Republic of the Philippines

Philippine Normal University

The National Center for Teacher Education
Mindanao
 
The Multicultural Education Hub
Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur

ED701| SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Submitted by:
JECEL MONTI-EL
MA ELE student

Submitted to:
PROF. JEANETTE TIBAY GONGORA
Course Professor
 “The Lived Experiences of an EFL/ESL Teacher in China”

Interviewee’s Background

Full Name: Karen May Elladora Balawag

Age: 36
Major: Bachelor in Elementary School
Year Graduated: 2017
School Graduated: Philippine Normal University-
Mindanao
Country: China
Status: Widow

Ma’am Karen is a widow. Her husband died during the Marawi siege, six
months after their wedding. I have known her and her siblings for six years
now because of a campus organization at PNU called Inter-Varsity Christian
Fellowship (IVCF).

1. What are your top 3 reasons for working

abroad?

It was not really my intention to work in China; however, there is an

opportunity for me to study in China during that time. There is a
government scholarship offered for me in the Armed Forces of the
Philippines, so I grab the opportunity, and after graduation, that is
the peak of the pandemic, so instead of going home, I have the offer
from school that they will give me a work visa and I will just stay in
China and work for their school, because they are looking for a
teacher because they are really in need of teachers at that time
because some of the teachers go home and they cannot enter
mainland China. So, there was really an opportunity for me.
 But, if you ask me why I worked and stayed in another country, I will
tell you that I accepted the offer because of the following reasons:

First, I really wanted to travel all over China. I want to

experience the culture, how the people live in China, how the
government works under Communism, and I really want to
experience the Great Wall of China, Tsimen Square, and other
places in China. The second is, the salary; really, the salary in China
is like four times the salary in the Philippines. And I reasoned that if I
worked here for two years, I might be able to repay my debts in the
Philippines. The third reason is that I really wanted to experience the
educational system in China because I know that is really different
from our country.

2. Why do you want to be an ESL teacher abroad rather

than in the Philippines?

My two-year contract has ended, and I am already in the Philippines.

However, it is really my plan and desire to go back to China. I just
really hope that I could find an agent or school that could sponsor me
for a work visa again.

As I previously stated, there is a significant wage disparity between

the Philippines and China, which is why I wanted to work abroad.
And I can tell you that with a Chinese salary, you can live
comfortably, buy whatever you want, pay off your debts, and,
most importantly, save a lot. Second, you can really feel relaxed
in China, even though other schools require you to make a lesson
plan and instructional materials; in my case, I do not need to do that
because I have a TA, or teacher assistant. I will just instruct my
TA to do the lesson plan for me and make the IMs. So, when I
arrive in the classroom, I already have the lesson plan, the IMs, and
other things that I need for the class.

3. What is the advantage of working abroad?

So, there are really advantages to working abroad. For me, I have seen
positive output and how they have run the school there, the good
practices they used, and the class schedule. And I can really learn a
lot about why their kids are smart, why they can easily learn, and why
their teachers are just relaxed. "Hala pwde man diay ingon ani no?"
I can truly say. For example, "Nap Time." Their nap time is quite long
 with all the beds and free food; the teacher has a nap time as well.
These things are not available in the Philippines.

4. Are there any difficulties/problems you encountered

as an ESL teacher abroad?

Yes, there are difficulties. There are a lot of difficulties, but I will just
share with you the problems that I have encountered that made me sick.

The first one is how the parents comment regarding my accent. Since
I am an ESL teacher, parents expected me to sound like a native speaker.
Sometimes as well, parents wanted the teacher to be a perfect one.

The second difficulty is my assistant teacher. My TA is not really good

in English because she is Chinese. So, because of that, it was difficult for
me to give instructions, especially during game time with the kids. In
China, the parents wanted their kids, to be happy, to always learn
through play, to be participative in class, and many more things. So, in
every class, there will always be a game embedded in my lesson plan. So,
sometimes, my TA and I have times in which we cannot understand each
other, most especially in giving directions for the game. The instructions
for the game are in English and must be translated to Chinese because
the kids are not yet acquainted with the language. So, I worked in a
training center. However, they sent me in the kindergarten and in the day
care center as well. These are quiet far from my home station, and I need
to ride a motorcycle, and I do not know how to drive, however, I really
need to learn right then because I have no choice at all.

5. What are your solutions to the problems you've

encountered?
For the solutions, I watched pronunciation videos. I watched grammar
correction videos because I am not very good at it. After watching, I
practiced speaking and then watched videos again; in short, I practice
 a lot. Before I have my class, I make sure to practice for mastery,
particularly in the pronunciation.

