Free English for needy teens

VOLUNTEER teachers from Zhuhai International Association (ZIA) President Rosemarie Firch, a German who has been in Zhuhai three years; Brit Maureen Keen, who has lived in Zhuhai five years, and Lynette Li, a translator for the ZIA community, taught at Hongqi Middle School, Jinwan District, on December 12. The semimonthly volunteer teaching project was initiated two years ago.
At the school library was a round table with 23 students divided into two groups. “One, two; one, two … One will be here with me and Two will be with Rosemarie,” said Maureen, explaining that she tried to keep good friends apart because they didn’t give each other confidence.
Due to space limitation, Rosemarie and her students had to constrain themselves at the dim, narrow back of bookshelves in the small library with most students sitting on the floor. Meanwhile, Maureen and her students were lucky enough to have the class around the large table in the bright reading room at the front of the library.
Rosemarie and Maureen’s topic was related to Christmas. Maureen asked each of the students’ names first, then asked them the same question for the same answer and finally the same question for different answers, for example: “What is Christmas? What present do you expect to get from Santa Claus?” To her surprise, some students answered they wished they could make their parents happy, mistaking the present as a wish. Afterwards, she described what the Christmas tree is like and how western people celebrate.
At the back of the library, Rosemarie asked where the students would put the Christmas tree. Also to her surprise, some students answered they would put the tree in the classroom. When she asked when Christmas originated, nobody could give the right answer. Then she told a brief story about how the current version of the festival originated and is celebrated.
About half an hour later, the two groups met in the reading room and Rosemarie took out a small recorder. She had prepared and distributed to each student a printed copy of Silent Night, a famous traditional Christmas song. The students learned to sing the song through the recording.
Like movie or pop stars, Rosemarie and Maureen were asked to sign their names on the song sheets. Students, mostly girls, also wrote down Maureen’s email address, hoping they could communicate that way.
It was the first time for Senior One students to be selected for the English class, according to a teacher. Most of them were curious but shy, and found it difficult to express themselves.
“It needs courage,” said Maureen. Having majored in education in college, she knows how to deal with students who lack self-confidence. “You need to urge them to speak,” she stressed, noting: “It’s a good thing I don’t speak Chinese. No one can help you there.”
A student surnamed Zhou said she likes to attend English classes taught by native speakers. “There is big difference between what we learn from the textbook and from the native speakers,” she said. She gave a warm welcome to the ZIA volunteers. Although she has a large English vocabulary, she still finds it difficult to communicate in the language, she noted.
The volunteer-teaching project has benefited more than 200 students so far and greatly boosted English teaching and learning at the school, Principal John Baker said.
ZIA, the city’s only formal expatriate organization founded three years ago, celebrated its first anniversary on 2005 September 24 at the Harbour View Hotel. A total of 14,000 yuan ($1,879), of which more than 3,000 yuan ($403) was raised from raffle tickets sold at the party, some 6,000 yuan ($805) from an on-site auction of a flight simulator and plane model, and 5,000 yuan ($671) as the foundation from ZIA, was donated then to the Zhuhai Charity Federation. The event initiated the tradition of donating toward needy students in Hongqi Middle School, which was recommended by the charity federation.
Apart from helping foreign residents or visitors get oriented, the organization also endeavors to provide financial help for schooling of poverty-stricken students, helping expatriates to feel part of the country they live in, according to JJ Verdun, co-founder of ZIA and a Frenchman operating expat9.com.
However, what can be done to further help students in the school? Maureen came up with an idea right after the celebration -- to improve their English level. The project has been actively subscribed to and carried out by JJ, retired Austrian art teacher Elfi Schwingeuclus, and later Rosemarie, Marine Michel, 15, from France and then around 20 ZIA members since it was initiated in October 2005.
For the first two months the schedule was every Friday, which later was reduced by half, explained Lynette, who has been driver, liaison and translator. More expatriates have joined since the 3rd ZIA anniversary this year, she explained.
The principal showed Rosemarie, Maureen and Lynette the computer and printer bought upon the 5,000 yuan ($671) donation. On the computer there is a placard “Donation by ZIA.” The donation was made when the ZIA members were invited for an appreciation show at the school on November 17.
“Life in China is difficult. You can make it more difficult by complaining all the time, or you can try to make it easier,” said Rosemarie. “This is what Maureen and I do. We try to make it easier. But it’s different and difficult though,” she added.
With five grandchildren in the UK, Maureen is active in the community and finds life interesting in Zhuhai and shopping in Guangzhou nearly every other week. “ZIA is interesting,” said Maureen.