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Tseng, Jessica ()
Ever since I was young, I have always wanted to become a teacher. When I first got the email that I have gotten into AID, I was excited yet nervous at the same time. I was eager to meet and make new friends around Taiwan and around the world. However, since I have yet to teach a large class of people, I was worried that I may not be able to do a good job.
The reason I wanted to teach English in Taiwan was because I enjoy teaching and passing other people my knowledge. When I reached to Taiwan, I have made many friends and learned varies teaching methods in Chien Tan community center. Training week at Jian Tan was a great way to know the team members. Everyday was quite exhausting. Working with seven different, but unique people, I find out everyone had different ideas and point of views. This caused some hassles at the beginning. Even though there were some arguments, but we were able to pull it through and work out the problems in the end.
After we worked and planned out the teaching plan for the students, I feel it helped us alot in teaching the students in the future. The planning we did gave us guidelines and ideas, which later on helped and allowed us to provide better teaching methods for the students. Learning to work and build team work with complete strangers from around the world, I learned how to communicate and work as a team. We learned varies type of English games to use for teaching. I attempted to think back as a child on how I felt when I first start learning new things. To be a good teacher, I believe the teacher needs to understand what children needs and know how they feel.
After the training, our group was excited to go to Bei Pou high school in Hsin Chu. Bei Pou, Hsin Chu was a foreign place to us. We were all nervous and excited to see what our students and the environment is like. The foster family, staff, teachers’ assistant, principal, and students treated us with respect and they did their best attempt to accommodate our needs as best as they could. All of us worked hard and prepared for the materials before class. Through each difficulties we encountered during our teaching, we learned our faults and improved so the next teaching materials and ways of explaining are more suitable for the students. We explained slower, and simpler. We also used a lot of body language to communicate with the students.
My new friends and I taught and learned many unforgettable things for this past month. Even though the students were a bit shy at the beginning and did not go as planned, many of them later get closed to us and treated us as their friends. We all have personally made some unforgettable memories, family, and friends in Taiwan. To me, Taiwan is like a second home.
ps. just hope the WIFI and the food could be better.
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Hao, Audrey (郝翊彤)
AID SUMMER REFLECTION
When I first knew that I would be experiencing one of the most unique summers of my life, I was ecstatic, nervous, and most importantly, impatient for the upcoming summer. When I first arrived at Chientan youth activity and met the other girls that would constitute my teaching group, I felt as if all five of us clicked automatically. It was if the people who enforced the camaraderie were expert matchmakers who knew how to balance personalities and ensure that though we came from opposite backgrounds we still had enough in common to ensure that we had enough conversation for the four weeks to come.
During teaching week, we were exposed to all sorts of new ideas and games to pass on to our kids that we would be teaching, and I had the chance to see how 450-ish people could fit inside one dining room three times a day for a week. We had lectures daily, and various experienced teachers came to teach us their methods culmulated from numerous years of hands-on teaching with elementary school students and their quirks, We learnt games, chants, activities, and tips over the course of the training week, and were taught the Taiwanese dialect to understand the struggles of learning a new language. Then, our teacher/mentor would guide us to sculpt and mold the perfect lesson plan tailored towards the students of the school we were assigned to. We got into teaching pairs and began prepping for the two weeks with our kids, and before we knew it, training week was over and we were thrown into the waters to teach on our own.
On the train ride to Hualien, we saw fields over fields of farmland and various stretches of shoreline interchange every kilometer or so. Our teacher pointed out various landmarks and townships that we passed by, and I was intrigued by the ever changing landscape that was so different from the usual Taiwan I know, the metropolis that is Taipei City. When our train reached the station, we were welcomed by a warm gush of air and vendors calling out in Hakka their fresh fruits and vegetables that were proudly displayed in stalls around the station. That night, we were treated to a delicious Japanese dinner with fried rice rolls and decadent tempura.
