Three months ago, the principal of the kid's school invited me to have lunch with him and the owner of their Chinese sister school. They wanted to discuss the possibility of my teaching at the school. I explained that I was not looking to work in China so soon, but I would be willing to hear about the opportunity. I was curious.
They took me to a Korean barbeque and the owner explained her mission to me over beef and vegetables sizzling on the grill between us. She and her husband opened this small school to give Chinese children the opportunity to education within a structure more similar to that of American schools. You see, in China a typical classroom will have 40 or more students. You'll find 70 in the average high school classroom. Children spend 15 hours each day in school or studying. The primary focus of everyone is achieving top scores on the national standardized exam. Scores earned on this exam literally determine the course of these students’ lives.
So, the owners began the school with a small kindergarten class and wanted to add a first grade classroom this year. I was their choice for the teacher. After pondering on the opportunity for a nearly a week, I decided that it would be too much for our family to take on so soon after moving to the country. Taking care of the household here requires quite a bit more time and effort than in the U.S. I planned to break the news to the owner on the following Monday. To that God said, “Oh reeallly?”
On Sunday during services at the international fellowship, the creator sent a distinct message to me through the guest speaker. In that moment I understood that this opportunity has far greater purpose than teaching reading, writing, and 'rithmatic to six-year-olds. I found myself at a place where saying "No" was no longer an option.
So now here I am. Wǒ shì lǎoshī. I am a teacher. What have I gotten myself into?!
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