Once upon a recent memory, I worked as an English teacher in a prekindergarten school northwest of the capital.
It was tough work. I was teaching kids songs on YouTube, making art projects on weekends, carrying crying toddlers in my arms, and yes, wiping some of them in toilet runs. In reality, it was one of the best times of my life.
My students were such sweet children. But there was one boy who was particularly headstrong. He loved to sing and talk about animals. Other than that, he refused to be under the direction of any teacher. We got along OK eventually after I learned the technique of holding a kid gently by the hand while counting one to 20.
Another student is a girl who did not always follow me. One day, she just blurted out, "I love you, laoshi (teacher)" as we were coming down the stairs, me holding her hand. She quickly became one of my favorites.
It was a well-run school with a well-rounded curriculum and equipped with carefully curated teaching aids. We had about 30 students. Divided into two classes, each class had two Chinese teachers and a foreign-language teacher.
The children learned math, music, arts, science, Chinese and English, as well as the art of socialization－singing and dancing with others, sharing playground toys and speaking politely. Curbing rough-around-the-edge behavior involving pushing, hitting, scratching, and spitting remained a work in progress.
The children also learned how to fold their clothes, water the plants, cook pasta, feed chickens, and play the piano, among other activities. They developed the habit of "tidying up" after work and pushing their chairs in when they got up.
Once a month, the children would go on exciting field trips. We visited a fire department where they learned about earthquakes and how to put out a fire using a fire extinguisher. It was all pretend and simulated. At a zoo, they saw elephants, monkeys, and wild birds and these were no longer just illustrations in a coloring book. We visited a government printing press where the children worked their hands dirty pressing woodblocks with red dye on rice paper. The children learned that was how books and newspapers were printed in the days of the dynasties.
I learned a lot about kids too in the short time I was in the school. I learned that children:
1. Prefer to do things on their own. One of their favorite words is wo zi ji "by myself".
2. Don't like to brush their teeth but enjoy washing their hands and playing with a bar of soap.
3. Like peeling and cutting fruit because they get to eat them afterward and share them with friends.
4. Like to sweep the floor because they think the plastic broom and dustpan are cool toys.
5. Like their teachers to read books to them.
6. Love to sing at the top of their lungs.
7. Eat cherry tomatoes like they're eating candies.
8. Want to be friends with "strong "kids, or kids who are seen as "troublemakers".
9. Marvel at ordinary things like someone wearing a new pair of colorful socks.
10. Adore Ultraman.
I miss my students. From time to time, I would play their songs at my leisure, remembering the times we would dance to Baby Shark all the way to grandma shark, and sing the Continents Song.
It's wonderful to see how much Chinese children love going to school. It's where they spend time with friends playing and learning together, guided by nurturing teachers. Parents who go to work are secure in the thought that their kids are being useful with their time and not just watching endless TV at home.
Contact the writer at pastor@chinadaily.com.cn
