From an email I sent to friends and family, dated October 11, 2006 (slightly adapted):

Jiaxing University Front Gate

It’s crazy for me to think that in the past five months I have gone from being a student of Latin America to a teacher in China. It is also the most empowering thing I have ever done. I did this simply by putting my mind to it, without any specialized training.

I love this picture because it brings together a game created in my home country (basketball) and an icon from my chosen field of study (Che Guevara) and the distinct pose so common in China (which would be called a peace sign in the US but means “victory” in China.)

It’s the sixth week of school now, and I am on my third round of lessons. I only see each group of students every other week, so I can use the same lesson plans sixteen times before having to come up with something new. I do vary it, though, because I get bored repeating exactly the same thing.

my students on the first day of school

My first week’s topic was ME. (Sounds conceited, but they were incredibly curious, and I stretched their questions into a full hour of role-play, in which they acted as me and my mother, wearing a hat and necklace I brought to represent these characters.)

My second week’s topic was LOVE. This is a country of sappy love songs and Hallmark Card imaginations. We discussed and contrasted song lyrics… once I convinced the students to open their mouths. In one class I played a song, asked the students what they thought of it, and waited for an answer. Silence. Finally I called on the most talkative student in the room and asked what he thought. “Excuse me, teacher. I want to know what you think first.” This is something that you could never get away with saying at Cal! Once I clarified that they could say the song was romantic, slow, fast, boring, interesting, etc. they started to talk a bit.

Neil Young’s “Love is a Rose” inspired the most interesting comments. I had my brightest classes write metaphors in response. One of my favorites was: “Love is a cup of tea. If you smell it then have it slowly, slowly you will taste its sweetness and you’ll be relax. You can smell its happiness…” (unedited, of course)

This week we’ve been discussing MONEY. I’ve been showing them American money and reading Shel Silverstein’s “Smart.” They love talking about money, but it is tough to start a substantial discussion because most of them are incredibly literal in their thinking. It’s not just that they are practicing a new language. They have never been encouraged to develop their own ideas. Of course, there are some exceptions. My favorite classes are my Math and Fashion Design students. (The above sample came from a Math student named Apple.) My theory is that these disciplines require more creative abilities than, say, Accounting or Chemistry. Also, my Math and Fashion students are mostly girls.

girls staying cool and pale in the sweaty summer heat

One of the most entertaining parts of teaching is taking roll, since the students’ English names are often hilarious: Banana, Wood, Fly, Drumdragon, Smile, Snoopy, Cookie, Orange (who always sits next to Apple—in at least 3 of my classes.)