Good Luck, Little Lady

All the best China Girl! I wish you success in your endeavour to master a langauge that's alien to you yet one that you've shown to be within your ability to grasp and 'tame'.

> Thanks for the compliment Mr. Kanoi, Sir. I do not if my contents
> will be of any help, but if it is then I hope it will send a message
> to educators back home. I am still a student and I know that I still
> have a mountain to climb as far as my English is concern.

> I will be returning to Singapore tomorrow and when I'm there I will
> not be making any more postings. I will still drop in like I've been
> doing for the past 4 months to read and learn as much as I can from
> all the great teachers in here.

You are right in not wanting to post here because your interest lies in study and there's little point in wasting your energy on what is often a futile attempt to change that which refuses to change. But 'soft' water can wear down hard rocks, in time. And, that is what some of us, outcast teachers, must do!

> Thanks again Mr. Kanoi and all the teachers here. Every tiny bits of
> words and phrases that I've read and learned from all of you and I
> still will will go a long way. Thank you very much.

As that famous saying in China goes, "A thousand mile journey must begin with a single step" - you have already taken some of those steps - now keep at it. Hopefully, some day in the future you might be the one and yours might be the voice that will bring the necessary change in the China/Asia educational system.

Thanks, China Girl for the Truth and a Students' Perspective

> I am a Secondary 4 Chinese student studying in Singapore and I'd like
> to voice the truth about our education system.

> Employers and schools in China are only interested in money. My
> parents paid through their nose to get me an education during my
> early schooling days in China and in return what did I get. Nothing,
> absolutely nothing. If they do really care about our education they
> would have taken the cue from Singapore.

> They have Indians, Pakistanis, Malays and Chinese teaching English in
> all their government schools. Every major subjects taught over here
> is in English. They do not need any "white native speakers"
> to teach them English. And if we were to compare the level of English
> between their secondary school students and most of the English
> majors in Chinese universities - the difference, your guess is as
> good as mine.

> Is that not proof enough that Non-Native Speakers are on par if not
> better than any ordinary white faces teaching in China. .

> .
> This is my fourth year in Singapore. When I first arrived I was
> shocked as my English was nowhere near any of my present classmates.
> My head-teacher a Chinese man was very patient with me and got me
> through all the difficulties.

> I hope the authorities back home right the system and not judge on
> colours. May the teachers be the colours of my 12 beautiful coloured
> pencils, they are teachers. My English teacher in Singapore is not
> White but a respected teacher.

Finally, TRUTH! Unadulterated Truth!

Thanks, China Girl from Singapore, for the courage to post your comments without fear or prejudice on such a board as this. And what's more telling is the way you've stated it - in good, coherent, perfect English.

Do I have your permission to use the contents of your post in future? Please drop me a line, if I do.