Then, it was time for the actual teaching. My first day was filled with lively laughter from the 16 boys and 2 girls that made up the composition of my class, stomach butterflies from my fear of messing up on the very first day, chalk stains on my arms, and gushes of accomplishment as my partner Coleen and I straightened the desks at 3:40pm after our last student went home. Our students were at once more and less stellar than we had planned for. For one, many of them had a lot more vocabulary under their sleeves, and had relatively correct pronunciation. However, many of them were restless and enjoyed running around the classroom and watching slightly inappropriate videos on youtube (The first thing a student said to me as I walked in was “Teacher can you tether your wifi hotspot to me?). As usual, some students were more ready to learn than others, and some were more comfortable with participating in classroom activities than others. One of the girls in my class was so uncomfortable with talking she had difficulty making friends even after a week, though one of my boys had us repeat 15 pages of English boy names before he decided one was not too bad. My students had difficulty talking in English for the entire duration of the class in the beginning, and I figured that they were uncomfortable and not used to speaking the language for long periods of time. However, after at the end of the two weeks 80% of our students were finally able to speak English without being prompted by the teacher.
We learned as much as the students did over the course of two weeks. We learnt the valuable skill of stretching lesson plans when activities and lessons finished far earlier than planned, and mastered the intricate balance of being the students’ teacher and friend. Since we were only 5 or so years older than the majority of our students, it was at times hard to have the kids respect us as teachers and prevent them from crossing the line joking around with us. I was faced with choices every second- let it go or be stern with a naughty child, correct a kid’s near-perfect pronunciation or not, and when to let a child joke about you (I let it slide only on the last few days).
The people, the sights, the experience, the knowledge, the food, and most importantly, the love that made up AID will make this experience invaluable and irreplaceable.
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Lee, Rachel (李承軒)
These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of experiences that I could not have imagined. To be completely honest, the first day was so incredibly awkward. I did not know anyone going into aid so I was on my own, but thanks to my teammates messaging me beforehand, things picked up so fast because we had a somewhat vague idea of who we all were. Your team will be the people you spend 90% of your time with, and in my case I was lucky to be put with an amazing group of people. I am proud to say that I was a member of team A 3-3 of 2014, we were probably the most energetic of the bunch, but definitely the closest group of this year. During the first week at chientan, some of the lectures were definitely better than others, but in general it was a really crucial week for bonding with others. The most rewarding part of this trip is definitely the two weeks of teaching at your designated school. Within the first few days I fell in love with the friendly staff at my school, the fresh air (with a little hint of chicken poop), the beautiful surroundings, but most importantly, the kids in my class. They were so smart, that we had to step up our teaching game, and by the end of my first day, the students were dragging me out of my classroom to play with them. On the last day, we it got cards from our kids and I cried buckets when they handed them to me. There was a typhoon that got my school during our stay so we missed a day of class and they asked for an extra make up day. That's when I knew that they kids were really enjoying their time with me and I felt very satisfied. My personal favourite part is the people I met on this trip, we became a little family and I recently realized how lucky we were to have each other. The harsh reality is that you will meet a lot of people on this trip that you will most likely never see again because we are all from different parts of the world but I feel humbled and blessed to have been given this life changing experience.
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Lee, John (李金翰)
I first heard about this AID program through a good family friend who just happened to participate in this program last year. A lot of good comments were said about this program and they would highly recommend it. So, I decided to apply for it because I had nothing to lose. The application process was vigorous and tedious. It incorporated numerous aspects that tested to see if I was a qualified well rounded individual. Moreover, it was almost impossible to navigate throughout the application on the website. All the struggles made the acceptance into the program more valuable and unique. When I first received the acceptance I was beyond excited as I thought I was not qualified to be into the program. Above all, I was super excited to meet all of the super qualified and talented individuals from across the world.
Before the visit, I knew this experience would be a one in a lifetime. I have visited Taiwan numerous times in the past, mostly during summer time but this time it serves a different purpose. In the past, Taiwan was a nice vacation home in the summer and I would visit relatives here. It feels good to visit my family roots and immerse myself within the Taiwanese culture that my parents grew up in when they were small. However, I have never spent time in Taiwan with individuals like me; individuals who grew up elsewhere that had family roots in Asia. I was excited and nervous at the same time but I was eager to meet these people.
