Blogs by Sarah Bucknall
Lessons I learned in my first year of teaching in China
Personal stories
July 16, 2018
I can remember when I first made the decision to move into the challenging world of teaching. I didn’t know what to expect but could foresee the promise of travel and absorption into another culture. I was sold! I gained so much from my...
How I embraced the digital classroom in China
Teaching strategies
December 09, 2017
For many of us, we can remember the sound of chalk scraping along the blackboard. The teacher, almost a dictator, would rarely venture more than an arm’s length away from their main teaching aid. In an ESL classroom in China, the environment...
Is it better to visit China’s cities or villages?
Places
August 21, 2017
Becoming an English teacher in China is most certainly rewarding in itself. But when your feet start to explore this beautiful and diverse country it’s as though you’ve walked into multiple worlds. From towns with ancient ruins to metr...
Using movies in your ESL classroom in China
Teaching strategies
July 15, 2017
Using movies in your ESL classroom in China is really worthwhile. But for me, it wasn’t as easy as just clicking on ‘play’. It was 8:30am and I felt it was too early to be having a debate. We had just had our lesson plans chec...
When the students control the curriculum
Teaching strategies
June 26, 2017
Teaching English in China takes me back to being at school. Some subjects caught my attention, others not so much! With many ESL teaching jobs in training centers, the topics may not be relevant to the students. Or, the topics may be relevant but...
My experience having a teaching assistant in China
Teaching strategies
May 25, 2017
Having a teaching assistant in China is beneficial. Here's my experience. At some point, we've all been subjected to learning a second language. This may be voluntarily for pleasure or, for many, whilst at school and without much of a c...
Becoming an expat in Fuzhou (Part 2)
Personal stories
April 13, 2017
One pastime in China that is unfamiliar to me is the dancing. (Missed Part 1 of Sarah's story? - Read it here first) There are a variety of parks all around Fuzhou, my teach-abroad destination, where the older generation gather to listen to...
Becoming an expat in Fuzhou (Part 1)
Personal stories
April 10, 2017
The long wait for another vacation was never going to satisfy these itchy feet of mine that find it impossible to stay rooted to the ground. The direction I found led me to obtaining a TEFL certificate to teach overseas, and the path I followed b...
