Claudia Carroll is well on her way to becoming a professional teacher having worked for several years through Footprints with the Taiwanese Ministry of Education in a Public Elementary school in Taipei county, Taiwan.
In her own words...
Today hi-fives, hoola hoops and English al fresco made the 7 P.M. China television news in Taiwan, as my English teaching here at Yongding Village Elementary School in this lovely rural, mountain area south of Taipei came under the eye of the camera crew. When Amy Wong, our lovely and very supportive principal told me the television reporter would be coming today, I groaned, as I was just getting over a case of bronchitis, and feared I'd have an on-camera coughing fit.
But all went well. I smeared makeup over my raw, red nose, and with my Taiwan co-teacher, Teddy, just began the 4th grade class as usual, working around the camera. Teaching with Teddy is an amazing experience in itself, as we constantly improvise, and today, she just let me take charge of the class.
Because the kids are both shy, and pretty much accustomed to repetition and memorization, I want them to speak out and up, both to overcome their shyness, but mostly to discover that what they are learning can actually be communicated to one another on the playground. I try to "lock in" their learning both visually (with some integrated art projects, some music - provided by Teddy with text-related CD's - and with physical activities.
So, "class as usual," for the television camera, started out like this: I placed about half the kids in various parts of the room. Even this placement is a lesson. "Cindy, stand over there please. Joe, stand in the back of the room," etc., gesturing in the direction I want them to go. Then, I asked one to call out to the other: "How are you?" This came across quietly, as usual, as I knew it would. So, we quickly switched to our Olympic runner routine. The first child ran up to the next child, "hi-fived" them hand to hand while saying "How are you?: and "Fine, thank you!"
Of course both the two students, and the class started laughing, and the relay continued with much enthusiasm. We applauded this group as I explained to the interviewer the purpose of this activity. Then I asked for volunteers to come to the front of the room.
By now, no one was shy any more, and several students rushed forward. I handed one a hoola hoop, with instructions to "hoop" the student next to him or her, and ask, "How old are you." (We've done a lot of practicing already to learn to "hear" the difference between "How ARE you?" and "How OLD ARE you?" but connecting hi-fives to the first phrase, and hoola hoops to the second seems to help.
By now, the interviewer was laughing, and I, totally engaged with the kids, backed into the camerman, not realizing he was standing right behind me!
The interviewer said they had what they needed and she would wait outside until class was over to interview me. I turned the class over to Teddy then, who went on with "class as usual," reviewing numbers, and playing some numbers games.
Then, just before the break (each English, and Art class,is two periods long), Teddy and I took the kids outside.
"What's that?" I asked, pointing at the stairs. They identified the steps. "How many steps are there?" Then on to the playground. They counted a series of red triangle (no-no warnings) on the wall. Then a series of blue (ok) signs. The play area is a wonderful plastic gym set in primary colors. "Grab a red!" I called out, demonstrated "grab" with my hands. "Grab a purple slide!" until we arrived at a pebbled pathway.
The grounds are wonderfully landscaped with ponds, flowers, and visiting butterflies. The Yongding river flows, wide and wild, below the campus, some hundred
steps down.
Just beyond the pond, the camera crew was waiting with Amy our principal. The kids responded to my questions of "What's this?" (having been introduced to the objects the day before), with "rock, bridge, bench, purple lotus, butterfly, dragonfly, tree, wall." By now the camera crew was filming again, and followed us back over the three-step stone bridge and through the primary colored playground right into the classroom.
So, at 7 P.M. sharp, I ran up the four flights of stairs to my on-campus apartment (too nervous to stay in the office with principal Amy, several teachers, and even Mr. Lee our maintenance man, to watch the clip, so I could peek at China Television, Channel 10, in private.
My one-sentence moment of fame was:"I'm very impressed with how eager the children are to learn!" I remember the interviewer responding with an incredulous "Really?" and that I had answered, "Absolutely! I really see that!" and there it was on film. The rest of the "byte" followed me and kids in the classroom with hi-fiving, hoola hoop conversations, and primary color grabbing in the play area, and nature discovery by the pond.
For me, the highlight was when they interviewed "Wendy," (all the children have, by their own choosing, an English name). Not knowing Chinese, Taiwanese nor Mandarin (other than Neehow - hello -I've been too busy with English to learn much yet!), I relied on one of the teachers to explain later during our trip to Taipei for a KFC (yes, Virginia, KFC in Taipei, and Starbucks, and the golden arches, and dozens of international-style restaurants as well), that Wendy told the interviewer she liked my class, because I made it fun to learn English. They also told me the interviewer said something to the effect of: Claudia (all first names here), is an unusual teacher, very engaged with the children in active learning. High high compliment indeed. As for me, teaching kids to learn to actually communicate in English is high priority. To do that, for me, teaching has to be fun.
Amy, our principal was also pleased. And while I hope for a face lift, make-over and a fashion re-do before any more television appearances, I had to remember this was about the kids. I'm successful here, I feel, if learning seems like fun to them, and if other people who hear about, or see the English teacher in action, come to love both the children, their parents, and my teaching associates as I do.
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“I recently returned from my first year in Korea. I spent it in Jeonju where the foreign community is very close and open to all new people. Footprints made the journey so easy, especially their step-by-step guide to getting all paper work done properly the first time! I was placed with/chose a decent school where the teachers and students were great. I occasionally had troubles, but it was not Footprints fault, but a cultural difference and I had to learn to change my thinking to better negotiate my needs. No journey is a walk in the park, but Footprints made the difficult and stressful parts more bearable. I am glad I went with them, and if or when I go back, I would like to be represented by Footprints!”
