Since the government requires schools to have foreign teachers, in a way you're an employee of the state. I don't actually work for a state school, yet I still feel that when people see me here, they associate me with the state program to teach their children English. In a way it's a validation, and in a way it's a little strange, being an extension of a communist government.
As a teacher at an English training school, I am a luxury that only a few can afford. I am not the English teacher at a state school, I am with a private school enrichment program that wealthy and aspiring families or business people take. And since my native language is English and I am an English teacher, there is almost a feeling of it being my identity. Knowing me, having classes with me, doing things with me is a privilege that many people on the street feel they will never have.
At Yuyan Garden Tea House, Shanghai, China on National Day 2014
I also represent something many students that have gone through school English programs feel. It is the failure of being able to speak English even after 12 years of studying it. The Chinese English teachers teach English for the students to pass their university entrance exams. They do not have to speak English, they just have to write it. The education system here is all about teaching students to do something correctly, so the students feel the heavy burden of only speaking if they can say it perfectly. So when I go to a store to buy something, I feel the fear of the average store clerk at having to speak to me. They feel like they should be able to, but they know that if they try they will make a mistake. Sometimes it makes shopping uncomfortable.
They also have some of the same feeling about my speaking Chinese. If I make a mistake, I must be corrected. They may worry more about the correctness of my speech than whether they understood my request. It makes it hard to use what Chinese I know. And though I have worked with several Chinese tutors provided by my school, they typically do not know how to teach spoken language. They may be able to tell me what the words are in Chinese, but they don't know how to structure a lesson that will allow me to practice it and really learn it. So most of my Chinese I have learned from the online service I subscribe to.
At Suzhen Tiger Hill Park on October 3, 2014
There are times when I seem to represent a foreign invasion. Many of the older Chinese scowl when they look at me. Sometimes they will respond if I smile at them, sometimes not. And in a real sense I am a foreign invader. The wealthy and educated Chinese are learning English. The youth are forgetting their Chinese character writing skills, and the Chinese will loose much of their culture as they are assimilated into the international world of business and culture. Already, the children and younger people of Shanghai answer many cultural questions with western ideas.
At the Thames Town section of Songjian, Shangai, China
Yet, this is a necessity for them to progress and survive. I am happy to be here, helping people realize their dreams.
God Bless,
