Repetition, repetition, repetition

Imagine you are teaching a class of six and seven year olds and you are reviewing for a test. You open the book so that they can all see and as soon as they see the first page, they start chanting the words and the dialogues on the page: "Mingming, Tom! This is my aunt. This is my uncle. Nice to meet you, Mingming and Tom. Nice to meet you too." All without stopping. As you turn the page, they start chanting again: "This is my brother. This is my sister. Hello! Nice to meet you. No, I'm a dinosaur. I'm a deer." With each page that I turned, the students were able to just repeat what was printed on the page. If it was a page of pictures with vocabulary, they listed off the vocabulary in order. If it was a page with a song about the chapter, as soon as they saw the page, they started singing the song (with no prompting from me).

I had been asked to review since the children were going to have a test on the material (yes, these children have tests in kindergarten - I don't remember having that). But as soon as I had opened the book, the children started repeated what they had learned. I couldn't get a word in edge-wise. I was both shocked and amazed by the students' memorization skills and that they had been asked to memorize page after page in the textbook. It is a very different teaching method from kindergarten and preschool teaching in the United States. It is true that we had to memorize colors, shapes, songs, and so forth, but as far as I remember, we did not have to memorize the books word for word as these children do.

I had seen the teachers teaching this when they repeated the dialogues, songs, and words with the students over, and over, and over, and over again. For 20 minutes that is all the students would do - repeat the same phrases over again. As a student, I don't think I would have been able to stand it, but I also don't know how the teachers can do it. I guess that is just the learning/teaching style in China - it is very different from that of America. Comparing the two, I much prefer the teaching and learning style in America. Seeing the children at this stage and also at later stages, I think that the learning style in America allows the children to think in a freer way and to be more imaginative. Any thoughts?

How to Host

Coming to China I have noticed, of course, many differences in the way people act. One of the largest differences (and one that has also affected me) is the duty of a host, at least as far as I have seen and experienced. In America, a host's basic duty is to make sure that a guest has a bed and food. Of course, a host in America does more. They often entertain the guest and make sure that the guest is happy. I'm guessing that you all know the ways of the host in America since most of you are living in America. In China, however, the hosts are very different. The hosts here go above and beyond what I have seen hosts in America do. If I need a hotel, for example, not only does the host find me one, but they also pay for it. If we go out to eat, I am not allowed to pay, being the guest. I also get picked up from the airport and dropped off.

A good example of how the host treats the guest is my recent trip to Beijing. My host, who's English name is Julia, wrote out a schedule for each day so that Sable and I would be sure to see all the important sights. The first day and the last day, Julia and her family showed us around Beijing (even taking off work to do so). The middle two days, though, because they could not, she got us an English speaking tour guide to take us around and explain everything. When we showed an interest in the Beijing Opera, Julia bought us tickets, brought us to the Opera, and even took on the role of translator for us (since it was all in Chinese). When we wanted to go visit some Knox alumni living in Beijing, Julia would not let us take a taxi (for fear that something would happen to us). Instead, she picked us up at our hotel, brought us to the place where we were meeting the alumni, and waited there with us until the alumni came. This is just a small amount of what Julia and her family did for us, but they are some good examples.

For people who are not used to this style of hosting, it seems like a lot, especially at first. The hosts can almost seem overbearing. When you are used to an American style, the Chinese style doesn't give you much room to breathe. However, after a while I found that I really like this kind of hosting style. The hosts really take care of you and make sure that you have everything and more. I have noticed that I tend to be edging over to this style of hosting (when I think of hosting someone). One of my friends was thinking about visiting China and when I was thinking about this I started planning out every detail, from how to pick her up at the airport to who could be with her while I am in classes. I realized that the way I was planning her possible trip reminded me of the Chinese style of hosting and I laughed at myself because she wouldn't be expecting (or used to) that. I guess we'll see how my hosting style has changed once I am back in the U.S.

But for anyone planning to visit or live in China, be aware of the difference, because it is definitely something that you have to get used to. I am not completely used to it yet, as I still feel as though all my hosts are going above and beyond the necessary, but at least I do expect and understand the style now, which is more than I did before.