Currently Playing [Kelly Clarkson - A Moment like This]
More like a week that I’ll always remember.
Last week, I was given the opportunity to teach an English summer camp for one of the high schools located in the city of Danyang (丹阳). Danyang is located in southern Jiangsu Province. The city is extremely famous for its glasses industry and I was lucky enough to receive a pair of aviators from the school as a thank you gift. The city itself is not extremely memorable because it’s so similar to Nanjing. However, the students who were in my class were unforgettable.
With over 35 students in my class, it was such a shock that I was able to remember everyone’s name. Not to mention that most of them did not have English names, so I had really put my Mandarin to the test. Even though the camp was only for a week, all the students did not waste any chances to practice their English or to ask me questions about Canada. The lessons that I had prepared were to equip the students with English skills that they may need if they plan on travelling aboard in the future. On the first day, they had already finished 3 days worth of lessons that I had planned earlier and were all extremely eagered to move on to the next task. This meant that I had tons of planning to do for the following day! It’s so rare to find students who are so motivated even though it’s the summer holiday. Their eagerness to learn and their determination are something that I personally lack in my studies. It truly puts me to shame.
Also, did you know that these grade 8 students had over 400 pages of summer holiday homework? That’s right, over 400 pages! And it had to be all completed by the end of August before they go back to school. I couldn’t possibly imagine what kind of “holiday” they would have for the next few weeks.
At the end of the week, I had asked the students to write me a short personal journal on their thoughts about the lessons that I had taught. I think these reflections will speak for themselves. I was touched beyond words. Within a week, these kids have become more than my students from China, I had made 35 new friends.