During our first week of the program we stayed at Jian Tan Youth Centre to serve in the training before we disperse off across the disadvantaged areas of Taiwan to serve and teach English. The lectures were mostly common sense but I am glad that I got to hangout and chill with our teaching mates during the first week as well as meeting new volunteers that were teaching at different areas. Although, having Taiwanese English teachers to run workshops opened up new activities and teaching methods that we could incorporate into our teaching plans. Moreover, it allowed us to figure out what we could do differently to make the learning experience more enjoyable for the kids.
With a laid out teaching plan and an open mind all of us volunteers were sent off to different rural areas across Taiwan. I was pretty sure that no one felt ready to teach when they left Jian Tan. This taught me that you will never feel fully prepared for anything in life, but you can choose to make the best out of it and how you react to your given situation. I chose to be optimistic and go with the flow and I am glad I made that decision. The kids were all so adorable and we were like their future idols. During the teaching period we added a lot of activities that encouraged kids to learn vocabulary and they remembered a good portion of it. Two weeks was definitely not enough for the kids to improve their English skills, but I felt that we have lighted their inner desire to learn English. Being in the middle of the nowhere, and somewhat isolated from technology and civilization allowed me to appreciate the little things in life. I learned to wake up earlier every day to exercise. I learned to be grateful of what I have and how I could live without technology. Most importantly, by letting go of my emotions I thoroughly enjoyed everything more.
Lastly, it has been a great tour of Taiwan thus far. This whole experience has been surreal. This has definitely been a life changing experience and I would encourage everyone brave enough to hop on this ride of your ride
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Yang, Emily (楊祉軒)
When I first arrived at ChienTan, I had no idea what to expect. I taught Mandarin and swimming back in Vancouver, but teaching English to students who barely knew the language was nerve-wracking to say the least. I’ve talked to 2 other Canadians before coming, but when I walked through the door, all I saw was a sea of strangers that looked like they were already all friends.
The training week was both fun, yet super draining. Sitting through three blocks of 3 hours of lessons, separated by meals, was exhausting both physically and mentally. Especially when my partner didn’t really do anything. I was the one who had to do our Weekly Plans and our Daily Journals, staying up until 11pm or 12am every night. Our teacher and counselor was very helpful and even stayed with me and helped me with ideas, which was a very big help. If they hadn’t, I probably would have pulled several all-nighters.
Getting to our school, I was hit by another chain of surprises. The six of us AIDers had the dorm all to ourselves, with no adult there for the first two nights. It made us bond very well as we did everything together. Every room was air conditioned, which I am super grateful for. However, the house was very dusty and had several dead bugs lying around. We also encountered more than a few cockroaches on the first floor, me personally having to kill one for a male friend. It was exciting but disgusting at the same time. It was very exhilarating, to be honest. We lived on the mountain and the mountain mosquitos were SO MASSIVE that they DID NOT fit through our electric mosquito catcher. They were the size of a pinky nail cut in half, hot dog way.
When our first day of teaching came around, my students were all very well behaved. They understand NO ENGLISH AT ALL. My partner and I ended up speaking in mostly Mandarin because they all sat there is a confused silence, even when we were asking very simple questions. The kids were very cute and kept wanting to know more about Canada. My partner used to live in my city before he moved to a different province.
There was a typhoon half way though our teaching experience and they drove us down the mountain. I was very disappointed because there was not much rain. We went shopping in the city though. It was nice to get to see a change in scenery and people after being on the mountain for so long.
The tour week has been fun so far. All the rules have been stressing me out though. We went somewhere and it suddenly started raining very hard and my runners were soaked through. I wanted to change into sandals but the gray shirt people didn’t allow me. They forced me to walk around in soggy shoes and told me to just buy a new pair. Problem is, I have big feet and can never find shoes in Taiwan (size 10). They then told me to buy men’s shoes. I’m not going to spend $1000NT on shoes that I’ll never wear again. That’s the biggest waste of money I’ve ever heard. It’s not like I’m never wearing runners again. I just want to wear dry shoes. After being with the same group of people for so long, some of them are also getting on my nerve. I say a few words differently than them because I’m Canadian and they’re American. Every single time I say something, they proceed to mock me. It’s actually stupid because English originated from England and Canadian English is closer to British English…
Overall, this experience has helped me gain confidence in myself and what I’m capable of accomplishing. The kids all loved us dearly and try to talk to me on Facebook every night. I’ve also met a lot of people that I’ll be sure to keep in touch with, once we all return to our originating country and province/state. I’m very glad AID chose me and gave me this chance to show my passion of teaching and interacting with kids, and also to meet so many wonderful people.
