Teacher-diplomat
It’s been a week of teaching now, and I can’t decide which of my seven classes I love most. From the first second of the first class, I have absolutely loved being in front of the students and working with them. For the first time in a long time, I feel that my daily life has an important purpose, one that is tangible – teach Chinese students English – and easily measurable, day to day. They’re desperate to learn, I’m eager to teach, let’s get after it.
On the first day of all my classes, we covered the basics. We started by standing up, doing shoulder shrugs, neck rolls, jumping jacks and toe-touches, concentrating on diaphragmic breathing the whole time. Then we wiggled our arms and practiced saying our first idiom: “We’re shaking out the kinks.” Then a deep breath, in and out, and back to the seats. I emphasized the importance of eating oatmeal in the morning
I passed around a sheet, on which each student listed Chinese name, in Pinyin (Romanized Chinese), and their English name. While it was circulating, I introduced myself: name, where I’m from, how I got to China, blah blah blah. Doing this was a real thrill, as it allowed me some perspective on my life so far. I came to realize how proud I am of Minnesota: the students ooh and aah when I tell them that there are gazillions of acres of forests and over 10,000 lakes, just in this one state!
Then, we talk about the Mississippi River. When I ask, “Where do you think this beautiful word comes from,” almost instantly comes the reply: “Indians!” I’ve read that Chinese students are well educated about the slaughter of American Indians and the slave trade, as both serve to diminish the U.S. Anyway, we practice spelling “Mississippi” ever faster, which the kids love as much as I did when I first learned it. Each class, we’ll speed up a bit.
When each student has signed the sheet, I say, “Do you have any questions.” Inevitably, the first few include: Do you know Kevin Garnett? Can you dunk? How tall are you? Do you have a girlfriend? (alternatively, Can you please tell us who is the most special person in your life?) In some classes, the questions go no deeper. However, a few classes got downright feisty, which made me glow with delight. Some examples:
“Teacher Daniel, you know when the U.S. shot down the Chinese plane four years ago, what do you think about that?”
“I do not know the details, but I want to apologize for this action. Sometimes, the U.S. government and military do not act with proper respect, and sometimes very unfortunate accidents occur.”
“Teacher Daniel, why would you leave a job as a journalist to come and teach us? Why do you come to Zhuzhou, instead of a big, famous city like Beijing or Shanghai?”
“I came to China because many of my friends have taught in China and made me very jealous of their experience. They loved their time here, and they suggested that I come, too. I have decided to teach here in Zhuzhou primarily because this university offered me a teaching job. However, I think that it’s important to be in a developing part of China, instead of a more developed city like Beijing or Shanghai. Here is where the Chinese customs and culture are more authentic, and I want to experience this.”
“Teacher Daniel, what do think of the Bushes?”
“I think they are very beautiful, just like all the greenery on this wonderful campus.”
“I mean, what do you think about the president of your country?”
“I did not vote for him and I do not support his policies. However, because he is the president, I respect his authority. I think that, often, he is not very good at communicating with the rest of the world. His intentions are better than most people realize, but his tone is very upsetting. I understand why people in different countries do not trust him.”
“Teacher Daniel, what does your family think about you coming to China?”
“My parents, like all parents, are a little bit worried for my safety. If you think about your parents, they may worry about you if you went to America, too. But I tell them often about how special my experiences are in China, and I think they are starting to understand why I came here. In fact, they may even visit me! The rest of my family is very interested to learn more about China, and I am eager to tell them about it.”
“Teacher Daniel, can you tell me what are the main differences between American students and Chinese students?”
“Chinese students are smarter and better-looking. Just kidding, of course. It is hard for me to know, because I am just starting with Chinese students. I think that Chinese students and American students are both eager to learn and both very curious. Those qualities are in every student, everywhere.”
“When you are about to interview someone as a journalist, how do you feel?”
“I feel frightened! It is very difficult to approach a stranger – someone I have never met – and ask the person very private questions. I can feel sweat starting to pour down my face, but I take a deep breath, say a prayer and begin asking questions.”
“You have told us that there are many exciting times as a journalist. But, there must be sad times, too. How do you deal with sad times?”
“I go for a run if I am feeling very tense or sad. It allows me to escape into my own thoughts and be with nature.”
“Teacher Daniel, do you think that Taiwan is a Chinese province?”
“That is a question I’m not qualified to answer, because I do not know the history well enough. Do you think Taiwan is a Chinese province?”
“Yes, it is a Chinese province. I believe that for over 1,000 years, Taiwan has been a Chinese province.”
“Teacher Daniel, do you consider yourself a cool man or an impulsive man?”
“Say what?”
After the barrage of questions, I go around the room and attempt to pronounce each student’s name. Of course, I butcher the Chinese version terribly, and they roar with laughter. This has a purpose: to model making mistakes, but continuing to speak anyway until I get it right. Of course, this willingness to sound like a buffoon, but keep talking anyway, is essential to the students learning English.
The English names they’ve chosen range from the conventional – Susan, Connie, Kevin, Jason – to the seasonal – Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer – to the natural – Flora, Water, Daffodil, Lily – to adjectives – Breezy, Windy, Sunny, Shiny – to the patently absurd – Procson, as in People’s Republic of China son.
Many students did not have names, and asked me to choose them. So, there are Turbo and Ozone (from the movie “Breakin”), Patty, Michelle, Stephanie, Monica and Diane (from my family), Spud and Muggsy (as in Spud Webb and Muggsy Bogues), and, the two hooligans in the back row, of course, are Brad and Joey. My only regret was that I couldn’t bear to name anyone “Kirby.” Unfortunately, this name now conjures an image of a doughboy being led into a courtroom, instead of a superhero scaling center-field fences to save the day. What a bad waste of a great life – and name!
The students have a delightful innocence about them. Part of this, I’m sure, comes from my classes being 90 percent female. Even when asking hardball questions, the students have the most innocent, schoolgirl tone of voice. I passed out a list of rules and expectations to each class, and the room fell silent. Each student read it, silently, beginning to end, not one eye looking up for over five minutes. When I asked for volunteers to read each rule in front of the class, hands shot skyward. After each kid read a rule, the rest of the students applauded.
In addition, the students respect their teachers unconditionally, and do their homework. Because the students are packed like sardines into their dorms – most first-year students have 15 roommates, one toilet and no phone – they must go to the classrooms to study. Every night, the classroom buildings are packed with students, and not a sound for hours, despite the presence of thousands of undergraduates, at night! Unbelievable.
I’m also encouraged by the honesty in their questions. Obviously, they have many, many questions about life in America and life as an American. For almost all of them, I am the first American they’ve ever met. Hearing their questions gave me a better defined sense of purpose here. I am here to teach English, of course. But, I’m also here to give them an idea about the character and ideals of America, to show them, I hope, that not all Americans are arrogant, ignorant, war-mongering thugs. Perhaps, they will learn not to miss the American forest for the Bushes.
