First Impressions

I remember the first day when we arrived, the first thing I noticed was the electric red letters printed in front of the school, and they read: “热烈欢迎美国北卡高中生来我校支教”. After reading this sign, I thought Oh this is so nice and thoughtful, wonder what the students actually think of us coming though. Next, I saw a group of ecstatic faces waving from the window, so we happily waved back. We were greeted comfortably by the principal and another school official, both whom smiled with such goodness and grace. This was my first discovery of the truly radiant atmosphere of this Shennongjia school.

We then made our way to the dorms, making our way up to the furthest right room on the third floor, which we discovered to be slightly larger than the other rooms (the other rooms’ doors had been left open, probably due to rules/inspection). We began unloading our things, which by the way I am sad to admit I overpacked, having thought of way too many unnecessary items (instant oatmeal, a volleyball, 20 vitamin packets, etc) during the packing process. A while later, a group of shy and sweet girls peeped into our doorway and a confident one of the bunch said: “hallo!”. All the little girls began to giggle when we said “hello!” back. In a slightly rushed but polite tone, she said to Elizabeth and I, “我们要去上课了，你可以跟我们去吗？” Excited by this opportunity, we quickly agreed, and the girl took me by the arm and pulled me to the classroom. We ran with this giggly bunch down the stairs and to the classroom, just as the bell was ringing. Elizabeth and I quickly placed ourselves in the back of the room, ready to get a taste of the typical Chinese class.

As we watched the teacher pace back and forth down the numerous rows of desks, I was astounded by the number of textbooks stacked on the surface and within. There were at least 10 books in total piled beside each student, and plenty more filling the inner part of the desk. We got to see numerous students go up to the front of the classroom, which was slightly raised like a mini stage, and give their reports on various books. And this was the first part of the class time in which I related to, the nervousness of presentations. Similar to any group of presenters anywhere, there were the shy ones and the more outspoken students whom all seemed to have a naive cheerfulness in their tone, even a few smiles here and there. Each presentation was finished with a seemingly routine applause, and the student hurried back to their seat. After about 30-40 min, we decided to quietly leave the classroom. From this experience, I gained a better understanding of the discipline and ways of the classroom from the start. As some of it differed from what we were used to in America, it allowed Elizabeth and I to make observations which would help when we were to lead the classes, such as how the teacher was to interact with the student (in terms of respect and firmness).

Making Friends

We had our first meal at the school separated from the students, but we got to join them in the main cafeteria for breakfast the next day. Over this period of time, we received many curious glances, as well as a few shy “hi”s from different groups. We were also greeted with many questions, which was expected because we were the foreigners. Everything to this point came as a surprise, I hadn’t expected such a warm welcoming and the many curious questions from the bright students. We had many nice conversations where we learned much about the school, such as: they had to run every morning and read on the field, they had missed their families a lot when they first came, they’d be hit/punished by the teachers (for things such as lateness to class, unclean dorms, failure to show respect, etc), the school did not permit any “relationships” between boys and girls, and 9th graders had a final test to determine the future of their high school years. Many of these conversations took place either during meals, between their classes (classes were split with 10-minute breaks), or at night in our dorm room (before the 9:30 lights out). With the quickness and common amount of these interactions, we were quick to make friends whom we related to and marveled at in regard to their life at the Shennongjia school.

We talked with many super sweet girls, and even gave some of them English names. These included names such as Molly, Cheryl, Chloe, and more. All were just as eager to learn about America as we were about life there in Shennongjia. We shared many stories about our school environments in America, as well as daily life (foods, hobbies, etc). As stated before, they told us much about the school, also their homes. A fun thing we did with some of them was teaching them volleyball on the soccer field. It was a great way to just have some fun and play around. Some of them were so nice they even bought us refreshing drinks, and throughout the trip, we received many warm gestures.