So, for my assistant teacher, who doesn't speak much English, I

usually give her the script so she can read it and become familiar with
the game instructions. She needs to do it because she will translate it
into Chinese.
About the motorcycle, I really had practice my bike and then tried the
motorcycle then after 3 months, I know how to drive already.

6. What are the adjustments you have made there?

Before I became an ESL teacher there, I was a student in China for

two years. So, for the adjustments, I only had difficulty adjusting
to and coping with their language and culture. For me, these are
the major adjustments that I really need to make.

I simply familiarized myself with the basic words that I would need to
communicate with them. For example, "Unsaon pagpalit," "kung
asa moadto," and things like these. Another thing, Chinese are
very hardworking people. They do not really waste time, for them time
is really gold. These things pressured me during my stay there. I was
burn out due to coping with their language and culture.

My first two years in China, I really had to make huge adjustments to

the Chinese culture and their food, and of course, I really felt home
sickness. This was really my biggest problem; being away from my
family and living there alone was very difficult. It is indeed true that
money cannot replace our families. I really appreciate people who
always choose to work abroad rather than stay with their families.
Christmas and New Year's celebrations cannot be felt when celebrated
alone and away from family.
7. What are the best practices and best teaching
strategies you have learned abroad that could be used
in the Philippine setting?

So for the best practices, “ganahan kayo ko ani nga topic gyud.”
So, for the best practices that I really wanted to share, the school in
China will have a nap time from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,
regardless of level. As you can see, their nap time is quite long. For
graders, they usually sleep during their nap time. For high school and
college, their nap time will be used to go to the library and to study.
However, they (the Chinese) would usually sleep during lunch. It is
because they really wanted to recharge.

In my opinion, this is really true. When it is already lunchtime,

learners are tired already, so in the afternoon, they would be passive
learners. So in China, they really have nap time so that in the
afternoon, the lessons will be internalized properly. This practice, I
believe, should be adopted by our country, particularly in primary
schools.

Then there's the fact that, unlike in the Philippines, they don't have
"taring-taring kayo" in their classrooms. The teachers would spend
their own money to beautify their classroom. In China, they are not
like that, they are more into instructional materials and
Montessori toys, which can be used by the learners. I think these
are really important, more than the "taring-taring."

Third, in China, there are three (3) teachers and one (1) foreign
teacher in one classroom; one lead teacher, one assistant
teacher, and one nanny. The nanny will be the assistant for the
learners' personal needs inside the classroom. Then me their (ESL
teacher). If there is no foreign teacher, the classroom usually has
three (3) teachers. So, there are 4o learners in one classroom, for
 example; however, the teachers are just relax because the ratio will be
1:10 only.

Compared to the Philippines, there is only one teacher in the

classroom to handle both the teaching and the personal needs of the
learners. If we can't have a classroom like China, we can at least
modify to have two teachers in the classroom, one main teacher and
one assistant teacher, or reduce the number of students in one
classroom. 

8. What types of learners are you handling there?

So, I was teaching 6months old babies until 3 years old. My

difficulty is that, I do not have experience with the milestones of 6-
month-old babies. Because that time I do not have a baby yet. So, at
that time, I did not have an idea of the abilities of the 6-month-old
babies. So, what I did was: I needed to memorize what was written in
the book, and I needed to make an outline for that. And it was
extremely exhausting because it took so long. Aside from that, I need
to be energetic, and I need to have extra energy because if I am not,
the baby won’t be happy.

9. Write a reflection on your chosen job.

To be honest, I enjoyed being an educator during my two years

teaching in China. I was once a public-school teacher in our country;
however, I wasn’t able to enjoy my role as a teacher because of our
educational system. We have a lot of students per classroom, and we
only have one teacher to teach them. One more thing: we cannot focus
on teaching the learners because there are urgent reports to submit.
The teachers are bombarded with administrative work.

The salary of the teachers here is okay if you are only a family of four
plus the parents are both working, if not, the teacher will be in debt.
 Apart from the salary, the teachers are constantly bombarded with
urgent reports and other administrative tasks. To be an educator is a
calling and a gift from above, however, there are some educators who
are experiencing burnout because of our educational system.

But sincerely, I have no regrets about this job. I chose this profession,
not because we are a family of teachers, but because I heard my
parents and saw how happy they are when they receive feedback from
their former students. Hearing their former students thank my
parents is so fulfilling, therefore, I wanted to become like them
because I also wanted to make a difference in this wide world.

