Learning/Teaching Context

New to Taiwan?  Never been outside of the States?  Canada?  South Africa?  Somewhere else?  I’m sorry, but it is beyond the scope of my superhuman powers to offer a comprehensive overview of Taiwanese culture, history, and educational practice.  I’ll try my best, however - starting from the general (Taiwan), to the more particular (the school where I worked) - to offer some pointers.

        I should probably start by mentioning that I have been in Taiwan 7 years, and that I am married to one of those rascally Taiwanese folks you see driving around on scooters outside.  These two factors, in some ways, afford me a “window” into this place that others wouldn’t have.  At the same time, there are as many points of view as there are people, and Taiwan is something different for everyone you meet.  In other words, much of what follows is my personal opinion.

        I first came to Taiwan in 1999, just before the famous 9-21 earthquake.  I found it fascinating and a little bit scary.  I wanted a Taiwanese girlfriend.  I also wanted money, which was one of the reasons I came here in the first place.

        Taiwan can be a great place to live if you have found more Western environments to be “confining.”  Since you are (in most cases) viewed as a foreigner, many social conventions will not be applied to you.  The law is also enforced rather selectively, and some things that would be dangerous or illegal in the States can be done freely here.  All of this can add up to a great feeling of euphoria, but be careful!  Don’t think you are Superman just because beautiful young girls (or boys) are suddenly all over you in nightclubs.  As somebody once remarked, “Pride comes before a fall.”

        This said, your main obstacles in this country will likely be language, food, and weather.  Start learning Chinese as soon as possible, and do so in a classroom environment, since “language exchanges” are usually code for dating.  Try new foods, and don’t be one of those people who spend half their paycheck at KFC.  Get used to the weather, walk around, and see new things.  One of the great things about Taiwan is that there is something interesting around every corner.  You just have to look!

        With the general stuff out of the way, I ought to introduce the place this unit was intended for.  At the time of writing/typing I live in Taidong (also spelled Taitung), which is a city of about 100.000 people on the east coast.  Before I lived here, I also lived in Taichung and Hsinchu, on the west coast, for five years.  I know both halves of the island fairly well, though I must admit that I know next to nothing about Jia Yi.

        The western half of the island is a lot more crowded and industrialized than the eastern half, though this is not always true.  There are big factories in Hualien, just like there is great scenery in Taipei County.  Generally, there are a higher percentage of aboriginal peoples on the east coast, and also a higher percentage of people engaged in agriculture.

        Where I live, Taidong, most families are either involved in farming or small businesses.  The majority speaks Taiwanese as a first language, and learns to refine their Mandarin as they go through school.  All of the schools have several hundred or so students from the A-mei tribe, which is the biggest of the aboriginal tribes around here, and there are smaller percentages of the Bu-lun, the Tai-ya, and other groups in every school.

        The middle school where I worked is Dong Hai Middle School, located next to the ocean (great view).  It has almost 2000 students in the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th grades.  It’s the newest middle school in the county, but that doesn’t exactly mean that it’s “modern.”  Every class has a TV, a DVD player, a CD player, and of course a blackboard.  Let me just say that you can always depend on the blackboard – it is ALWAYS working.