Thoughts from Summer Institute

Sorry I haven’t written in forever, SI is actually insane. There are so many things I want to cover in this post so I’m just going to break it down into a table of contents so you can pick and choose. Also note: I changed the URL, sorry! It's now teachingaub.blogspot.com.

Table of contents:

1. Teaching Rising-Ninth

2. Placement

3. Corporal Punishment

4. Racial Tensions

5. This Vegan Life

6. The Ethics of ‘Charity’ and the Language of the Oppressors

1. Teaching Rising-Ninth

Man I love my kids. I have 22 students going into their last year of middle school. All of the fellows are teaching summer school for three weeks before we go to placement. My kids are so well behaved and smart. Okay, maybe they averaged a 45% on the diagnostic exam, but when was the last time you had a long think about how crazy the present perfect is, or why ‘go’ becomes ‘went.’ Yeah, and now I’m left with the job of explaining that in Chinese. Obviously, knowing how to say the past progressive in Chinese is an extremely valuable life skill. 过去进行式. You’re welcome. But they’re fast learners; I think they can improve that average by over 10 points, though my official goal is only 5. And I really love teaching. When it goes well, I’m making kids stand up and do the robot, or they’re laughing at me for saying 地图ditu (map) instead of 土地tudi (land). The best moments aren’t when the highest-achieving kids eagerly raise their hand and get the right answer (although this also feels awesome), but when someone gets it wrong and you can walk them through it step by step.

2. Placement

A lot of the buzz these past few days has been about our placements, as in where we’ll be stranded for the next two years. Of course there is some discussion surrounding Yunnan versus Guangdong, but most are more concerned with WHO rather than where. As an introvert, I just want to be in the middle of nowhere with no people or pollution to bother me. I really like to be pushed out of the confines of “comfort” and into something more bizarre. For me to get the most out of this experience, I would have limited access to foreigners and the English language.

3. Corporal Punishment

The other day we had a slightly unnerving conversation about corporal punishment. Hitting kids is illegal in China, and we extend that to forbid anything that strips one of their dignity. However, local teachers may reluctantly hit students, principals may forbid it, or they may endorse use of a bamboo stick. You may be thinking, oh China, such a far cry from our humane Western world. Yet former Teach For America fellows divulged that though they may not have hit students themselves, they took problem kids to someone they knew would. I think I was more emotionally affected by the exploration of this gray area than others. “I can hardly get on my high horse and say I would never do that when I’ve never been in that situation” or “I can see how it becomes normalized within Chinese culture” or “what kind of ‘corporal punishment’ are we talking about? If it’s just a slap on the wrist….” I have to put my foot down. I will never hit a small child, a middle school student, or another human being. I will climb up on the highest of all horses and wave my non-violent flag, even if the brat spits in my face. I’m not bringing them to the guy with the big stick.

4. Racial Tensions

Obviously it’s weird being white here. We’re in a small town where lots of people may have never seen a foreigner before. There’s a lot of gawking, and some jovial hellos from small children. But can you imagine coming from across the globe to sacrifice your time and energy, only to be greeted with disappointment? Why you ask? You’re Asian American. You look just like us…. but you can’t even speak fluent Chinese. An Asian friend of mine was asked along with two other white, sixth-grade teachers if they would mind moving to another school. The grade had only gotten Chinese teachers and wanted at least one foreigner. My friend was silent. “Am I the ‘foreigner’ they’re looking for?” The answer: well um no, probably not… It’s just frustrating to watch situations like this develop.

5. This Vegan Life

I love the food here yet at the same time I’m constantly vexed over meat sneaking into just about anything. I was told that even 敬酒, a type of alcohol, includes ground antler. The other day I was eating out with a friend, and we made it super clear I was vegetarian. Out came the eggplant, greens, and lotus root—all looking amazing. As I was eating though, my stomach churned and I took a closer look. Everything was doused in butter. Pretty much felt like I was getting kicked in the stomach the rest of the day, but such is vegan life in China. Other times, I’m far too anal and end up eating rice noodles with hot water. Also so many bananas that I’ve become 猴子 or monkey to my roommates.

6. The Ethics of ‘Charity’ & the Language of the Oppressors

I apologize if this seems pretentious or overly ideological, but I have to get out my justification for being here. Since most of the fellows have received a liberal arts education, we’re often discussing what real ‘good’ we’re doing by teaching English. If we’re only teaching to a test, aren’t we just reinforcing an educational system that favors the richer urban population, rote memorization, and soul-crushing amounts of stress? By teaching English, aren’t we just further indoctrinating the world with Western culture? The only reason English is the global language is due to colonialism, no? What about the cultural capital of certain words? Why would we teach ‘video games’ (on the high school entrance exam) when these kids might not even have access to a computer? What real change can be affected in two short years? And lastly, if Teach For China’s goal was to be actuated and educational inequality was entirely erased, wouldn’t China (just like America) look for cheap labor elsewhere, thereby continuing said inequality? As I wrestle with these questions, I usually return to the idea of cross-cultural exchange. I think by being here, I am simultaneously learning about a different way of life, while also sharing that life with those of you across the globe. I may be teaching, but really I am the one learning about a different system of values. I may be teaching ‘English’ but what I really aim to do is instill a sense of self-confidence in my students. And though I disagree with the notion of ‘nation-states’, I hope I can be a face to that crazy America place. Because ultimately, I think everyone has something to learn from everyone else. Maybe you see China as a great big polluted tyrant, but try to remember America has huge problems, especially for being 150 years older.