Making the Leap

Making the decision to teach in China is not just about adapting to the lifestyle: learning to navigate public transportation, using chopsticks with dexterity, gaining a basic competency in spoken Mandarin, etc. A far greater challenge lies in reflecting on our teaching practices and adapting to the needs of Chinese students. To be truly effective, we must be willing to become different kinds of teachers. That does not mean we must completely alter our identities as educators, but we must be willing to modify the way we speak, write, stand, plan and assess to best serve our student demographic, in much the same way successful stand-up comedians "read the room" and selectively deliver material they think will yield the most laughs. This kind of cross-cultural adaptation will challenge even the most accomplished teachers.