What different life experiences did volunteering as a teacher in Xinjiang bring me?

I am a member of the 22nd graduate student teaching group. In 2020, I went to Yili, Xinjiang for a one-year teaching experience. Many friends will be more interested in my teaching experience. I will share it with you today. To answer some frequently asked questions:

First of all, let me tell you about my personal situation~ I am a member of the 22nd graduate teaching group of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and I participated in the school’s selection in my senior year ( Our school takes a written test and interviews to select 17 people to go to Tibet, Xinjiang, Guizhou, and Sichuan for one-year volunteer teaching) so that they can join the graduate student teaching team and obtain postgraduate qualifications. Dear friends who are about to be a senior in college, if you have the idea of ??going to graduate school but think it is too difficult, you might as well try the graduate school support group! It’s a shortcut to secure your research!

The place where I teach is in Yili, which belongs to northern Xinjiang. The autumn is very beautiful, and the winter is very, very cold. For the first time, southerners have experienced what is truly "wrapped in silver", overnight. The snow can accumulate several meters thick. School employees need to drive forklifts to clear the snow. All the teachers and students in the school have to shovel the snow together to clear the way. It feels very novel at first, but when it gets cold in the morning and evening, it is really a pain that southerners cannot bear. , your eyelashes will be wet as soon as you go out, and it will freeze if you stay outside for a while. You must wear very thick cotton pantyhose, a long down jacket, and gloves, otherwise your bones will really hurt: spring in Xinjiang is very, very short, almost It feels like winter goes directly to summer....

Because our school is located in a remote location, it is not convenient for us to go out. Every day when we get off work to catch the bus/taxi, we feel like we are sprinting 100 meters. Hahaha, I feel like I If you take the physical test now, you will definitely get better grades than when you were in college. Since there is a two-hour time difference between Xinjiang and the mainland, we start work here at 9:30 am and get off work at 7:30 pm. In winter, we get off work an hour earlier. I think this early getting up time is really much more comfortable than in the mainland hahaha (of course I work overtime The time is also tough, and I have to go to work on Saturday_) The biggest realization is that it is the most relaxed and free time when I have classes/activities with students. The children are really super cute! ! Since the last class in our school every afternoon was changed to sports activities (in order to let students strengthen their physical exercise), a group of students gathered around me after class every day and said, "Teacher, let's play badminton together in the afternoon." Haha, I think it’s cute just thinking about it. There was also a student who formed a girl group and danced a self-composed dance for me.

I’ll share a little thing. One morning, I had three classes in a row. , the student suddenly ran up to me and said that the teacher’s mouth was bleeding, and asked me to drink more water, and also said that I would bring lipstick to the teacher. Sometimes the little details of students really move the teacher. This is the meaning of being a teacher.

I am an English teacher in school. In addition, my teammates and I are also in the school’s moral education department and the school The Youth League Committee serves as an officer, as do several other teammates who support teaching. In addition to taking classes, they also work in the Academic Affairs Office/Moral Education Office, which also allows us college students who have just entered society to feel some of the complex destiny of society. Now I feel that my own mentality and The way of doing things is much more mature than before. In a sense, in addition to teaching the knowledge in textbooks, volunteer teachers should also bring them information from the outside world, bring them hope, and bring them new ideas

< p>Nowadays, more and more students want to support teaching. Let me summarize some tips about supporting teaching.

1. I also want to support teaching, what should I do?

If you are a college student who wants to participate in volunteer teaching, you can refer to the Western Plan’s winter and summer vacation volunteer teaching activities for college students, or ask the volunteer teaching group of your school’s Youth Association to sign up.

If you are a student who is about to graduate, directly sign up for the Western Plan to participate in volunteer teaching. The teaching time is 1 to 3 years, and you will be paid and counted as seniority (most of them are assigned to work in administration at grass-roots units)

2. Is it necessary to major in teaching to support education?

Not necessarily. Take me as an example. I am an art major in school, not a normal student.

3. Will the subjects you teach there correspond to your major?

No, teachers in supporting teaching places are generally scarce. We teach whatever the school lacks, and it is generally not limited to teaching work. Take me for example. In addition to daily work in the supporting teaching unit, In addition to teaching, there is also the administrative work of the Moral Education Department arranged by the school.

4. Do I need to know the language there to support teaching in Xinjiang?

No need, everyone in Xinjiang speaks Mandarin. Although ethnic minorities have their own languages, the younger generation can also speak Mandarin.

5. Is it safe to go to Xinjiang to support education?

Xinjiang is the safest place in China

My personal experience after going to Xinjiang is that there are police officers every 100 meters, which gives me a sense of security.

6. What are the conditions for teaching?

My volunteer teaching place is in northern Xinjiang. The conditions for supporting teaching depend on each unit. For example, the school where I teach does not have a canteen, but other students in the postgraduate teaching group like me have canteens in their teaching units, so I give No specific reference.

7. I will be teaching soon, do you have any suggestions?

If you come to Xinjiang to teach, remember to bring more water. Xinjiang is relatively dry, and express delivery is not convenient. Also, if you go to Xinjiang to teach, you must go for a walk during the holidays. It is really beautiful. But be sure to pay attention to safety.

8. Are there any preparations needed before going to teach?

First of all, it is very important to learn how to cook before teaching. Even if the teaching unit has a canteen, the problem of unaccustomed tastes cannot be avoided; secondly, you must have basic office skills.

The above are the answers to everyone’s common questions. If you choose to teach as a volunteer, you must be prepared to endure loneliness. Be understanding when things happen and don’t always complain. I am also very grateful for this priceless time full of faith and love spent with the people of the Corps

In fact, in my opinion, teaching as a volunteer does not mean suspending school, it is more It's like a very meaningful gap year. If you search for gap?year keywords, you will find that many people want to do something meaningful before the next stage, but many of them are unable to do so due to various reasons. Volunteer education in Xinjiang made me understand that I don’t need to be too entangled in the present, and I don’t need to worry too much about the future. When I really experience something, the scenery in front of me will be different from before.

In fact, during the interview and selection process, I kept asking myself:

"Why do you want to teach?"

After countless questions and answers, I came up with my own firm and simple answer: I want to live more. .

From passing one out of ten interviews to now sitting on the bed in the dormitory of the teaching school, everything seems like a dream.

but?I?will?not?throw?away?my?shot.

Finally, Super Amway Xinjiang is really a good place! Whether you come to support education or travel, I recommend you come to Xinjiang to take a look.