2008 Teaching Conversational English in China

Steven B. Zwickel

2008 

When I stepped out of my hotel in Guangzhou, China in July, 2008, I realized that I couldn’t read the signs, had no idea where I was, and I couldn’t understand a single word being spoken by the thousands of people who crowded the street in front of my hotel. I felt as if I had landed on the moon.

During the school year, I teach technical communication classes in the Engineering Professional Development (EPD) department at UW–Madison. In the summer of 2008 I went to China for a month to be a volunteer conversational English teacher. My department values international communications and saw this as a chance for me to get some real-life professional development. The program I joined is not affiliated with any government or religious agency. I worked with five other American volunteers in a city called Dingnan in Jiangxi Province.

In theory, every Chinese student is supposed to learn English in school, but that’s in theory. In fact, a lot of folks have the most rudimentary English vocabulary. I had no Chinese vocabulary at all. Before going to China, I had to devote my time to my job responsibilities, so I really had no time to learn Chinese. In retrospect, this was foolish, but I just didn’t have a choice. That’s how I found myself in China with no Chinese at all, which was sometimes, but not always, a disadvantage.

My first day I got terribly lost in Guangzhou. I knew my hotel was near the Pearl River, but I couldn’t find the river. It was unbearably hot and no one seemed to have the slightest idea what I was saying. Eventually I smelled (and saw) a fish market I had passed earlier, soon I found the river.

I got lost in Dingnan, too and ended up (over)paying for a three-wheeler taxi to take me back to the hotel. Getting lost in Dingnan turned out to be a good thing. I went back to the school office and put together a whole lesson for the kids on how to give directions in English. They loved it. We walked all over the school grounds, stopping every few yards for me to ask them for directions.

My wife thinks I am a bit nuts, because I spend my summers working with teenagers. The kids in Dingnan were terrific. I had 34 in my class, all 15/16 years old and ready to start Dingnan High School in the fall. They were a bit reserved at first, but warmed up a lot. High School students in China focus all their energy on the college entrance exam they take after their senior year, so they work very hard, long days. Faced with a class full of tired kids, I told jokes, sang songs, and got them to open up and talk about typical teen issues. I also gave them a snack every day and I claim the title of first person to ever roast marshmallows in Dingnan.

My experience in Dingnan turned out to be far better than taking a cruise on the Yangtze or a guided tour. Jiangxi is still way off the beaten path for tourists and we were among the very few white people ever to spend time in Dingnan. We did take some side trips on weekends, visiting Ganzhou City and several large parks that you won’t find on most maps or on the internet.

Because I got to stay in one town for three weeks, I was immersed in the culture there and connected with people. When I walked down the street, I would hear, “Hey Steve.”
Some of the kids still send me email, and I am still in touch with the Chinese teachers. I feel like I made a difference and I know that the experience changed me.

http://badgersabroad.wisc.edu/blog/index.php/archives/480