Name: Emma Porter

Year: 2017

Major: Political Science

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going.

This summer I have been teaching English to students in Pingxiang, China with the non-profit organization “Learning Journey in China”. I have never been this far from home, nor have I ever had a full-time teaching position, so this opportunity comes with a lot of new experiences and challenges. We just completed our first session of teaching, and I can observe a boost in confidence in each student’s English communication. We play games and put on performances for each other, all the while they get the opportunity to practice English. My students have been the most creative, thoughtful, talented, and ambitious children I have ever met and have taught me so much, too. They are eager to learn and to share their home with me. One of the students’ favorite activities is KTV (Karaoke), and we often sing American pop songs and dance together during our breaks. Not only am I able to experience a new country, but I have also been able to develop many friendships amongst the other teachers. This shared experience helped each of us grow close in a short amount of time, and we each value the opportunity to explore a new environment and take on new challenges, (of which there has been many). Learning Journey in China has pushed me outside my comfort zone in a way that has strengthened me and has given me new perspectives that I will take with me when I return to Bryn Mawr in the fall and beyond.

My (very silly) intermediate class.

The view from my classroom.