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Chang, Matthew (張哲維 )
The first day at Chien Tan was a bit odd. I have already been in Taiwan for two weeks and I have never been happier to speak English with high school students. In a way, I feel like I belong here even though it was the first time I have ever met these people. In addition, I have never been away from my parents for this long in my life so even with all these strict rules, I felt that I have more freedom and choices in my life. Another odd experience was the long, tedious lecture. I felt that only a handful of them were actually useful. Most of which are actually common sense. Maybe it was because I already had experience teaching at a learning center. Nevertheless, my closely bonded friends felt the same way. The most important thing that I got out of the first week was getting
The second and third week were similar in that they were both teaching weeks. However, they felt very different in the way that the second week felt like an eye-opening experience and the third week felt like a very intimate week. The second week was an eye-opening experience in a way that I soon found out how it felt to live in an impoverished environment. I felt pity for the kids as I realized that I could have easily been one of these kids if it weren’t for my parents. I just started to get to know the small community and the underprivileged children. Now, I finally understood why people kept telling me that every kid will love me. It was because I had what they wanted and they looked up to what they could have become if they were in a better growing up environment. This gave me an even bigger reason to help them understand the importance of learning English and education in general so that one day they can get an adequate job and travel to different countries to experience a better living environment.
The third week felt very intimate and close because all the students and TAs were closely bonded with me. The students were no longer and shy. Therefore, they were more inclined to get to know me and participate in class. I took the opportunity to start conversations in English and used this time period to inspire them into learning and strive for more than their initial goals. In the same respect as students were looking up to me, I was looking up towards my TAs. We all slept in the same room and we really got to bond with each other for the last week. After the lessons, they would work out and play sports with us. It would often be followed by dinner and the rest of the night would end with movies, video games, riddles, tetris and really deep, sometimes controversial, conversations about anything. What was most amusing to me was that one of the TAs followed a similar path towards where I was heading and it was as if I could see my future from looking at his past. In the final days of my time at Fu Guang, my students teared up and I might have too but I keep reminding myself to be happy that it happened and not sad that it’s over.
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Lin, Mandy (林孟昀)
This past month spent at AID Summer was an experience to remember, to cherish, and to share. Upon arriving at Jientan, I was both nervous yet excited as I did not know what to expect for the next few weeks. Luckily, everyone was extremely welcoming which immediately eased my initial uneasiness. For the first week of training, we had to sit through presentations and lectures that ended up being extremely helpful during the two teaching weeks. We were being taught ways to control classes as well as ideas to make your teaching fun for the students. The two weeks of teaching were definitely the best times. The school I was assigned to organized our teaching schedule differently from the others. Instead of teaching students in schools, we were given the opportunity to teach at various aboriginal villages along the east coast: Hualien and Taitung. Even though the car rides getting to and fro the villages were long and excessive; seeing the students enthusiasm towards learning English make it all worthwhile. Every time we head down to our next stop, my head would be filled with curiosity as to what the students would be like at the new place. Arriving at the villages welcomed by dozens of gleaming smiles always reassured that this experience will be one unforgettable journey. We ended up visiting four various indigenous villages. Each and every one represented different tribes in Taiwan. Teaching at our first village, the children, between ages of four to eight, were extremely hyper so we had a difficult time getting their attention for the lessons. Despite that, students were extremely hard working voluntarily taking notes of what we had taught them. This goes to show their eagerness towards learning English and in turn motivated us to utilize the few short days that we had with them to open up their minds to an unfamiliar language and eliminate their fear towards it. At one village we stayed at, they invited us to attend their annual Xiao mi festival. As we arrived, we were awed by the sea of aboriginals wearing their colourful traditional attire dancing in a huge circle formation along with the customary music. Attending and being involved in the festival was a unique way to dive into the cultures of the Aboriginals. The children there were definitely a joyful bunch. Even though we were only able to interact with them for one morning, their radiating enthusiasm to participate and be involved with the games and songs we play and teach them so that there was never a dull moment throughout the duration of the teaching. The biggest thing I noticed from teaching at the villages was that aboriginal children are full of energy and life, which made the teaching exceptionally exciting and lively. The past month flew by in a flash; it seemed like just yesterday that I just heard about this program, and now it has come to an end. Every moment spent during the past weeks was unforgettable. Extraordinary friends and amazing memories were made along the way and I could not be more thankful for AID Summer for giving me one memorable summer.
