Despite the technical difficulties of having a video call connect students all the way across the globe together, we were able to have an informative and eye-opening moment of sharing our language and culture with the kids from Zhangjiajie. It’s one thing to make videos for the children at Zhangjiajie, but the experience of being face to face with some of the children who we were able to reach with our videos made the reality of what we were doing clear to me.

 

Hearing the kids speak English to us and ask us for tips for further study reminded me of the time I spent teaching English to preschoolers in rural Shanghai, connected by the same eager for knowledge that we take for granted here. After seeing American elementary school students detest school, fall asleep, and take our wonderful education system for granted, it is sobering to be reminded that our education is truly a privilege. I was very grateful to be a part of something that allowed other kids to share our culture and language, one video conference at a time.

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- Elaine C