“Are You Insane?!” Teaching Through the Night on GEW 2021
By Kyleigh Melville
“Are you insane?!”
This was the most common reaction I received from friends and family when I told them that for 3 weekends this summer, I would be staying up from 1:30 – 10:30 AM BST to teach Japanese high school students from my little attic room in London.
And I am not going to lie, a couple days before our training weekend, I asked myself:
“Are you going to be up for this?”
I have been working and volunteering in education roles since I was a teenager, but GEW 2021 was my first time teaching ESL. I was worried given the virtual nature of the camp, and my inexperience in this particular kind of teaching, that I wouldn’t be able to give my students an enjoyable and meaningful experience.
But all of my doubts vanished as soon as I met my first group of students. Seeing their shy, kind faces and listening to their timid self-introductions reminded me of all those years back in my hometown of Toronto, where I spent every Saturday trying to learn Mandarin and would panic every time my grandparents asked me to order dim sum for the family in my broken speech.
Seeing my students trying their best to speak through their own nerves … how could I not but bring it my all in return? Over the course of the program, these are some of the things that made remote teaching more enjoyable!
1. Have a small whiteboard!
I wanted to show my students that I was present and actively listening. I think one of the worst feelings is when you are speaking about something important and your audience just fazes out. By having a whiteboard and markers on hand, I was able to take personal notes, draw or write out ideas for the students to consider, and play Pictionary and word games for icebreakers! Students (and coaches!) also appreciated whenever I drew encouraging notes to share after Life Mission speeches and at Closing Ceremonies.
2. Break it down!
As a psychology major, I know an effective method in helping students learn is to break down their learning task into smaller, more manageable chunks. Teaching virtually may not allow us to be in the same room together, but with virtual interfaces like Canva, you can break down learning material in an engaging and visually attractive manner.
3. Get moving!
Movement breaks are so important to help students (and coaches!) stay focused but also relaxed. Sitting in a chair and being on Zoom for eight hours isn’t the healthiest position to put our bodies in but with plenty of breaks, and the occasional Sid Shuffle, we can keep everyone engaged and energised for learning! (No flatmates were woken up by my dancing thankfully!)
4. Be yourself!
When my Homeroom leader suggested each of the coaches lead a hobby breakout room, I immediately signed myself up to lead an Anime and Manga room. And was it worth staying up an extra 2 hours to create a quiz? Absolutely. The students loved it and several wanted to show me their own manga collections, figurines and give recommendations on what I should read next! I also showed my students the view from my bedroom window, my bookshelf and my giant Totoro plushie. GEW is all about fostering global connections and meeting people you may not normally meet, and the students greatly appreciated whenever I shared pieces of my life with them. And I felt just as excited and happy whenever they shared pieces of their life with me!
5. Smile!
This may sound simple, but I when it’s 4 AM and you’re on your 3rd cup of tea and your discussing Sustainable Development Goals, it can be rough to keep the energy up. But in the messages my students left behind, there was one thing all of them kept saying: “Thank you for smiling the whole time, even when I was feeling nervous.” Teaching virtually can feel very detached, and this curriculum challenges students to speak about personal things in a language they don’t normally speak in. As their teacher, I wanted to make sure they could all see how happy I was to be there for this small, but significant, milestone in their journeys to becoming the people they want to be. And whenever they smiled back, I knew they were happy too.
GEW 2021 was only 78 hours but in that time, I had the privilege to teach 18 wonderful students, each with their own unique mission to make the world a better place. I was able to be a part of Homeroom 6, a group of coaches and two leaders who made teaching through the night something I looked forward to! And I can’t thank TOSHIN staff enough for all of their support whenever one of my students would be lost in the technological void of Zoom breakout rooms.
Now that it’s over, I think the most remarkable thing about GEW 2021 was that even though it was completely virtual, not for one moment did I feel alone. And in the midst of a pandemic, where being alone was a common painful reality for so many, I cannot express how special and comforting this experience was for me.
I know now, more than ever, that teaching and working with students is my strongest passion and I can’t wait to teach on this program in-person or virtually next year!