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Wang, Tina (王愷婷)
Post Reflection Tina Wang
I walked into Chientan Youth Centre in hopes to learn and to gain experience from teaching English in Taiwan; however, this month has been nothing but an exhilarating period from which I have grown not just in teaching aspects, but also in social and knowledge aspects. My first week at Chientan took me a long time to get used to, and I swore to myself that this was the worst decision of my life, but as everyday goes on, it gradually turned into maybe the best decision and the best “surprise” of my life.
With the cruel, harsh, and forbidding regulations that we volunteers have to follow, I despised the first few days at Chientan. It was horrible. Everything we do is restricted and we could not do anything without a threat or a punishment. Certain lecturers were rude and condescending and have no right to be standing in front of us and to waste our time. As I got together with my teammates for our school, despite being known as numbers and categories, I slowly start to get to know the four girls in my room as well as the other four boys in my group. With endless hours of group practice and work time, we bonded extremely quickly. Ignoring the horrible living conditions, we as a group have made this week pass by very past and smoothly.
In school, we met the most amazing Teaching Assistant to live with us and we had an amazing time together whether it’s the first few days in the homestay’s house, or the remaining days at the school in which we moved. Words are unable to describe the fun we have had during the two weeks at school. We got to know all six TAs and we got to know each other so much better as well. The teaching was also memorable. I had an amazing partner with whom I taught an amazing class of nine middle school kids. The teaching gave me all the “experience” I was looking for, but like I said, the social skills and knowledge I received from the eight of us was priceless.
Working together and brainstorming the work and plans for the next classes was great and not at all tiring. We stayed in our office at night eating dinner while preparing the materials for all the classes. Many times, after finishing our work, we either played Tetris battle until 2 AM or watched League on a huge projector after midnight, or even watching a horror movie in the middle of a typhoon. Whether it’s going out together to eat dinner and to get eaten by mosquitos, or buying all kinds of food at 7-11, our time together was indescribable.
The past month passed by incredibly fast, so fast that I am just realizing now as I write this that I have one last night left with all my teammates. I don’t know how to express how much I have enjoyed this trip with their company, and I hope that they understand how much I appreciate being part of their incredible group. Even though this is a post-reflection on my teaching, which I have learned a whole lot from, I focus on our relationship as a team with the TAs because I feel like that is what will stick with me the most and that is what will be the most painful to look back to when this trip comes to an end. This was an unforgettable trip. Thank you C3-3.
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Tsai, Wei Chieh (蔡委杰)
I loved it. AID had taught me a lot of life lessons. I could not thank them more. I made new friends and went through a lot of decision making I did not encounter before. From the first week to the last week of teaching, I did not wake up a day not excited to learn and make new friends. I had to coummnicate with my group members and dicuss our different ideas. It was very difficult since nobody tried to listen to others. But as time went on and after our trip to Shilin night market early, We became more and more like a group. After the training week in JianTan, We were sent to Miaoli to teach English. We spent the first two days preparing for the week. It was very tiring and frustarting because we were living in a house and there were weird bugs in them. Not to mention the fact that we had to stay at school until 7 and wake up super early. The frist day of teaching was the hardest. I did not know what to expect and if the students were there because they want to learn English. It was a struggled and I was very happy that the day was over. After the first day, I told myself to step my game up and be more prepared for the next day and the two weeks. Second day was a lot better since I was prepared. The students were more familar with us and teaching started to become easy. The second week was not difficult to manage at all. The closing ceremony was sad and all the teachers were not prepared to leave the students. I want to take this moment to thank AID for accepting me and giving me this opportunity to make new friends and enjoy the wonderful experience. I met someone very special and thanks to the person, I was able to battled through the program.