Screenshots of the Conversation

 Investigatory Paper
Instructions: Write a 3-page Investigatory Paper based on the
interview you conducted. Have your own title; template or
Format is free-versed. Do not forget to substantiate your stand
with the results from local/foreign studies or from any
authorities/sources. References using APA, 6th.ed. will be
reflected at the end of your paper.
I will choose to have this format:
a. Introduction
b. Significance of the Interview
c. Results and Discussion
d. Reflection
e. Acknowledgement

Kareen Balawag's Personal Experiences as an ESL Teacher in

China: The Drawbacks in Focus
A. Introduction
The Philippines' educational system is still in constant change for
betterment compared to other established educational systems
all over the world. As a third-class nation, the Philippines cannot
provide comparable pay to its teachers. As a result, Filipino
teachers consider working abroad due to economic reasons.
Moreover, teaching in foreign schools has become an option for
both experienced and young teachers (Slethaug, 2007).

However, only a few realized that teachers abroad encountered

emotional battles every day, such as homesickness for their loved
ones (Alghamdi &Otte, 2016; Haligcioglu, 2015). They also
encountered new curricula (Altun, 2015). At some point, teachers
got shocked by new practices such as differences in values,
beliefs, and habits (Haligcioglu, 2015). In addition, teachers
experienced discrimination and language difficulties with their
students due to cultural differences (Alghamdi &Otte, 2016;
Ellwood, 2015). As a result, teachers doubled their effort to
sound like a native speaker and sort out the best strategies to
learn the English language perfectly.

B. Significance of the Interview

The rationale of this interview is to know the reasons of a Filipino

teacher who works as an ESL teacher in China, the advantages of
working there, her lived experiences as an ESL Filipino teacher,
the best practices and best teaching strategies she learned
abroad that could be used in the Philippine setting and her
reflection on the chosen job.

c. Results and Discussion

The interview is made through virtual due to its distant and
availability of the interviewee. Kareen Balawag is now a full-
time mom to his first child to her second husband.

I prepared a structured questions to be answered by the

Interviewee. The answers are in a form of a voice message and
been translated. I had my follow up questions after her
answers being encoded for clarifications.
There were varieties of challenges that Kareen encountered
while teaching in China as ESL teacher. She experienced
culture shock with the values, beliefs, and habits of Chinese.
Second, she struggles with home sickness. Despite the
enormous motivation to take the risk, she still experienced
drawbacks that had significantly affected her during her stay
in China. It could be said that the drawbacks could be further
classified into emotional and cultural drawbacks.

Theme 1: Emotional drawbacks

Alghamdi &Otte (2016) insisted that teaching abroad is
associated with homesickness and psychological battles. From
the responses collected, Kareen statements manifested
homesickness. She felt nostalgic when she missed a family
gathering or badly wanted to see her family members since
Filipino did have close family ties. This feeling could be normal
for everyone, but Kareen’s nostalgia had more profound and
more intense emotions since she could not travel back home
for another years until the boarders are open and the travel
ban is being lifted.

Theme 2: Cultural Drawbacks

Besides the emotional distress Kareen have experienced, she
also recounted some struggling experiences caused by cultural
differences such as language barriers differences in accent,
English speaking proficiency level, and lack of vocabulary.
Kareen experienced language difficulties with her
students due to cultural differences (Alghamdi &Otte, 2016).
 As Kareen recounted:
“I felt the need to learn Chinese, so I can translate my
lessons to my students. Sometimes, students resorted to
using their language when they run out of English words.”

d. Reflection

From what I have learned from Ma’am Kareen’s experienes, I

realized that Teachers abroad were not always blessed with
memorable and pleasant circumstances. They also experienced
emotional drawbacks that pertained to extreme homesickness
towards their immediate and extended families, especially
during occasions. There were also cultural drawbacks such as
language barriers brought about by their students’ differences
in accent, English speaking proficiency level, and lack of
vocabulary. Teachers also became willing victims to
psychological drawbacks such as burnouts and depression
due to the thought that they failed in meeting the expectations
and in letting their students learn more. The lived experiences
were detrimental to their job and other tasks entrusted to
them as teachers.

e. Acknowledgement

The interviewer expressed heartfelt gratitude to Ma'am Kareen

Balawag for willingly sharing her experiences. Among the five
casual friends, she was the only one who responded quickly to
my message on Facebook, and the rest had only seen message.
She made my Investigatory paper possible.
Citations

Alase, A. (2017). The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA): A guide to an

excellent qualitative research approach. International Journal of Education & Literacy
Studies,5(2),1-12. http://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.5n.2p.9

Alghamdi, H. and Otte, S. (2016). The challenges and benefits of studying abroad.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 6(5), 1-7. http://www.ij

Ellwood, S. (2015). School board strengthening new international partnerships;

EDUCATION: Sending teachers abroad to gain cultural experience. Observer’s News.
https://bit.ly/2WZMG2k [12] Expat Quotes. (2020).

Slethaug G. (2007). Teaching abroad: International education and the cross-cultural

classroom. Hongkong: Lammar Offset Printing Ltd. https://hkupress.hku.hk/pro/con/865.pdf