do have is a passion to learn and thus far I think my teaching has been more of an effort to share that passion with my students， rather than spoon-feed them the English language.

I remember the first day walking into Dao Tian Middle School. I was both terrified and excited to meet my students for the first time. Terrified that the students would write me off as an imposter. As soon as I walked into the classroom， the students started whispering to each other in Chinese. They were probably asking the same question， “Who is this Chinese girl and why is she teaching our class？” The school had promised them a real-life English teacher from America and they had anxiously been expecting someone to fit their perceived notion of the Western stereotype—tall， Caucasian and knowledgeable about all things concerning American football. As I explained to the class， my complicated mixed ethnic background， I was anxious that the students would mock me. The reactions from the students were exactly opposite of my expectations. My first day of teaching proved to be successful.

Teaching English in China has proven to be difficult. Teaching is especially challenging with an enormous language barrier. This working experience thus far has taught me to face challenges head on. I know I will never understand my students completely， but I can make them understand me through teaching. I have many more English classes to teach， many more dishes to try， many more people， places and things to visit and experience. When my alarm goes off now， there is no need for the snooze button because I wake up every day excited about the new possibilities. I am grateful to the wonderful teachers， students and staff at Dao Tian Middle School for helping me adapt to life in China. I also hope I can continue to learn and grow as a future educator and an individual at Dao Tian Middle School.

（Sunny曾經(jīng)是長沙市稻田中學(xué)聘請的美國外教）

我到中國教英語有多種原因，首要的原因是想嘗試一下教學(xué)，當然也想了解一種陌生的文化，走一走看一看美國之外的異域風(fēng)光。還在讀高中的時候，我就寫過一篇有關(guān)中美教育體制差異的小論文，并一直向往著有一天能到中國了解一下中國學(xué)生是什么樣的。當我含著眼淚向父母道別，獨自一人通過機場安檢區(qū)的時候，不知怎的，我的腦子里有些茫然，未來于我充滿了太多的未知。作為一個大二的學(xué)生，這還是我第一次離開家人、朋友，暫時擱下我未完的學(xué)業(yè)，來到中國。寫這篇文章的時候，我來到中國還不到兩個月，一切還沒理出個頭緒。我不會說中文，對中國文化也不太熟悉。我有的就是一股學(xué)習(xí)的熱情，我覺得我的教學(xué)更多的是在跟學(xué)生分享這種熱情，而不是填鴨式的灌輸。

還記得來到稻田中學(xué)的第一天，我既害怕，又激動，害怕的是學(xué)生們會不會把我看作一個冒牌貨。走進教室的那一刻，我看到學(xué)生們相互間竊竊私語，他們可能在問同一個問題：“為什么是個中國女孩呀？怎么是她來教我們呢？”后來我了解到，學(xué)校曾答應(yīng)給他們安排一個真正的美國外教，他們期盼著一個符合他們心目中對外教理想要求的人——一個身材高挑，皮膚白皙，知識淵博，連美式足球都了如指掌的人。在向他們介紹我自己復(fù)雜的混血家庭背景時，我很擔(dān)心學(xué)生們會嘲笑我，然而他們的反應(yīng)卻完全相反。我這第一天的教學(xué)算是成功了。

我感覺，在中國進行英語教學(xué)很不容易，因為語言的障礙，它對我就更有挑戰(zhàn)性。這種經(jīng)歷教會我直面挑戰(zhàn)。或許，我永遠也不會完全了解我的學(xué)生，但我會通過教學(xué)使學(xué)生們聽懂我。未來，還有很多課等我來上，還有很多美食等我品嘗，還有很多人、很多地方、很多事物等我探訪和體驗。此刻當我的鬧鐘響起時，沒有必要按下那小睡按鈕，因為每一天我都異常興奮，不知會出現(xiàn)什么新的驚喜。我感謝稻田友善的老師、學(xué)生、職員幫助我適應(yīng)中國的生活。我也希望能在稻田中學(xué)通過不斷的學(xué)習(xí)實踐而成長為一個成熟歷練的人、一個合格的教育工作者。