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Kuang, Alan (鄺倫屴)
Truthfully, I was slightly worried about the quality of everyday life once I had learned that the school I was to be teaching at was located on Matsu, an island near the coast of mainland China. No one in my family had been there before, and everyone began rambling on about the lack of clean water and urban development. I even brought my own water filter!
However, after we left ChienTan and arrived in Matsu, everyone in our group gaped in awe at the island’s beauty. The climate was much nicer than that of Taipei, and the air was unbelievably fresh.
Two weeks flew by, and I feel incredibly regretful that I didn’t get to properly thank everyone who took care of us during our stay in Matsu. I especially want to give a big thank you to Zheng Wei Teacher, who diligently looked after our every need to ensure our experience at Matsu was a comfortable and eventful one. I would also like to thank the principal of Ren Ai Elementary, all the Ah Bing Brothers, and the aunt who made us lunch every single day. The biggest thank you, however, goes to all the wonderful students who attended the English summer camp to have made this life changing experience possible.
No amount of prior training at Jian Tan Youth Center could have prepared me for what happened today. At the end of an exhausting 2 weeks of teaching, sadness was the emotion that I had least expected to feel. Through the difficulties we experienced as the youngest class in the summer camp, we, the teachers, have formed a special bond with the same kids, who bounced off the walls like wild animals on the first day of class. Seeing the kids smiling and laughing while waiting for the bus, I could only laugh along and wave as the bus pulled away from the school front.
However, I find comfort in knowing that we, team members of B2-5 were able to make a difference in, and enrich the lives of 40 children. It is my sincere wish to visit Matsu again sometime in the future to see how my students will be doing. I wish everyone in AID 2014 and all future volunteers, as well as students the best of luck. Can't wait for the tour next week!
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Chang, Annie (張嵐天)
Having 5 years of experience of teaching children in Sunday School, I thought that I would have had the background support through those experiences. However, the training that I received from Chien Tan Youth Activity Centre opened my eyes to new methods and materials that I could put in use as a teacher. I learned plenty of ways to engage the kids in activities, exercises and learning. I was assigned to a school with a group of seven others, 4 girls and 4 boys and we had bonded the first week of training through meals, living together, and card games. We would be together for most of the days and grew closer quite quickly, which made the week exciting. On the other hand, the long hours of class lectures at Chien Tan were tedious since we had to learn how to teach. But it was all worth it when the first few days of class started. It was difficult to adjust to the environment of the school, either being unclean or full of cockroaches and insects. The staff members and our teacher really tried to meet our needs and satisfaction to the fullest and we would not have gone by without them. It was a struggle waking up in the morning, so I was glad that we ended up moving to the school instead of an old host house. On the first day of class, many difficulties arose with getting the students involved and participating in class activities and lesson. The classes at the school were split into A, B, C and D, A being the highest level students with English, and D being the lowest. The other teacher and I were surprised from the pre-test that they took to determine their English level so that we would be aware. The pages were mostly blank and they barely understood almost all of the content of the test. This caused many changes in our lesson plan, since the level was not lower than we expected. Over the next few days, the students began to open themselves more and more, not only to the teachers, but amongst themselves as well. It was at night when we all prepared for the next day’s teaching materials and worksheet, in which we did in the office with air conditioning. After awhile, we would play Tetris, eat dinner, and go to the indoor gym to play badminton, and basketball. Not only that, but we also got late night snacks from 711, played movies on a big screen projector and other little things that intertwined our relationships more. I feel that the one thing I regret is not completely planning the second week with my teacher teammate, and really going with the flow each class. The games grew too familiar and the students started to get bored, but did not stop learning. I am proud of my students for the effort they put in, and enjoying their own time. What made these weeks pass by as excitingly as possible, was the care and fun that the 5 TA’s we had, brought to us. They all knew English except for the one that we were closest to who lived with us most of the time. They were delightful companions to be with, and they were helpful in our classes. After the two weeks of teaching, it was sad to say goodbye to the students, but I was happy that we had the opportunity to teach them English and make their summer a little more fun. Leaving the TA’s was difficult, and I believe it would be even more difficult leaving everyone at the end of the program. We had a week of touring around with most of the volunteers and that brought others closer to us, rather than just our own little group. It’s amazing listening to their own stories of teaching students as well, and this experience has made me grown more mature in the thought that I appreciate the students younger than me who are still obtaining knowledge of the world of language around us. All in all, I made many unforgettable memories with my group and the people here and I hope that we all cherish our friendship together afterwards. I would never forget what we made together, and the time ahead of us to search for each other in hopes to create a deeper bond later. C3-3, see you soon.
