A Time to Teach and a Time to Learn

By Carole Dailey

Taking Ecclesiastes 3:1 as her focus, the author tells about teaching and learning in China, i.e., learning about the people, everyday life, education in China, the food, travel, and finally, learning about life through the eyes of a young Chinese student who has an open mind and talks freely.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512781717

Carole Dailey

Carole Dailey is an English/ESL teacher with experience in both public and private schools in the U.S., as well as having taught in several provinces in China. She and her husband, Kenneth Dailey, spent two years teaching in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province.

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Copyright © 2017 Carole Dailey.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-8172-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8173-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8171-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017905048

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/19/2017

There is a time for everything,

and

a season for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

In Loving Memory of my husband,

Kenneth Wayne Dailey,

who came to love China as much

as I do.

How Long?

Three flights of stairs

and

As I walk them for the last time

My eyes are fixed on the young woman

Just ahead of me.

Insisting, she carries my luggage,

Hefting it awkwardly.

She stops once or twice to rest,

But her thin body belies its strength.

My eyes flood as I remember - - -

Other times,

Other goodbyes,

Other luggage-bearers.

And I consider …

Leaving China, I leave a part of myself,

A part that will remain here forever.

How long before there is more of me

Here than there?

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1    I Learn about People

Chapter 2    I Learn about Everyday Life

Chapter 3    I Teach and I Learn

Chapter 4    I Learn about Food

Chapter 5    I Learn about China

Chapter 6    I Learn about China Through the Eyes of Michael Jimmy Blue

Epilogue

Foreword

Reading through A Time to Teach and a Time to Learn brought so many memories to mind of the first time I taught with Carole in Zaozhuang, China. Along with various Chinese officials, our team met with Mr. Li, head of the university English department. Mr. Li was ignoring everyone but Carole since she was, after all, the team leader (the Chinese way).

Suddenly he blurted, You will not share your Jesus in the classroom!

Carole calmly looked at him, took a deep breath, and replied, Mr. Li, it does not matter whether we share his name or not. Your teachers will see him through our actions.

A Time to Teach and a Time to Learn opens a window into that lifestyle witness, which Carole and Kenny wholeheartedly embraced during their service as English teachers in that ancient culture. Carole takes the reader through their two years of English teaching in Hangzhou as they not only taught but also learned the culture. She also provides a glimpse into the lives of some of the people, such as Michael and Grace.

Her memoir provides an insight into Chinese culture through the eyes of an American English teacher. May her recollections bless you as much as she has blessed others through her service to Christ.

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Every day in China is sweeter than the day before.

Every day in China I love her more and more.

Striving hard to serve her,

Helping her to bless the world,

Every day in China is sweeter than the day before.

(To the tune of "Every Day With Jesus)

Neda Chearl Dickerson Ed., D.

Introduction

I was on my way out the door to go to church when my husband came in late from work. I greeted him hurriedly and said, I’ve got good news and bad news, and I left.

As I began to explain to him later, he confessed he’d spent an uneasy hour wondering about what I’d said. The good news is that I’ve applied to teach in a summer English program in China and been accepted. The bad news is that I’ll be going as a volunteer so I must pay my own way, I told him.

At first the bad news seemed to overshadow the good news, but when my church learned of this opportunity they were behind me all the way. At the time I was church pianist, and in order to raise the money needed for the trip I was asked to give a concert, and an offering would be taken. I am by no means a concert pianist, but when the offering was taken, it was just a few dollars over the amount required. God was in this!

So began my love affair with China and her people, and I continued going in the summer to participate in eight summer programs. My husband, Kenny, was always supportive and so was my church; they raised the necessary funds for every year but one, and that year God provided through individual donations.

After my first six-week teaching stint, I thought I knew everything about China, and given any opportunity, I was ready to expound. However, after another visit or two, I realized how shallow my knowledge and experience in China was. Today, I will acknowledge having learned a little about China, but it seems that the more I learn, the more there is to know.

Eventually, it seemed only natural to consider a long term assignment, and Kenny was eager to go with me. I had met Rose, deputy headmaster of No. 14 Middle School (tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades), three years earlier when I was teaching in a summer English program in Hangzhou. She was one of my students along with numerous other professional people anxious to improve their oral English. Rose even invited me to visit her school while I was there.

When I began thinking about teaching long-term in China, I emailed Rose and was immediately offered a position in her school. I was to be the school’s first foreign teacher! Preparations began in earnest to make an international move.

There were many things to do, but it seemed like packing was the monster that clamored for our attention. In addition to the pieces the airline allowed we mailed one box of winter clothing, hoping it would arrive by the time we needed it. Of course, we had to make arrangements for the care of our house, but that was easy; my oldest daughter and her family moved in while we were gone.

