Margaret

It was a Saturday evening when I received a WeChat message from my director of studies, asking me to interview someone on Sunday morning. Sunday is a working day for language training schools. Since the normal schools have classes from Monday to Thursday until late and Friday until the early afternoon, classes in the training centres start on Friday afternoon and continue Saturday early in the morning until 6pm and Sunday all day until 6pm. There are sometimes classes on Thursday afternoon or evening. Tuesday and Wednesday are usually the days off and Monday and Thursday are either off or used for lesson planning or teaching in various public schools.

My school needed some Chinese English teachers and held some interviews. Stage one is a micro-teaching in front of the director of studies and some teachers. Stage two is a language test and stage three is an interview with the director of studies. I wasn't there when Margaret had her micro-teaching, test and interview with the director of studies, however, I was asked to interview her too. This usually doesn't happen.

So, there we were in a room at 9am on a Sunday morning, having a pleasant chat about various things. There was chemistry from the very first moment and my report to the director of studies was positive. However, she wanted to interview Margaret again, before giving her the job. This was because Margaret didn't do well in the test and the director of studies had some doubts. However, Margaret got the job.

Most Chinese have an English name to make it easier to either use abroad or to use it with the foreigners in the country. Sometimes the people choose their names, sometimes the teachers choose them. However, some people change them frequently and it's hard to keep track. That's why I learn the Chinese and in some rare cases the English names. Margaret's Chinese name is 黄林燏, Huang Lin Yu. Huang is her surname and according to her it doesn't have a meaning, Lin means forest and Yu means flame. Her parents chose a different name when she was born, but she changed her name at the age of five, because she didn't like her original name Shan Shan. She also chose her English name on her own, simply because she likes it. 

Some weeks later, our school started a collaboration with an experimental primary school nearby and I had to go teach a bunch of 7 - 9 year olds. I was asked to choose an assistant out of the four I had, and chose Margaret to accompany me. Our task was to teach whatever we wanted for 70 minutes. Class size was up to 30 children. The first time the school's driver took us there and waited to get us back to our school. The first lesson was more about getting to know each other. It was a mixed level class, some could speak a few words only and some were able to say some sentences. Some were very shy and didn't say anything, but giggled or stared all the time. One little girl was braver than the rest and approached me and touched my face with both her hands. It must have been an alien experience to see, talk to and touch a westerner. She did it several times during our time there.  

Margaret's and my task was to go to that school on 13 Thursday afternoons. Every week we discussed what to teach and I wrote a lesson plan. We didn't always stick to the plan though and improvised or changed things, especially when Margaret had a good idea. Some of the topics were: body parts, vegetables, fruit, food, colours, numbers, means of transport, weather. We always started with photos, played some videos, did some games and let the children sing, dance and jump around. It was a very exhausting job and both of us were tired after the lessons. The kids loved us and missed us when we couldn't go one day. I was in bed with a food poisoning and Margaret had a flu. Our school sent two other teachers, but the kids didn't like them. When we returned the week after, the entire class came running and hugged us both, but Margaret got more and bigger hugs. Even though she sometimes was strict with the little rascals, the kids loved and adored her. It was wonderful to sit at the back of the class and see her teaching. It was always a sparkling lesson and the children listened to her and did whatever she asked them to do.

During class time, one or both doors of the classroom (there's one at the front and one at the back) remained open. Even if we closed the doors, some kids from neighbouring classes peeked through the window and gathered outside. Sometimes they opened the door and we invited them in. This resulted in a very big class size. Once we must have had about 50 children in the room.

Margaret however, wasn't only my assistant, she took over teaching somewhere half way through the lessons. This happened in a natural way. I didn't have to do or say anything, she just took over and finished the lessons. We were colleagues, the best as she once said at my book presentation.

When our driver couldn't drive us to that primary school, I took her on my electric scooter and drove her around town, to the school and sometimes home after the lesson. She enjoyed it every time, even though she was a bit scared the first time. 

After several months when our job finished, I felt that I owed her much and had to thank her for her effort, hard work and help. It wouldn't have been possible to manage this task without her. None of my other assistants would have done such a great job, and I'm sure, the kids wouldn't have loved any of the others as much as her. A day after our last day at the primary school, I passed by a flower shop and looked for some flowers. I saw some nice ones and wanted to buy them, but the shop assistant wanted to persuade me to buy a bunch of lilies, which were quite expensive. We had an argument about the flowers and the prices and when I was about to walk away and go to the next shop, he gave in and gave me the big bunch of lilies at a good price. When I entered the school with that bunch, everybody looked at me and followed me to see where I was going with them. Margaret was sitting facing the window and couldn't see the door. She was speechless when she saw me and the flowers and all the people behind me. I said a big 'thank you' and she was deeply touched. Of course she texted her parents and boyfriend immediately.

Dear Margaret, 

I am very happy to have worked with you, I'm also very happy to hear that you passed your IELTS exam, and hope you follow your boyfriend to America soon. I hope you read this when you're out of China and will have free access to the internet. Wish you all the best in your future life and career and hope to see you again somewhere.

Chinese abacus 

 Bunch of 7 - 9 year olds

 Last day, last few minutes. Goodbye everyone! It was a pleasure teaching you!

Margaret with our lot. Can you spot her?

 With the homeroom teacher

 Margaret in the centre

 Margaret

Some videos (may not show on iPhones and iPads)

If you would like to read more by me, here are my novel and my diary from Ar'ar, in the northern Saudi desert. Both available on Amazon as soft and hard copy.