Agilent – TWB 2006 China
Chenyan Song – University of Hawaii

Since I left China 7 years ago, I have dreamed of going back thousands of times. Never would I have imagined returning to my homeland as a member of the science team for Teachers Without Borders. It was a gracious gift given by God to travel back to China and serve with a team of hard-working and extremely dedicated teachers.

I will never forget the time I spent with Harold, Gail and Katie as we discussed and prepared the lectures and experiment materials. I will long remember the happiness we experienced together when the Chinese teachers told us they had learned from us. I can’t forget the frustrations we shared when some of the teachers refused to cooperate in the class. Of course, I will never forget the laughter we enjoyed when we were together at dinner, or other times when we relaxed and had time to get to know each other better. I am thankful for Agilent Foundation and TWB for providing this opportunity for me to serve my country and make new friends.

First, this trip brought me back to China so that I had the opportunity to give back to my own country. I was happy and blessed when Chinese teachers understood what Harold, Gail or Katie said through my translation. Of course, compared with the contribution that everyone else made, what I did was little. Fred and Yunus organized and led this trip, and my science colleagues and English teachers prepared and gave lectures. Therefore, I hope I can do more in the future, and would be honored to help TWB with these kinds of programs.

Second, this trip to China helped me understand more about the teaching profession and the organization of TWB. Fred and Yunus stated that the teachers know our children and their goal is to give our students a better chance of success in life. During our two weeks in Jingtang and Dujiangyan, I saw what both Chinese teachers and American teachers did to fulfill this goal. They sacrificed their vacation time, and worked hard in very hot weather. Even today I can still remember the enthusiasm of learning and teaching on both sides. All that I saw and experienced in this trip made me reconsider my future profession. Yes, I want to be engaged in a teaching profession which can impact people’s lives.

Third, I worked with many experienced teachers, such as Harold and Gail. I was deeply impressed with their diligence and enthusiasm on the job. When they prepared the lectures, they developed a back-up plan as well as the regular plan. “Always walk one step further” was what my teachers and professors taught me. This time I saw this demonstrated by Harold and Gail. The wisdom that they gained through their teaching experience also taught me a lot. How to use learned knowledge to explain the daily phenomenon, how to relate one subject to another seemingly irrelevant subject, and how to guide the students to learn new knowledge, all of these challenged me in learning how to be a good teacher.

Of course, I gained far more than the above from this trip. I appreciated the seriousness shown by Andy when he learned new Chinese characters. Fred and Yunus as team leaders were so humble when they listened to criticism or suggestions. The humor and optimism shown by Erin when she joked and laughed were unforgettable. All that I saw and experienced on this trip will be a precious treasure for my future, both in my career and in my personal life.