Teaching With Disney English

Changing The World …. Teaching English in Shanghai ….

Adventures of an English Teacher in China

It took a whole lot of faith and bravery for me to come to China. Disney got a gem with me being here. I don’t say that boastfully. I know who I am and whose I am – and this experience is not to be taken for granted. Every single day is different here. No two days have been just alike and some days have obviously been harder than others. I believe that I am here for reason and purpose. Even if that reason and purpose is for me to be uncomfortable for +/- 14 months so that a positive example and experience of and with a brown skinned individual is given to some here in Shanghai. This is a BIG CITY! There are lot of people here. I won’t meet them all- that’s for sure. The ones that I do meet, I want them to leave having a dash of my #BlackGirlMagic and #KarlaGirlJoy – leaving t knowing – we are amazing, educated, and kind. I want to change the perspective that some (I know it’s not all) may have of Black Americans. If I can do it, with just one, it is worth it.

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I realized that I haven’t talked about work in a while so here is a brief update on work.

I am teaching English in Shanghai, China for Disney. I work for The Walt Disney Company – and a branch of that is Disney English (DE). Disney English focuses on English language training for young learners ages 2-12.

My position is titled Foreign Trainer (FT) – because – clearly- I am a foreigner teaching English in China. Learners (or students) call FT’s by their first name or at times may just say “teacher”. I have eight classes. Scholars 1, Scholars 2, Scholars 3, and an Advanced Scholars 3B class. I teach a little of everything! I work weekends, Saturdays and Sundays and my off days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

*If you are interested in information about each of the classes (S1/S2/S3/ADS3B) I can send to you. Didn’t want to make this post super long*

Mondays and Fridays, we have academic team meetings that usually last about an hour. 1:30-2:30. You have time to prepare for your classes and classes begin at 4:15 depending on your class schedule. Every FT has a different schedule depending on the classes they are teaching. A work day usually ends between 8:00 and 9:00 PM depending on how many classes you have on a particular day. Weekends are a little different than weekday courses. DE can see more leaners on the weekend because they are not in school – classes run from early morning to the end of the day. You will work one ‘short’ day and one ‘long’ day. A short day is an 8- hour day at work and your long day is a 12-hour day where you have a long break in your day. Your long break will include time for your lunch and time to prep for classes. Weekends are long and exhausting. Crazy to me that I work on weekends and that my off days are during the week…. but such is life for the next 8 months or so!

Teaching a language, and teaching a language at a training center, is unlike anything I have ever done. Obviously 😊 right?!?! I have always lived in America where my students knew the same language as me. I wasn’t teaching a language so much so – as I was teaching students how to understand and comprehend the language that they have been taught to use. Work is exhausting. It takes everything out of me. Yes! Yes! Yes! I know most of our jobs are exhausting and take it out of us. When I arrive home from work I just wanna do – NADA! Ya know?!?! We use so much of ourselves to teach our lessons to make them interesting, creative, and interactive. We want our learners to enjoy their lessons while learning what can be a very difficult language. We use TPR in our lessons, which is a language method that is based on coordinating language and physical movements. Teachers will give commands to their students while using the target language with body movements and the students will respond with whole body actions. If the students are responding with whole body actions then that means their teacher is teaching them with whole body actions. It- Takes – IT – Out – Of – ME !!!!

To be honest, the kids love it. It can just be very tiring. A lot of people have asked me is it hard teaching here. I don’t think it’s hard so much as it’s different. It is unlike anything I have ever done in my life. It took a whole lot of faith, being brave, and mustering all of my #KMGBLACKGIRLMAGIC to leave everything I know and enter a foreign land. Every training center is different, every school is different, every program is different. Opportunities are here in Asia and many other countries. I figured, why not go for it!?!

If you’re thinking about it, do some research and take the leap!

Work is …. Well …. Work. My students are learning English – that’s for sure. I Hope they are enjoying their time with me!

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My faith got me here. I am teaching here for a reason and purpose. Do you know how big a mustard seed is? Not big at all. I remember the first time I saw one. I was young. Maybe 11 or 12 at a youth service in Sacramento, California. It was very small. The pastor who was speaking had it in the palm of his hand and I could barely see it. The size of it and these words changed my life…

And Jesus said unto them, “…if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, ‘Remove hence to yonder place,’ and it shall remove. And nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20

I really believe that my mustard seed faith can move mountains.

That I, Karla Gurley, daughter of Fred and Marilyn Gurley, sister to Shilah, LaLonnie, Natina, Shari, Alexandria, and Katherine- can change the world.

I get to change the world through education, teaching, relationships, sharing my experiences, loving others, showing kindness, giving a smile, and being ME.

 

…someone told me today that no one had ever shown them as much kindness as I had in that moment. It made me smile – and I can only hope that we can all show others kindness. It’s in the little moments that life happens. I didn’t think that what I did was even much – but – a mustard seed also isn’t much – and it changes everything! You never know the impact you can have on someone else. 

May you smile today  and extend kindness to someone!!!!

 

Stay tuned for fun things on the blog in April. I will be interviewing a few friends and sharing their experiences on my blog. I hope you enjoy.

April 2018: “Black and Abroad-Shanghai”

May 2018:   ????? Stay tuned and keep following!

I am excited about life! I am filled with Hope. I am overwhelmed with JOY!

I am going to do my best to live by the ‘Glad Texts’ 

(one of my favorites is–Psalms 98:4-Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
    burst into jubilant song with music) — Did you know that there are over 800 Glad Texts in the Bible?!?! More than one for each day of the year for me to live by.

#FearlessinShanghai #Thankful #joychangeslives #KMarieTakesChina #BlackGirlMagic #KarlaGirlLivingLife #BlackGirlJoy #LivingMyLifeLikeItsGolden #ChinaorBust #ChinaAintReady #BlackInShanghai #LookOutWorldHereComesKarla  #KarlaGirlJoy #BlackGirlInShanghai #eatsleeppartyrepeat #givingisgood #givingisfun #WakandaForever #ShuriAndNakiaAndOkoye #MelaninMagic #Blessed #FaithfulIsMyGod

“life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”  – Hellen Keller

*I choose ADVENTURE*