Soon it was time to say goodbye, such an ordinary word that we say every day, but now it was time to say goodbye for almost a year, and that word took on a new meaning. There were telephone goodbyes from friends, neighbors, and then family: children and grandchildren! It was more difficult than I’d thought, and suddenly our departure day arrived, the day that had been in our minds for months.

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The First Few Days

We arrived in Shanghai, weary from the long flight from Texas to Detroit to Los Angeles and then to China. I was so happy to see Rose, and she had brought Oscar, a young English teacher, to meet us. As we made the two-hour trip to Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, in a mini-van I could imagine it caricatured with passengers, suitcases, etc., hanging out the windows and bulging at the seams. Let the adventure begin!

These two weary travelers were met in Hangzhou by the school headmaster, another deputy headmaster, and our foreign affairs officer, Helen, whom I remembered from my summer stint a couple of years before.

A banquet had been prepared; it was Kenny’s first encounter with Chinese food. My picky husband encountered many unusual dishes and flavors that first night, as well as trying to keep his chopsticks from fighting each other. He was a good sport, and our hosts were too, overlooking many faux pas. We crawled into bed about eight o’clock in the hotel room that was to be our home for about six weeks while our apartment was being made ready. Didn’t they know we were coming?

Jet lag allowed us to sleep soundly until about one o’clock the next morning. Kenny got up, dressed, and went downstairs to visit with the taxi drivers, who evidently used this hotel as a base, waiting for a fare. He made friends with one of the drivers. Of course, no Chinese + no English = communication in sign and body language. When Kenny showed the driver his Texas driver’s license, the driver offered to let him drive his taxi!

No.14 Middle School has the unique advantage of being situated only a couple of blocks from West Lake, a beautiful lake surrounded by walkways, parks, teahouses, sidewalk cafes, etc. It became a place to go and relax, to enjoy solitude in the midst of a bustling city, and a place to ride our bikes. Anxious to begin our first day in China, we took an early morning walk in that direction and watched a group of senior citizens who had gathered to do Tai Chi. Physical exercise is very much a part of daily life in China, and participating in a group is common, whether doing Tai Chi, sword dancing for women, etc.

The first few days we were oriented,

entertained,

protected,

babysat,

and all of the above. Oscar had that dubious privilege our first day. He brought with him a student, fifteen-year-old Aaron, whose father was a boss in a telecommunications business. Aaron’s father’s business has him traveling to the U.S. often, we were told, and Aaron bragged about how many pairs of Nikes and Reeboks he had. It was a glimpse into the upper strata of society prevalent in this school.

They tried to teach us a card game called Shaung Kou, supposedly a Hangzhou game. I stayed confused, but Kenny caught on. Later, we all walked to a large, opulent department store that attested to the moneyed clientele in Hangzhou, but it was certainly not for poor teachers. It seemed anything could be bought if you had the money.

Our hotel was a small, friendly one, but there was no breakfast buffet. I found great breakfast food on the street, communicating in a deaf and dumb manner, but I managed to get my wants across. A bowl of noodles was delicious, but Kenny just watched and then bought an orange drink and some Oreos. We had no idea it was going to be six weeks before we’d finally move into our cozy little apartment, but even if we’d known, it wouldn’t have mattered. We were having a great time learning to live in China.

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There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV

Chapter 1

I Learn about People

Many people travel to China as tourists, going to Shanghai, one of the largest and most modern metropolitan cities in the world; to Beijing, where they walk the Great Wall, visit Tian’an’men Square and tour the Forbidden City; and then on to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors. They return home without a real encounter with China’s people and thus without a real encounter with China.

During each of our year long assignments, Kenny and I developed real friendships with the people we met: Oscar, Grace, Frankie, Michael, other teachers, the supermarket manager, and even the gatekeepers whose English was as non-existent as our Chinese.

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Oscar

As a teacher, many times I remember finding out something about a student that explained his/her behavior. It was always a revelation to me; suddenly knowing more about this student helped me to understand him/her. It was the same with Oscar.

The first time we saw Oscar was at the airport in Shanghai; he’d come with Rose to meet us. Immediately, I was impressed with his English, and he was one of the teachers who helped to orient us to Hangzhou. He came to visit us several nights a week, often calling and telling Kenny, I haven’t talked with you. I miss you.

We laughed about Oscar being a snob. One day he said, Only common people eat fast food. He was also quite proud. Being only twenty-three years old and in his third year of teaching should tell you that he’s very bright. In fact, we knew he’d graduated fourth in his high school class in the best school in his province. From there he went on to Beijing University, reputed to be the best university in the country.

Almost abruptly, Oscar dropped out of our lives, seeming to disappear. Occasionally, we’d see him in the dining hall, and he might even stop by our table, but there seemed to be a wall between us. We had no idea what the problem could be, so we just decided to pay extra attention to him when we saw him and act as if nothing was the matter.

Then one