After coming back from the short 6-day break (all students besides testing 9th graders were released), there was only a week left of teaching. Nearing the end, we began to interact with the girls much more, such as allowing them to stop by our dorm room more often. We made bracelets together and took many pictures. We met many spectacular people, such as: Krystal who was an amazing singer, Molly who showed me her great report on Journey to the West and gave everyone in our dorm nice Chinese books, Cheryl and Chloe who were friendly dorm neighbors and had bought us drinks, Wang Nina who linked arms with me as we raced to their class on the first day, Wang YaLi who gave me a beautiful necklace and hair clip, and Daniel who had a great spirit when we played volleyball with him (and there are many more). On the last day, we gave many many hugs and received many heartfelt notes from numerous students. We also received sweet little gifts such as lollipops, origami flowers (which we taught in our class), and milk. In return, we gave a printed group picture to Molly (whom I had talked with the most, and I remember being very caring and considerate), our name tags, and of course our WeChats. The next morning was a sad farewell, a few tears had been shed by some of them (which was very touching). It was sad because although our stay there was fairly short, we had such a connection with some of the nicest and happiest people we’d ever met.

First Time Teaching Class

Our first class began the day after our arrival, and I still remember the slight nervousness I had towards how the students would react to us. This included thoughts of: would they be judging our subpar Chinese speaking skills, would they be unresponsive, or would they be too rowdy? But, Elizabeth and I knew that the best thing to do would be to enter the classroom with confidence and brightness. Elizabeth was the first person to teach between her and I’s partnership, and her first class went pretty well. We had arrived at the classroom about 8 minutes before the bell rang, and after setting up, we decided to begin our personal introductions to break the awkwardness of the students staring at us. After we introduced ourselves, we decided to let every student give a quick “自我介绍” (self-introduction), by stating their name, age, and favorite hobby. This seventh-grade class ranged from age 12-14, and many enjoyed hobbies of singing, dancing, soccer, basketball, and ping-pong. After the slightly monotonous 10 minutes of replying to them with “nice to meet you” or “wow that’s so cool”, Elizabeth began her teaching her topic of Ecology. We quickly learned that the students were used to repeating after the teacher (or responding) on command or when it seemed right to. This was a plus side, as it created definite participation and the learning of pronouncing words. On the other hand, they were also used to speaking out the answer when we asked a question instead of raising their hands. We found this problematic because our original plan had been to award candy when students answered various questions. But overall, our first 40-minute class had run quite smoothly. The students were engaged and responsive, and it seemed they’d taken some knowledge from the class upon review.

My first class was with an eighth-grade class (#4), which seemed slightly intimidating since I guessed that some would be my age or even older. Upon entering the classroom, I went through the same introductions as Elizabeth had done, and that went about the same. They all seemed quite responsive and excited, I’m guessing because their maturity and confidence allowed more curiosity (compared with the seventh-grade class). But, everyone really got interested and engaged when I introduced the “reaction game”. This required two people to stand across from one another at the front of the classroom, where I would hold a piece of candy between them. Then without saying when, I would release the candy, and whoever’s reaction was fastest would catch it first. After explaining these instructions, I was worried everyone would be too shy to volunteer, but luckily there were a few brave souls willing to try. After the first round, the class got super excited, and suddenly everyone wanted to try. This took around 10-15 minutes, of which were filled with tons of applause, laughter, and competitiveness. Once going through a few more rounds, I switched to my next activity, which was yet again a competition. This time, the students were split into 4 groups and were asked to pick one member from each group to represent them. Then, these 4 elected representatives would come up to the front and compete for their team, whichever one to win in the activity would receive candy for their whole team. These competition-based activities stimulated excitement and eager participation among the students, while still allowing them to retain some of the information. They were best to occur at the end of class, since it required the flexibility of time (whether it needed to take up more or less of the class time that day). Overall, my first class was super fun to teach, and I also gained experiences and knowledge which helped guide the rest of our classes.

Teaching Experience

At the end of the day, we had a group meeting discussing how everyone’s first classes went. Elizabeth and I talked about the successes of our lessons, as well as areas for improvement. These group meetings occurred frequently after that and were useful in the overall improvement of lessons. For example, one struggle for many was getting a shy class to feel more comfortable and participate more. We concluded that if as teachers, we were more positive/humorous and confident, the class would feel more at ease. Another good way to evoke natural participation in the class was through the activities (such as fun games). The following classes went well for Elizabeth and I, of course, each with its own ups and downs, but always had its great individual moments. From this teaching experience, I’ve learned much about the different atmosphere of learning for the Shennongjia classroom, as well as the significant interactions with students that made lessons better. I also learned that with this sort of volunteering, teaching a class in this situation, it wasn’t all about making sure the children retained every piece of information we placed in front of them. It was also very much about the many interactions, activities, and discussions that created a bright atmosphere and successful class.

