"Those who can, do; Those who can't, teach; Those who can't teach, teach English in China

Hmmmm... this quote is packed with a lot of "stuff"... You might wonder where I got this from, it was from a chat forum off the Internet. One of the sections was about why Americans go to China to teach. Turns out it is a hot topic because some feel that many Americans go to China for the wrong reasons. Reasons like: to travel, learn Chinese, to have a guaranteed job, to live at a higher living standard then the majority of the population (thus making some feel superior). I had never really thought about it before, but began to question if I was qualified to be a teacher and what qualifies a person to teach. Also, what are my reasons for going to China. Honestly, I'm more interested in meeting Chinese people and getting to know them, versus making sure they know their adverbs from their nouns. Also, I really want to learn the language, what better place then the country itself. Finally, I want to see China, and by living and working there I will have a better opportunity of seeing places the average tourist might not get to.

Having said all that, I do want to teach. Two generations before me have been teachers, so there must be a reason. I'm curious to know what joys there are to be had from teaching, and perhaps from children in general.

The discussion went on to talk about the high demand for English teachers because part of the opening up of China involves the push for the Chinese to learn English. While many want standards for teachers, right now it can't be regulated because of the demand and the high turn over rate; which leaves many employers having to find new teachers every year.

Something else was that some Chinese feel some Americans, men usually, have a negative influence on Chinese students. Some Americans are said to lead "loose" lives, dating and being with many young girls, going out routinely, starting classes later/ending classes early. For women there doesn't seem to be much talk about us being a negative influence, but I'm sure there are plenty of girls who probably act in the same manner as those guys do.

My Chinese teacher said, that even if a person knows how to speak English (or whichever language) doesn't mean they can teach it. She pointed out that some English speakers don't know about tenses, how they are used or how sentences are structured, or know the difference betwwen verbs and adjectives.... those kind of things. Most people just speak, we don't think about it. However, she feels that if a person is going to China to teach, it is okay if they have other motives, so long as one of those is to teach the Chinese English. Also, that the person be willing to do some homework of their own about the subject they will be teaching (for example culture) and learn about the culture they are going to in order to avoid miscommunications.

I agree, but I think there should be some type of teacher training either before they leave or right when they get to China, to at least help those who are not necessarily fully qualified to teach to be better teachers. What do you think?

Friends

The post prior to this is a song called "Friends" I thought it was funny, especially after our teacher made our class sing it at our party... in Chinese! Here are the lyrics.


These years, by myself/ I walked through wind and rain/ have cried and made mistakes/ still remember my stubbornness/ Once you have fallen in love, then you will understand/ will get lonely and look back/ There will be dreams and you will be in my heart/ Friends who go through life with you/ Those were the days/ One talk can be remembered for a life time/ One drink together can mean lasting friendship/ With friends, will never be lonely/ One call and you will know/ there is sadness and pain/ there is parting, but I am always there

周華健 - 朋友

Plaza de Toros - Bull fight in Granada

My Fav Place from Study Abroad 2005/2006

Venice was one of my favorite places I visited in Europe when I studied abroad. It was a little cold, but it was beautiful. I loved all the water and boats and small alleys. It was a very cozy feeling place. Of all the places I've seen in the world I would go back to Venice again. However, while I love my parents, I think next time I'd like to share it with someone special (in a different way than my wonderful parents)... hint hint Gary! :) I hear I was lucky because some people don't like Venice because of the smell, but that is usually because they visited in the middle of the summer months when all the heat makes things smell odd. I also got some of my top fave souvenirs here. I bought two masks, two water color drawings, and some Venetian glass. I have all of them out in my apartment and I love to look at them. I automatically feel better when I see them and remember my time in Venice with Mom and Dennis (not to mention I remember the slightly tight hotel room all three of us stayed in, talk about close quarters!).