美凯思 | Why I choose to be a teacher

　　My name is Bev Nunan. I’m from Ireland. Before coming to China, I had recently finished my degree in Law with Chinese Studies from University College Dublin in Law. I chose to study Chinese because I had a natural interest in the language, I have always felt that written Chinese, in particular, looks so beautiful and elegant.

　　When I was nearing the end of my university education and was faced with the decision of choosing a career path, teaching English in China was something I was drawn to. I have always liked the idea of being a teacher and the idea of going back to China was exciting. My third year of university was spent in Renmin University Beijing (北京人民大学) and I found China to be such an interesting country in which I met so many wonderful people.

　　I was delighted to be accepted as a kindergarten teacher for MKS. I find young kids to be so funny and cute, especially Chinese kids. I have a childish sense of humor so the kids can make me laugh and I can make them laugh too. I believe the kids also must be treated with respect. Going to kindergarten is a big step for them and it can be difficult. As teachers, we must respect their feelings, listen to them and be patient with them. The kids come to kindergarten, put their trust in the teachers and earnestly try to learn new things. As a teacher, I want to repay that trust by putting in as much effort as possible to make the children feel comfortable, have fun and learn as much as they can.

　　My approach to teaching young kids English is that the learning should be natural. I always avoid discipline as means of getting the kids to pay attention. If I ever lose the kids’ attention, it just means I have to try harder to make the class more interesting for them. I speak to the children in English and I test their comprehension in a non-verbal way e.g. asking them to choose the correct toy fruit or to mime an animal. I avoid asking them to say things repeatedly. The children can understand what they hear before they can say it. They will speak in English when they are ready. The kids here at MKS have improved hugely in a short space of time. Some of the children have gone from knowing no English at all to being able to answer complicated questions and understand the rules of games when explained to them.

　　All of the children I have taught at MKS try their best and they are delightful to be around. When the day finally comes when I will say goodbye to them, I know that I will miss them all.