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Noon, Miranda (麥英洁)
I now have new respect for my teachers back in England.
I have learned a lot about myself and it is definitely a character building experience. The first and perhaps the most important thing I have learned is that I am not a teacher. I'm glad that I participated with this programme despite not really wanting to go at the beginning. It was my first time travelling by myself and living away from home for this long. I don't speak the language and I'm not Taiwanese so it all seemed very daunting. The first week was intense – never have I ever been in a room with so many Asians or been so White. I learned that I can sit still and listen to speeches for 6 hours a day and how to work the AC at Chientan.
The teaching was tougher than I expected and more exhausting, you end up making teaching plans at 2 am in the morning to teach at 8:30 am a few hours after. The kids are cute and very energetic, no matter how many laps you make them run. You lose and strain your voice easily and the kids cry at everything and can be very uncooperative driving you mad. Yet at the end of the two weeks you realise that you've grown accustom to them and you don't really want to leave them. That and that they can play basketball and dance better than you. Furthermore, you realise that you made a bigger impact to them than you thought. I advise if possible to try and start making some of your lesson plans on Google docs before arriving to Taiwan. It'll help reduce stress and increase sleeping/group bonding time.
I was sad to leave the school simply because our "group bonding" was so tight - with the help of salamanders, cockroaches, mice and the tragic loss of the last ramen. We've grown to be very good friends and I never would have guessed that I would be the mum of the group, but I'm happy with how things turned out. We settled in quickly with a good routine and our Coach was the best making our time at the school that much better, a little strange but definitely enjoyable for all of us. Looking back on it all, the only thing I would change would be making sure cockroach Belinda Chris Robert had more air. It's sad to know that I won't be seeing any of them again after tour week.
The tour week was eventful but you do spend a lot of time waiting... The talent show was a big highlight as it was a lot of fun. It allowed us all to laugh together and showed us just how close we have all become to each other. This trip has been a good one, I've learnt enough American English to annoy my parents and realised that university and my year abroad in China next year will be easy. I'm grateful for AID and everyone who helped made the trip possible.
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Hui, Ernestine (許國恩)
It was such a rewarding experience which made me grow as a person. I'd definitely recommend this program to anyone who wants to apply! The training was so short but intense, although I felt pretty overwhelmed in the first week of training, it really prepared me for the next two weeks! The training was a good way to bond with our partners as well.
I felt that the things that really made this whole experience worthwhile was the amazing people in the green shirts, the TA's at the school, and of course, my amazing partner and group!
The whole time was such a great bonding experience and I'm pretty sure that I've made a group of friends I'll keep in contact with for the rest of my life. We were literally thrown into an area that didn't have the same facilities as we do back at home, so we could only rely on one another, which was such a special experience.
We slept in the school classrooms and brushed out teeth as kids were arriving at the school, we showered with spiders and breathed the countryside air. I'm terriedfied of insects but I'd do this all again because all of these are precious memories i'll always remember.
Teaching the children was possibly the most rewarding thing I've done so far. As I taught an older group, the kids were able to understand more english, and so we could have more fun and converse together. They were at an age where what you say would have influence their future paths, and I really believe that we planted small seeds of inspiration for a better and brighter future in their hearts. Rather than trying to teach them things that they could find in a textbook, We tried to inspire them to study abroad or get into things like engineering (my course). I was just really happy that I got to share my own experiences with them!
I also loved the extremely friendly and organised staff members, the green shirts really made the whole trip an unforgettable experience, as they didn't treat us like cows to be herderd or like little children, they treated us as genuine friends. We bonded with them a lot and will miss them so very much.
Before I arrived, I overpacked by so much because I was afraid that I wouldn't have the comforts from home readily available, however, every single amenity that I required and wanted was completely provided by both the aidsummer programme during the training week and tour, as well as during the weeks we spent in school! I really did not have to worry about a single thing!
The tour was fantastic and it was a great ending to spend with my close knit group of strangers who became my best friends!
The only bad thing about the whole trip was that IT WAS TOO SHORT!!!!
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McMenamin, Sean (許智威)
After the two weeks of teaching English I feel I have understood so much more about what it takes to be a teacher. You need to work hard, to spent a lot of of time for class preparation and an in depth understanding of how to ensure good management in a classroom. I believe that this experience will give me a lot more confidence and experience for the future.
Thank you to the AID organisation for giving me this opportunity. In addition thank you to Princial Zhou, our counsellor Gina and assistant teachers Tina, Tigress, Tiffany and Bryan. Principal Zhou and the assistant teachers worked very hard to ensure that everything went smoothly and supported us whenever we needed it, thank you again.
I hope that I have given the students a joyful experience of learning English and that they continue to study hard in English as well as in their other subjects. The most important thing that I wish that the class will take away from this experience is the happy memories of our English classes. Keep on learning new English songs and dance!
Ultimately I would like to thank my fellow assistant teachers and good friends Amy, Erika and Steven for the fun memories. Thank you for the support and hard work to ensure that the students have a great experience in learning English. Thank you especially to Erika for the support and hard work in our class. I would like to wish all my friends the very best for the future!!!
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