Teaching in Taiwan: Five Perspectives

My First Day..

I remember being nervous. Very nervous. Up until this point, I had little to no experience teaching English as a foreign language, and even less experience managing a class of crazy 5 year-olds. I wanted to believe it would be easy, but honestly, I had no idea what to expect. For the 100th time I asked myself, “What am I doing here?!”

I arrived at my school early to prepare for my first class. My supervisor directed me to teach my class the different colors and I decided to use balloons as a fun way to break the ice. As I entered the classroom, 12 heads all turned and fixated their gaze on me. Oh boy, here goes nothing!

My initial attempts to elicit a simple “hello” out of my students was not met with much success. I was nervous and they could tell. In a desperate move I decided to take out one of my balloons and write my name on it. As I did this, the balloon inadvertently slipped from my fingers and was suddenly flying through the room in every direction.

My classroom erupted in laughter as each student tried to chase down the crazy balloon. In a flash I knew I had made my breakthrough. Suddenly, teaching English abroad didn’t seem so scary!

-- Andrew Dunkle

Dear Formosa,

By the time you read this, I'll already be relaxing in a Lay-z-boy, on the bus back to Taoyuan (to the airport that I'll forever know as CKS International). I'll have a plastic bag full of decadent, greasy Heaven, otherwise known as pagan dan bing (bacon egg pancake). As I pick at it with chopsticks held expertly, I'll surely be musing of how your lush, green subtropical climate held me just as surely. The countless beaches peppering your coast, the rolling mountains dancing through your Buddha-esque midsection ... I'll miss the way your natural beauty could be enjoyed just about all year long. But alas, I must move on.

It's not you, it's me. How could I leave the many flavors and smells of your bright, colorful and endlessly fun night markets and endearingly cozy restaurants? And yet, I must. I'll always treasure the criss-crossed alleys and ways that always hid temples, homes, factories, stores (sometimes even a 7-11), dreams, wonders and mysteries. And yet, off I go. I fell in love with a gleaming Taipei 101 on New Year's, a night sky full of sky lanterns after Chinese New Year, parades that woke me up on any given Sunday (morning) ... and yet, I must break your heart and say good bye (in Mandarin, Hakka and/or Taiwanese).

Being with you feels so RIGHT, and leaving you feels so TaiWRONG. Where else would the neighborhood doctor offer me her car, just because I was late for work one Saturday morning. I didn't even know her! Only in Taiwan. Where else does a garbage truck play a cheery chime much like an ice cream truck, and yet the thought of stinky tofu makes me smile just as cheery? Only in Never Never Land. Where else do I get to singe my clothes but warm my soul during a Feng Pao fireworks festival? Only on the isle that was once my home.

I'm going back to New York, but I'll always know that Taipei is truly the city that never sleeps. The people, both born and transplanted, make you so dear to me, Taiwan. The food, the weather, the culture, the wonders that even after seven years, never ceased to be waiting for me around the next corner ... I'll miss you while I'm gone, but I know you'll find another. Taiwan, there's enough of you to touch millions of hearts ... but please, don't forget me.

You've ruined me for living anywhere else, Taiwan. How dare you charm and endear yourself to me. I'm already planning my next visit. I can't wait to see you again ... I'll drive a scooter from your head to toe and never let go!

Love,
A Wai-guo-ren Who Taiwan(ts) to Come Back

Way Out of My Element

I took a somewhat different approach to teaching in Taipei. Not one who enjoys little munchkins running around at my feet, I knew teaching kids was not for me. So, my approach was to do private lessons with adults, which ended up meaning I was completely out of my element as a 21 year old girl teaching businessmen and the like.

I met my first student at a coffee shop in the hospital where he worked. As a doctor.

Oh no.

I felt completely unprepared not to mention under qualified. I felt like an impostor with no real reason to be teaching other than the native English speaking ability that I, along with about a few hundred million others in the world, possessed.

He seemed more nervous than I was, which helped quell my nerves minimally. He insisted on buying me my tea beverage, and before I knew it, the books and papers were shoved away, and we were simply talking. He would tell me about his job, and I'd write down the grammatical errors for him to work on. The next time I saw him, being the smart doctor he was, he always blew me away with his progress and dedication. In the end, I scrapped the whole payment thing and made it a language exchange. He scratched my proverbial back and visa versa. Who knew I'd be meeting and playing teacher to a doctor my first month in Taipei? It's amazing what life experiences teaching abroad can throw at you.

-- Ava Apollo

Same Job, New Experiences

With teaching experience under my belt when I arrived in Taiwan, I was confident that my first teaching job in Taiwan would be a cinch. Boy, was I ever wrong!

I had just moved to Taiwan after spending three years at a language school in northern China. The director of that school encouraged his teachers to make use of the arts when teaching English, thus my classes were generally centered on music and drama exercises. My students were good verbal communicators, but grammar was a sticking point for them. Consequently, as a teacher, I excelled at teaching through music, drama, and the arts, but I didn’t have much experience in teaching grammar or basic sentence patterns.

As luck would have it, the next job I took in Taiwan placed a heavy emphasis on grammar and rote memorization. Of course, I walked into my first class all rainbows and sunshine and my students thought I was crazy! I spent my first six months learning a totally new style of teaching, but I was lucky enough to be placed in a school with gifted teachers who were more than willing to show me the ropes. As tough as it was, it was also one of the best experiences of my life!

I learned some valuable lessons during my first year in Taiwan:

• Every school, every class, and every student you have will be different. It doesn’t matter where you’ve taught or how long you’ve taught for, you’ll always be learning something new about your profession
• Learn to expect the unexpected
• Take constructive criticism from your peers and learn from them
• Be willing to adapt your teaching style to suit your students’ abilities
• Finally every good teacher knows that learning is never one-sided!

-- Carrie Kellenberger

A Life Changing Year Abroad

I suddenly found myself in a classroom with twenty energetic Taiwanese 4th graders.

All eyes were on me, expecting me to start my lesson plan. I had no idea what to do, and felt overwhelmed and even mildly intimidated. I began to feel dizzy, as though I was looking through myself, in a dream. One thought brought me back to life- If other people can do this, so can I. From there I launched into what was certainly a mediocre lesson plan. I don’t precisely remember what I taught that day, my first as an English teacher in a school just outside of Taipei, Taiwan. I do remember the emotions of the day, and my first few roller coaster weeks in Taiwan.

I threw myself into the job. I felt my students deserved a good teacher, which I most certainly wasn’t (yet!). I read copiously online and taught myself about lesson planning and classroom management. Each time I entered the classroom, things got a bit easier. I worked on making each lesson fun, while still maintaining control of the class. Trust me, this is not an easy combination. Meanwhile, my life outside the classroom improved. I made some great local friends, found some favorite restaurants and Taiwan began to feel like home. It was the beginning of the best year of my life.

In retrospect, it was the challenge that made it all worthwhile. My first year in Taiwan wasn’t easy, but the most worthwhile things in life rarely are.

-- Mitch Gordon