“The Danger of a Single Story” is a TED talk given by novelist Chimamanda Adichie in 2009. Adichie notes, “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” I mention her TED talk in my reflection because for most of my life, I believed the single story about Chinese education. A few months ago, I would’ve said that Chinese education is intense, mundane, taxing, or something along those lines. These stereotypes have been reinforced even by classes I’ve taken at Duke. In my Education 101 class, I watched a movie called “Two Million Minutes,” which reduced the Chinese education system to solely its testing culture. Although it has been less than a week since I first set foot in Zhuhai No. 9 school, I can attest that Chinese education is much more than the single-story Americans resort to. My students love to dance. My students love to play basketball. Some of my students have explicitly said “I don’t like homework.” My students are lively and full of energy. My students have passions and hobbies outside of their academics, contrary to the single story the media perpetuates.
On a hot and humid Monday, Zhuhai No. 9 welcomed us with open arms. I was amazed by the enthusiasm the children showed as they briskly waved their streamers and balloons while we strolled on the red carpet. The banner hanging on the second floor of Zhuhai No. 9 immediately caught my eye: “Dear Duke Engage 2019, Welcome to No. 9.” This moment felt unreal. Was I a celebrity? Was I a political candidate? Nope. I was just a good ole Duke student unsure of what was ahead of her. Later, we were formally welcomed to No. 9 by Principal Wang and an elaborate assembly, which included flag exchanges, self-introductions, flowers, and a dragon dance. I didn’t feel deserving of such kindness and love.
Immediately after the assembly, we jumped straight into teaching our first English classes. I was a bit nervous that my students wouldn’t understand me or wouldn’t like me as a teacher. Coming to China, I was well aware of the challenges that would come with my inability to speak Chinese. It’s one thing to know what’s coming and it’s another to experience the challenge itself. I had planned to play a game called “2 Truths and a Lie” with the kids but realized that most students had a hard time understanding key words, such as “truth,” “lie,” and “guess.” In the following classes, I decided to play “Charades” with the students instead, and they absolutely loved it! Seeing the smiles on their faces and their increased comfort with speaking English made me realize that my true goal isn’t to perfect their English grammar; my true goal is to motivate these students to learn and foster a supportive learning environment where they feel confident enough to speak up. This week has taught me to be spontaneous and adaptable when my lessons aren’t as effective as I thought they’d be. In the next few weeks, I hope to cater my teaching styles for students who are more introverted and/or have less proficiency in English. I also hope to continue developing meaningful relationships with the No.9 students beyond “what’s your WeChat?” or “let me take a picture.” I am excited to start my extracurricular classes next week and witness the growth of my students in the upcoming weeks.
By Shelsea Duran