Growing Along the Way, International Chinese Language Education Shapes Him

With eight years of teaching experience, Qin Taotao has completed the transition from initial unfamiliarity and excitement to familiarity and love for the profession of international Chinese language teacher. He said, "These experiences have enriched me and made me the person I aspire to be."

"Along the way, from the Philippines to Uganda, and now to Malawi, I have met a completely new self on the path of international Chinese language education," said Qin Taotao.

In this process, what he found most unforgettable is his three years of teaching in Uganda.

In September, on a sunny afternoon, Qin Taotao set foot on the hot land of Africa for the first time, arriving at Makerere University in Uganda, embarking on a three-year journey as an international Chinese language teacher.

There, he taught a special class comprising students aged 3 to 16 with varying levels of Chinese proficiency, which posed a great challenge in selecting teaching materials. After going through all the available Chinese textbooks, Qin Taotao found that none of them were suitable for such a class, so he had to refer to existing materials and compile his own textbooks.

Therefore, he led the children in activities such as "following instructions to complete tasks", "I am a little speaker", "fast and accurate reading competition", and "hopscotch" to enhance student participation and learning enthusiasm. At the same time, he also focused on improving students' Chinese proficiency comprehensively in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and consolidated their learning outcomes through colorful competitive games and cultural contests.

These teaching activities indeed yielded results, with noticeable progress seen in the students, who also enjoyed the teaching of this "resourceful" Chinese language teacher. Qin Taotao said, "Enriching teaching content and methods according to the students' characteristics are the most important in teaching activities."

What impressed him the most was a 3-year-old student. As it turned out, the boy's mother had always wanted her child to learn Chinese. After inquiring from various sources, she wanted her child to attend Chinese lessons in Qin Taotao's class.

Qin Taotao learned that the little boy had no foundation in Chinese, and he was too young, so he politely declined. However, what surprised him was that the mother approached him multiple times, expressing her determination to have her child learn Chinese. These words deeply touched him: "I think Chinese is the language of the future world. I have missed it, and I don't want my child to miss it either."

At that moment, Qin Taotao was deeply moved and ultimately decided to let this 3-year-old boy become the youngest student in his class.

This left a lasting impression on him. He said, "We may never meet again in the future. But I believe Chinese language will accompany him, and one day he will say to his mother, 'Thank you, Mom, I didn't miss it!'"

During the eight years, Qin Taotao has remained steadfast every step along the way. "Because of my deep love for each Chinese character and Chinese culture, and because there are many foreign friends who love Chinese language and Chinese culture just like that mother, I feel that my perseverance is truly worthwhile!"

(Author: Qin Taotao)