Working in Guangdong, China: The teaching experiences of a Canadian teacher in the People's Republic of China

Even though the People's Republic of China (PRC) has often viewed the influences of Western educational thought as a controversial issue, an ever-greater number of foreign teachers are teaching the Chinese student population. The state educational goals of China, coupled with traditional Chinese values about the role of education, have usually conflicted with foreign educational influence and foreign teaching practices. This phenomenon, in turn, has led to a general misunderstanding of Western teaching practices found in China. As a result, some Chinese have perceived foreigners as promoting Western influence, political instability, and moral decay while others have perceived them as sound educational theorists and contemporary advisors that will modernize this developing country pedagogically.; Personally I observed this scholastic clash of cultures while working as a teacher in the PRC (1995--1998) and the purpose of this study is to critically reflect upon my experience in this context. By revisiting my experience through narratives of teaching moments and using literature to critically examine those events, I have learned about some common issues faced by foreigners in Chinese classrooms. Thus, this study contributes to the body of personal experience data of overseas teachers and also illuminates the cultural misunderstandings that often take place in classrooms abroad. Equally as important to these findings is the fact that a greater understanding of my own teaching experience in the PRC has developed my own pedagogy and helped me further interpret my own teaching practices and cultural awareness as an educator.