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Chen, Justine (陳衍安)
During the past three weeks I was assigned to Taiping Elementary School to be a volunteer teacher in Class C. At our elementary school there were three classes (A, B, C) and Class C was the biggest class filled with the youngest children.
In the first week of training in Chien tan, I met my teaching partner Angel. We both chose then and there that we would like to teach the youngest kids. I think I chose them because I was afraid of preteens being very passive. We quickly learned from our teachers that the students that were going to be in Class C would have little to no knowledge to the English language.
On the first day of getting to Taiping I was amazed at the beauty of the place and also how cool the weather was. Our teacher Tina who had accompanied us during training was great and supportive in getting all the materials we needed to teach. During the first weekend, we worked hard on getting our teaching plans organized, making sure we had enough desks for every room and preparing for our opening ceremony performance.
I feel as if we planned to the greatest extent possible those first two days but nonetheless I knew we could not be a hundred percent prepared for anything that were to happen on Monday, the first day of class. Angel and I got up very early and into class at eight in the morning (forty minutes before class was supposed to start) and we were surprised to see the class almost completely full. The first period happened very awkwardly as Angel and I gave a very brief introduction with an open question period that was supposed to last the next thirty minutes. However, this first impression definitely didn’t follow through for the rest of the two weeks. After the first ten-minute break it was obvious that the kids in our class had come out of their shells. They were coming up to our desks to tell us about how their parents planted tea and how we should come visit their homes after school to play. My heart melted when the first boy, Eric, had asked me to visit his home during lunchtime when I sat across from him.
These overwhelming rushes of emotion towards these children that I had only known for a couple days came many times during the first week. Little things like when they would grab my hand to show me something or how proud I would be when they remember a letter I’d taught them, made my heart jump.
During the two weeks our main focus was learning how to read the ABC’s and also how to write them out. We had homework every night and gradually, Angel and I had become able to push our students to work as hard as they could on their homework with the coaxing of various prizes we had brought from home.
I’d like to say that things went smoothly the whole time we were teaching but that would have been an obvious lie. The truth is, that we were teaching six to eight year olds and with that would definitely come problems. There came a time where kids would cry, whether about physical fights or not being chosen for a game in class, almost every day.
Ultimately this volunteering experience had it’s own ups and downs but it was something that I have enjoyed thoroughly. I learned about my own patience as well as the limits of children in learning. I will never forget the last day of our teaching experience during the closing ceremony when my teaching partner and I had to read out a couple sentences specifically about each student in the class. As the ceremony progressed when the other teachers presented about their classes, a couple of their students started crying however I was not at all expected for one of my own students to cry because they were so much younger. However once we started reading the short descriptions one by one they starting bawling their eyes out and by the end almost our whole class was in tears. It was a very emotional moment and my teaching partner and I were both tearing up as it was very touching to see that our students would miss us as much as we would them.
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Cheng, Crystal (鄭因茵)
The last three weeks of the 2014 AID Summer program have been a amazing and unique experience for me. Not only did I teach English, I also learned so much about Taiwanese culture and developed life skills such as cooperation and teamwork. I came into the program not knowing what to expect since I had limited knowledge of teaching English. In addition, I came knowing no one in the program, so it was wonderful to be able to meet many people and make lasting friendships with people from all over the USA, Canada, and England.
The first week at Jiantan was very educational in that we learned useful methods in teaching English and managing a classroom. The lectures and group activites were successful in engaging all participants and allowed for us to practice our presentation skills. I found the demo teaching to be very helpful as well. It allowed us to practice teaching in front of a large group of people. However, it was very different from reality as the demo teaching was done in an idealized classroom - everyone already knows English, so they had no problem understanding instructions and repeating words and phrases. When we actually taught at our school, a short activity ended up taking a whole period since we had to translate instructions into Chinese to make sure they understood, then make sure they knew what to do in the activity.
