Experiences abound – and it is these experiences that help build and make the teacher. By teaching overseas, an empathy is gained. This empathy reveals to us, as additional language learners, how difficult it can be; trying to learn that host language (my own, often disastrous experiences studying Japanese while teaching in Japan is case in point - my own fault, my commitment wasn’t what it should have been). Students who come to our countries to learn English can face the very same commitment and adjustment issues, well documented by researchers and linguists alike.
By living abroad as English teachers, we learn the effects of culture shock. We can struggle adapting to that new environment and lifestyle. I remember the initial euphoria of arriving in Shanghai China in 1991 - everything was wonderfully different and exceptional, and my school hosts warm and welcoming. Prior to departure for China, a group of us teachers were provided a six-week intensive Chinese culture and language orientation program by the Queensland Department of Education. Regardless, weeks after arriving, I felt alone and somewhat isolated in this huge and daunting city.
However, the more engaged I became with my local colleagues and this new exciting city; and the more accustomed I became to teaching English in high school and teacher training classes, the better I became at my Chinese language lessons. Taken into homes, shown around China, ad-hoc language lessons at street markets, on train journeys and in banks and offices all provided priceless insights into Chinese culture and language. Experiences abroad, both positive and negative lead us to understand a little better, the difficulties faced by our students studying English.
Sometimes our overseas experiences are not all smooth sailing. A forced evacuation from Indonesia during a period of social unrest, and a major earthquake in Japan were both experiences I’d rather not go through again. Nevertheless, they are experiences that do more than just pad out a resume, they have allowed me to build my own resiliency, which I’ve then been able to reflect not only in the way I teach and but also in developing rapport within my own English classrooms. And good student rapport, no matter what the subject, is worth it’s weight in gold. How interesting it is, to think of all those personal experiences of teachers adding so much value to their students’ learning.
Experiences abound – and it is these experiences that help build and make the teacher.
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