ELIZA: I heard you were teaching English over there.Tell me about it. Did you like it?
SUE: Oh, yes, it was very interesting.
ELIZA: What were the schools like?
SUE: Oh, I didn't actually teach in the schools.I taught after school. I taught in English institutes.
ELIZA: But you taught children, yes?
SUE: Yes. That's right.But children in Taiwan are very different from children in America.At least as far as studying is concerned.Many children in Taiwan go to special institutes after school
ELIZA: They actually study after school?
SUE: That's right.After their school day is over, they go to a special institute to study math or English.They are very serious about learning over there.
ELIZA: Hmm. That sounds pretty oppressive for the kids. Don't they ever relax?
SUE: Of course they do.You know, Eliza, before I went over there I thought the same thing.I thought that maybe kids in Taiwan study too much.But now that I've worked there, and taught them, I feel it is a good thing.Their parents are very concerned about their education. More than American parents are. And that is good. American kids don't study enough.
ELIZA: Asian cultures value learning very much. I know that.
SUE: So it was interesting for me to see parents very concerned about education.They would come to me after the class and ask how their son or daughter was doing.I don't think that's a bad thing. I think it's a good thing.In America, too many parents don't pay attention.
ELIZA: But aren't the kids tired out?
I mean, they go to school all day, and then they go to school in the evening too.
SUE: As an English teacher, I tried to make the lessons as fun as possible.I tried to have a good time with my classes. The students often enjoyed it.And if the students enjoyed it, they learned more. So it was a good experience.
ELIZA: Are the kids in Taiwan very obedient?
SUE: That's a stereotype we Americans have.We think that Asian kids are very obedient and quiet.But it's not true. There are plenty of naughty kids too.
ELIZA: Hmm. I know you taught in Costa Rica also.Which did you like better--Costa Rica or Taiwan?
SUE: I don't know. In Costa Rica, I taught adults.So it was a very different thing. So I really can't compare.
爱莉莎：听说你在那里教英文。说说看，你喜欢吗？
苏：是的，非常有意思。
爱莉莎：那是什么样的学校？
苏：我不是在学校教。我教课后的，在英语培训机构。
爱莉莎：你是教小朋友吧？
苏：是的，没错。不过台湾的小孩和美国的小孩非常不同。至少就读书来说是这样的。很多台湾的小孩在放学后都上补习班。
爱莉莎：他们放学后还学习？
苏：没错。放学后他们上补习班学数学或英文。在那里他们非常认真地学习。
爱莉莎：听起来相当压迫孩子，他们不休息吗？
苏：当然有休息。
爱莉莎,我去那里之前也是这么想。 我认为台湾的小孩念太多书了。但是现在我在那里工作，教他们，我觉得这是好事。他们的父母非常关心孩子的教育，比起美国的父母要关心得多。那是好事，美国小孩念的书不够多。
爱莉莎：亚洲的文化非常看重学识，我知道那一点。
苏：看到父母这么关心教育，对我而言很有乐趣。下课后他们会来问我儿子或女儿表现得如何。我不认为那是不好的，那是好事。在美国，相当多父母都不关心。
爱莉莎：但是小孩子不是累垮了？他们白天一整天上学，晚上还要去补习班。
苏：身为英文老师，我尽可能把课上得好玩。我试着和全班学生玩得愉快，学生通常都很喜欢。如果学生喜欢，他们就学得多。所以这是很好的经验。
爱莉莎：台湾的小孩都很听话吗？
苏：那是我们美国人的刻板印象。我们认为亚洲小孩都很听话，很乖巧。不过这不是真的，也有很多顽皮的小孩。
爱莉莎：我知道你在哥斯达黎加也教过书。你比较喜欢哪里？哥斯达黎加或台湾？
苏：不知道。在哥斯达黎加我教的是成年人。所以是很不一样的，我真的无法比较。 |