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  The eyes are equally expectant, although the faces are different. Silent, shy
and incredibly polite college freshman in Xian, China; raucous, rambunctious and
never quiet high school seniors in Ostuni, Italy; and respectful, mature adults
in a social service center in Siedlce, Poland: all wanting to improve their
English language skills, and all looking to me to help.
With the assistance of bi-lingual dictionaries, imagination, a sense of humor,
blackboards and chalk, support from other team members and assurance that,
"Yes, you can do it," I actually did it – in all three places.
In Xian, China, my nervousness escalated to anxiety on the day I learned my
first teaching experience was to be four classes of college freshmen – 50
students in each class – and no Chinese teacher in the room with us. A day of
orientation had not helped me prepare for the first day of class. I talked to
other team members and prowled the resource room.
I don't know if it was intuition or desperation that made me choose Dr. Seuss' Cat
in the Hat to take to class that first day. I wrote the first paragraph on
the board and read it. In unison, the class repeated it. I walked up and down
the aisles, reading, showing pictures, correcting pronunciation as I asked
hesitant, nervous students to read after me. Dr. Seuss was a hit!
Their voices were soft, their demeanor restrained. Accustomed to rote repetition and speaking in unison, the
challenge was to get them to speak English individually. I prefer not to call on
students, so I had to teach them to volunteer: "Raise your hand; raise it
high so I can see it." Practice in hand raising ("Elbows above the
ear!") and even waving, became a daily exercise.
My China experience didn't fully prepare me for the 17 and 18-year-old Italian
high school seniors I met on my next volunteer adventure. They too rarely raised
their hands: they just talked without asking! And talked! Sometimes to me,
sometimes to their neighbor, sometimes to the student across the room. They
reminded me of my own children and their friends.
In Italy, I learned that each program is unique. Participation by the local
teachers and the age and skill levels of students varies between projects. I
always asked to work with older students, but in Italy as well as China (and
later in Poland), other team members delighted in the warmth and enthusiasm of
younger children.
 In the Ostuni high school, volunteers were asked to assist the classroom
teachers, but not to plan the lessons. On a typical day I would discuss the
United Nations, the War in Kosovo or American history with a group of eight to
12 students. I corrected grammar and pronunciation, suggested idioms and
vocabulary and answered their questions about the life of American teenagers.
Unemployed adults were my "audience" in Poland, where I was once again
alone in the classroom. Although several of the 11 students in my two classes
were in college or had college degrees, their English skills varied. The program
in the eastern city of Siedlce is structured and based on many years of Global
Volunteers participation in the community. There is a very well stocked library
of teaching aids, and textbooks are adopted for each class.
But teaching and learning are individual; I search for materials and methods
which are effective for the needs of my students, but the methods chosen have to
feel congenial to me. I decided the best use of my three weeks in Poland, as it
had been in China, was to get the students to talk, talk, talk.
Correct pronunciation, build simple sentences, make up conversations. Do
it individually, do it in small groups, but do it out loud.
We read Green Eggs and Ham and The Little Red Hen; acted out
shopping trips and employment interviews. I gave them children's alphabet blocks
and boggle cubes to make simple words; index cards with simple words to combine
into sentences. I talked about American history and read an essay on peanut
butter (try finding that in a small Polish-English dictionary). I rarely used
the suggested text, which assumed more knowledge of
English grammar than I possess.
My colleague teaching next door asked: "Why do your students laugh so
much?" I have always found studying languages as dull as it is difficult,
so I take every opportunity for humor. Whenever things get really dreary, I look
up a word in a dictionary of my students’ language and try to pronounce it --
always good for a laugh, in Poland as well as China!
Experiences beyond the classroom add to the richness of each assignment. In
Ostuni, which is located in the “heel” of Italy’s “boot,” I spent
weekday afternoons wandering serpentine cobblestone streets so narrow that
pedestrians flatten themselves against the walls so cars can pass. The newer
sections of Ostuni are modern; Old Ostuni is the old Italy of picture books.
In eastern
Poland, relaxing in rattan chairs on the back porch of a 19th-century
country manor house, we watched woodcarvers making giant statues to be donated
to a local orphanage or listened to competition-winning young pianists. Poland's
Raymontovka – the House of Artistic Worth – hosts meetings, conferences,
picnics and performances, as well as Global Volunteer teams. We heard the
Siedlce City Chorus, and their military band; were enthralled by the
grandmothers and granddaughters group singing traditional Polish songs, and by
the energy, stamina and creativity of young gymnasts.
But Xian, with its museums, temples, pagodas, lively street life and modern
shopping malls is special. Red and gold paper lanterns lighting streets lined
with low tables and small stools where people are eating their evening meals;
ponchos in bright red, green, yellow and purple covering hundreds of bicyclists
waiting in the rain for a traffic light to change; markets with candy in garish
gold and green wrappers, live fish swimming in pails of water, foot-long
radishes and hundreds of varieties of greens, beans, seeds and spices; young
people stopping
me on the street asking to practice their English; a multi-course lunch
(featuring a thousand dumplings!) with a student's family in their home in a
modern apartment complex.
Not knowing Chinese is not an obstacle to exploring and enjoying Xian. Global
Volunteers provides a fail-safe Chinese-English list of key words and major
sites. Body language, pointing, smiling, and the patience and good humor of the
Chinese people take care of the rest. Trying to buy a pair of pants in a
department store, I pointed to my more-than-ample hips; the clerk laughed and
found a larger size. In a noodle shop without an English menu, I pointed to
items being eaten by other patrons.
 Each of my
teaching experiences was distinct and each was rewarding. But the lessons I
learned in one country – about myself, about teaching, about interacting with
students, about being part of a team – helped me in the other countries.
Similarities outnumber differences. The host teachers – so happy to have you
– are appreciative, warm and supportive; team members constantly help and
praise each other, and the students love you. Teaching this way can be a
constant massage to the ego.
"I am a silent boy," wrote Kioung Junchoo on the last day of class in
Xian. "I don't answer the questions before, but you asked me. I was very
surprised. When I answered you gave me courage, so I was very glad. Since then,
I tried my best. I want to say to you 'Thank you'. I will remember you
forever."
And I will
remember him forever
Marilyn
Lutzker is a freelance writer and librarian. When she isn’t globe-trotting,
she makes her home in Sunnyside, NY
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