As any student well knows, with the imminent shortening of days and cooling of the weather comes the start of a new school year. With new beginnings come new experiences, and this past weekend, I had the opportunity to play the role of teacher instead of student for the first time!

    Going to the Chinese school campus on Sunday had become a part of my schedule for almost as long as I’d been speaking Mandarin! I figured it was about time I gave back to the Chinese community — and what better way than to volunteer as an English teacher for senior citizens?

    There are always numerous Chinese senior citizens milling around the school. I knew that most of these elderly women and men had very little knowledge of the English language. For an hour each week, then, I could teach them some elementary English.

    After speaking with the school principal, sitting in on classes for a few months, holding several meetings with my peers and the administration, I was finally ready for the big day — the first day of the new Chinese school year!

    I was pleasantly surprised with the turnout — nine students, each not a day younger than 60, but with the enthusiasm and energy of any elementary school student. There were more students than I had imagined would be interested in listening to a native teenager! Of course, I was a bit nervous.

    At any rate, I took a deep breath and began the class. I greeted each of my students, and we engaged in conversation — mostly in Mandarin, a bit in English. The hour of class simply flew by! My students were so rapt and hungry to learn that we were two weeks ahead of the lesson plan! At the end of the class, the chalkboard was filled with my hasty handwriting.

    We had breezed through greetings and manners and had moved on to more complex phrases such as “See you next weekend,” “No problem” and “What are you doing?” I was so delighted, and my students seemed to enjoy the class as much as I did.

    Indeed, it’s possible to be a student, a teacher, and a student teacher at the same time! Teaching the class was so rewarding, and I absolutely cannot wait to spend the year with these charming senior citizens. Who knew multitasking was such a great experience?