Achievement Unlocked: Shell Cracking

These past weeks has been incredible. I’ve traveled to famous places, gotten to know some really cool people who I hope to continue being friends with when I leave here, and learned a ton about teaching and about my students. I feel incredibly blessed to have been afforded this opportunity to come here and teach, grow, and learn about the world through this amazing adventure.

As I begin my 7th week teaching/8th week in China, I want to pause for a moment and spin a story or two about my students – no real names included as stated on here. While the title suggests food (yep, still obsessed with pistachios even though they’re expensive), this is more about cracking the shells around my students and getting them to open up to me a bit, seeing their personalities once they get past the whole “not talking/I can’t speak her language so why bother” thing.

My students have been especially entertaining, and it has been an absolute delight learning about them and trying to push them to learn more English as well as learn about life in general. There are a few experiences that strike me as memorable victories in my first teaching job thus far; the following are about my shy kids and those moments when I have been graced with seeing a bit beyond that shyness.

1. My first week or so of teaching was fun, learning about each of my students and getting rid of those first-day butterflies that I’ve been told will ALWAYS happen (I miss my classes with Professor Christensen…). I had seven at this time, but even with such a small number it was – and still is – a wide range of personalities. I was able to get a few of my kids talking to me, but the quiet ones would barely say two words to me, even with some students knowing more than she let on.
   It took a few days, but eventually I got the idea to make them the teachers. It started out with me quizzing the boy I got to give his English name to on his colors at recess to see what he knew, and having him teach me the Chinese word for it to make the connection in his brain. I tried it out again in class, this time with body parts (eyes, ears, nose, mouth), and he said the longest sentence and said the most words that I’d ever heard from him before. It started something, though, since soon enough all of my kids – including my shy ones who NEVER speak – were bringing me things like books and glasses and pulling me around the room to point at different things to teach me the Chinese and learn the English version of it.
   That was the first moment that I truly felt like I belonged here. Making connections like that with them, watching the light bulbs go on, is why I wanted to get into this profession, and it’s been glorious thus far. (Note: I still quiz that one student on his colors and body parts randomly, and he’s slowly remembering them and gets super excited when he gets one of them right. It’s adorable.)
2. My second “shell crack” happened with the quietest kid in my class, as well as one of the ones who can’t speak English very well. He’s obsessed with Naruto, an anime that I watched a few years ago and loved (I believe it finally ended, actually). Pencil cases, pencils, manga books, and a huge “fan book” continue to show up in my class, and whenever he gets the chance to draw something 9/10 times it’s going to be something from the show. The second week I was here, I noticed his ability to draw the characters and freaked out a bit, thinking that I could get him to talk to me at least about something that he loves. I asked if he could draw me a picture of the characters sometime, before I leave, so he could practice the characters for a while, but he seemed to have no real reaction to this. I thought I had failed.
   Until the next day I was handed a picture of the beasts in the show, almost fully colored, and signed “Thak You” in his best handwriting. Lynn translated a message that his Mom sent me on We-Chat (Chinese messenger app), saying that he had come home freaking out that “someone finally knew what Naruto was, and his American teacher besides!” and that she is “so happy that someone was able to connect with him, and hopes that we can work together to bring up his English level”.
   The picture is hanging in my room right now, and before I leave I’m going to see if I can get another one with the actual characters of the show since he’s even better at drawing them. Ever since then, he’s seemed to listen to me more, and does the homework without much prompting any more. I call that a victory.
   I love my job.

   

   This is the picture that one of my quiet ones drew for me of the Tailed Beasts of Naruto. Please note the bottom right corner of people cowering in flames and fear at the sight of the tailed beasts.

There are plenty of other stories to share, which I will eventually, but these are things that I am quite proud of so far. I’m looking forward to guiding these students to their own success, and seeing what hilarious experiences happen along the way!

Do you have a memory where a teacher helped someone come out of their shyness, either a friend or even yourself? Especially being a new teacher, I’m a sponge for knowledge on everything related to teaching including trying to bring different personalities out, not to mention I love hearing stories about people in general. Feel free to comment below!