At the end of classes, we would always be crowded with students wanting signatures, or they’d ask “你有QQ吗？微信呢？” It was kind of funny at first, because Elizabeth and I definitely were not used to all this attention. We found it hilarious because we never thought these students would take so much interest in us. But, through gaining so many’s WeChats, I am now able to have friendly conversations with them as they are on break (they are not permitted to have their phones during class). I will admit, it did become a little overwhelming sometimes, especially when we just wanted to relax. But in total, it was great communicating with such eager students, who all together gave the school such a cheerful and eager atmosphere.

Scenery

When we had first driven those 4 hours to Shennongjia (from the airport), I remember literally waking up to huge mountains around me. It was absolutely unreal, it was as if I had been carried to a completely different world. It wasn’t that I was so shocked by what it looked like, of course I had seen filtered images on Google and Instagram. I was just astounded to be there, in the presence of these massive wonders, some of them perfectly lined with assorted plants for agricultural purposes (sometimes you could see small blots outlining a person working). It was just layer upon layer of colors, and for some reason, I find it breathtaking. Even on the airplane to Yichang, as we were landing close to the mountains, I marveled at this beautifully-shaped land in which we were arriving upon.

When we’d reached the school, I thought I would love to go to this school because it is literally surrounded by mountains, fresh air, and insanely blue skies. Every time I took a picture, it would look like some of it was photoshopped or filtered, because the scenery was actual perfection. Every morning at 6:20, when all the students were woken up and proceeded to the field, the crispness of the air welcomed their morning exercise. It was funny because when we went to join them in running that first day, we were so confused as to why everyone wore only long pants, not a single person wore shorts. We learned (from students) that the school restricted shorts, but also realized that the mountain air was cool enough that they didn’t need to worry about sweating under a beating sun (like we do back in NC). Many also wore long sleeve shirts, along with their school uniform jacket, which looks pretty cool if you ask me.

Traveling During the Break

After a few days of teaching, our group got to have a 5-day break to explore Shennongjia, because the 9th graders had final testing. Throughout all the driving between destinations, it was cool when passing by different little towns, which had buildings very different from what we were used to. For example, some building were lined with light or dark wood, as well as tiled roofing. It was also common to see red lanterns or other bright colors hanging over balconies or anywhere along a building. It also wasn’t uncommon for someone to live above their shop. For example, we once went to a restaurant and I remember asking where the bathroom was, and the employee pointed me upstairs. When I went up, I noticed also other rooms which were obviously for living, as well as toiletries such as toothbrushes at the sink. Overall, it seemed buildings and streets were a bit older in some areas, which was not a huge surprise. The food we got to taste along the journey was good, the theme of Shennongjia food tends to be spicy. Also, we went to many different destinations with “神农架特产”，also selling their versions of street food/quick hors-d’oeuvres (such as chopped and seasoned potatoes).

The destinations we went to were beautiful, we witnessed much of the culture and natural majesticness of nature. Here are some of my favorite destinations:

• We had climbed up many stairs to a very high altitude which was above most of the clouds, and when the fog cleared it revealed a grand picture of clouds slightly covering blueish mountains in the distance. Just sitting there and looking out at the vastness brought such a peacefulness unable to be felt anywhere else.
• In the beginning, we had planned on biking by 2 person bikes, which was a funny but tragic fail of an experience. Elizabeth and I’s bike was seemingly impossible to use, broken so that it swiveled all over the place. But, we were at 大九湖, and it was so serene and quiet there. We went to sit on the bridge for a while, then walked from lake to lake. I enjoyed the faint taps of the rain, the delicate rushing of water, and of course the mountains “never-ending-ly” surrounding us. We also got to see some black pigs, normal pigs, and goats, never had I been so excited to see these supposed farm animals.
• 天生桥 brought me the closest I had ever been to a waterfall, and it was the greatest one I had ever seen. From a distance, it was just a tall grand structure flowing nicely downward, but up close you could see the powerfulness of the water. For some reason, I was shocked at the natural speed of it bursting out into the air. We climbed the many wooden stairs which had been attached to the sides of the rock encasing the waterfall.

In total, I had so much fun exploring all these great places and seeing the culture that went on within and around them.

Appreciation

I would like to say thank you to the chaperones which brought us through this whole trip. It definitely could not have been easy planning and organizing everything. Thank you so much as well for watching over everyone to ensure our safety, but also leading us in a way that it created a positive atmosphere.