The two weeks at He Ping Elementary School in Shiding was a very special experience for me as well. Though I was initially nervous to meet the students, they all proved to be very energetic and welcoming to all of us. As the days passed, we became increasingly closer with the students as we learned more about their interests and daily lives and developed a special bond with the students. Even though it was difficult the first day, we adjusted our plans to suit the class better. By the end of the two week program, we became more efficient in creating lesson plans and matching activities to suit their needs. Also, it was truly touching to see how thankful the students and their families were. Families invited us to their house for dinner, brought dinner to the school for us, or brought snacks for us. Students also made cards and brought gifts (such as handmade bracelets and drawings) for us to show their gratitude. It was at times like these when I realized how much they appreciate us volunteering a month of our summer to go teach English in remote areas. Although it was difficult to mange the class effectively at times, it was a pleasure to be able to teach such nice, energetic students. I hope that they all learned more about the English language and Western cultures.
In conclusion, this has been a very memorable experience for me. I made many new friends, toured around Taiwan, learned more about Taiwanese culture, all while managing to teach English for two weeks. This is definitely one of my most memorable summers and I hope to be able to draw from what I have learned in this experience in future endeavours.
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Lee, Angel (李艾璇)
Being able to help disadvantaged students and explore different parts of Taiwan were the reasons why I have signed up for AID Summer 2014. However, as I took my first step into Chien Tan activity center, I realized that my summer would be way more than just that.
When I first arrived at Chien Tan activity center, I felt a bit lost and overwhelmed. However, as I began to talk to people, I was shocked and amazed by their enthusiasm and welcoming smiles. It’s amazing how polite and outspoken everyone here at AID is.
The first week at Chien Tan activity center consisted of numerous workshops that prepared us for our two weeks of teaching. From setting up different scenarios that we might experience in a classroom setting to teaching us different teaching methods, I was able to prepare myself for the difficulties I may face while I am teaching. Other than prepare us mentally, AID has also prepared us physically. From umbrellas to teaching materials and prizes for the students, everything was all prepared. It was heart warming to see how much thought and money they’ve put in to make us feel comfortable.
I was assigned to Jia Yi- Tai Ping Guo Xiao in the mountains. I had never been to such a rural area of Taiwan and I have to admit that I was shocked to see that Taiwan is not only night markets and crowded buildings. There is also a green and beautiful side of it. I really enjoyed the cool and friendly environment of Tai Ping Village. The village was literally one street and it takes less than 5 minutes to get from one end to the other. Because it is such a small village, the neighbors are all close and friendly. Whenever my group and I take a stroll outside, we always see our students either having dinner or playing on the streets.
As this is my very first time teaching a group of students, I was very nervous the night before the first day. However, as I stepped into the classroom I felt confident and comfortable. I taught 7 year olds, the smallest grade of all 3 classes. The students were very cute, energetic and obedient. However, they cried every single day due to jealousy from other students, budging in front of others, or crude comments. I have to admit that this experience has taught me patience. I realized that you need a lot of patience when dealing with children. From understanding the situation, to explaining why they did something wrong and to giving out punishments, you need to make sure that you’re staying calm in control.
Regardless of the ups and downs, it is fascinating how much of an impact I have on the students. Because most of them had never learned English before, my partner, Justine and I assigned them names that they will use for the rest of their lives. We taught them everything from scratch, starting with the ABC’s.Over the course of two weeks, my students have improved significantly. From not being able to read or write ABC’s, they can now sing the alphabet and write out the 26 letters, upper and lower case. I have to admit that making the teaching materials were tedious and a bit stressful. However, the moment when your student suddenly understands something or learns a new phrase is very rewarding. It is like a warm fuzzy feeling that makes you happy and giggly.
I was very lucky to have had such a sweet and caring teacher, Tina who was always there to cut us fresh fruits and make sure that we are healthy and happy. I was also very lucky to have met such an amazing group of individuals: Justine, Emily, Ann, Patrick and Timothy. Everyone in my group are so like minded and funny. I am very glad that I have had the opportunity to get to know them and become friends with them.
AID summer 2014 is an experience that I will not forget. From making a difference in disadvantaged students to making friendships that will last a life time, the summer of 2014 will be forever cherished in my heart.
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