feel in terms of communicating on a deeper level

我們雙方都感覺到了某種程度上的限制

Sometimes, it's funny-- we speak really slowly and use over-the top body

這通常很有趣，我們大多時候都慢慢說

language to express our thoughts

並加上各種肢體語言來表達我們的想法

Teaching on Jinmen I've develop the enthusiasm of a game show host

在金門教學時，我變身為唱作俱佳的綜藝節目主持人

but other times our pantomimes seem more like an exercise in frustration

但大多時候挫折多過於歡笑

I once had a student stand over my desk trying to explain to me something

曾經有一個學生站在了我的辦公桌邊，試著向我解釋當天早上

upsetting that happened at her home that morning

他家裡發生的一些不愉快

a fact I later learned from her homeroom teacher

後來經過她導師的解釋，我才能瞭解事情的全貌

Of course, there's nothing I'd rather do than forge that kind of relationship

我多麼希望

with my students

我可以和坐下來和學生面對面討論

the one where we could discuss their feelings or at least discuss topics

我們對事情的感受，而不是只是問問

more stimulating

"你昨天幾點睡覺"

than what time did you go to bed? but for reasons beyond our control,

這種沒有太多深度的話題。但回到現實世界，

this kind of verbal relationship is out of the question. that's why dance,

我能做的真的不多。這就是為什麼跳舞，

the universal language, has become such an meaningful part of my daily routine here.

這種國際語言，成為我日常生活中很重要的一部分

It's through dance that I feel I can finally collaborate with my students in a way

透過舞蹈，我覺得我終於可以和我的學生們一起完成一些有意義的挑戰

that's significant and challenging for both parties to the encounter.

組織一個快閃舞的想法於焉形成

we had this idea to organize a flashmob on Jinmen

對於金門這個小島來說，我們可以在短時間內吸引觀眾的眼光並引起興趣

We figured it would be fun to introduce this phenomenon to our small

我們想要做的不僅僅是教舞

island,

我們希望能帶起一個跳舞的風氣

we knew we could garner spectators and interest in a short amount of time.

並讓全金門的學生一起共同完成這個表演

We also wanted to do more than just teach a dance class, we wanted to create

這是一段非常愉快的旅程

a dance community

我們到過不同的學校，也認識了很多新同學

with in which students all across the island could work together towards a final goal.

每個學生似乎都很喜歡快閃舞的舞步

It's been a pleasure traveling to the various schools,

但他們更興奮有機會走出校園

and meeting new students.

完成這個壯舉

Everyone seemed to enjoy the choreography element of the flashingmob,

當語言不一定能通時，舞蹈提供了一個自我表達的創意出口

but more than that- they were excited by the opportunity to take part in

更成為建立溝通的橋樑

something that reached beyond their campus walls.

當我是個學生的時候，我總是很享受戶外教學

Where language has failed us, dance has provided an outlet for creative

現在身為一個新手老師，我努力為學生創造一個同時用身體和頭腦

self-expression,

學習英文的空間

and has served as an instrument for building connections

無論是透過游泳、跳舞或是在島上的某個廣場上

As a student, I always enjoyed learning outside of the classroom.

和其他學生一起快閃

Now, as a new teacher I strive to create a space for students to learn

在另一個異國文化環境中生活了五個月

English with their bodies and minds,

我逐漸了解到適當的結合口說和肢體語言

whether through swimming, dance, or flash mobbin' the local square with students

是有效的溝通的不二法門

from around the island.

所以在課堂上，我告訴我的學生

Having lived in a cross-cultural context for five months,

學英文是可以很有創意的，可以不只是強記單詞字彙

I continue to realize how healthy integration of verbal communication

我想，如果我們都可以在快樂的跳舞的同時學英文

and bodily cues is crucial for effective communication.

那麼我們不僅能激發新的溝通技巧

So in the classroom, I want to teach my kids that learning English can be more

並能看到互相不同的面貌，加深對彼此的認識

than memorizing vocabulary

在11月校慶時

and that it can ultimately be a creative outlet. My thinking is that if we can have fun

我藉機觀察到學生

and let it all out while moving within foreign

在我課堂以外的表現

language, well not only ignite new communication skills,

從傳統的擊鼓表演、現代舞

but also meet each other in a new realm. At my school's anniversary celebration in

體育競賽等

the November,

亞瑟，一個四年級末段班的小流氓

I was able to watch my students interact and move around outside

他的擊鼓表演的張力震撼了我

of class through traditional druming performances, contemporary dance and

也激發了我把更多音樂與運動的元素結合到我的英語教學

sports contents.

同樣地，我也透過參加在當地大學提供的有氧課程來練習我的中文

Arthur, a back-row hooligan in the fourth grade, wowed me with his expressive

學習不同的肢體律動

drumming, and inspired me

並加強了我和我的夥伴教師之間的連結

to further incorporate music and movement into my teaching.

我希望透過這些教學，可以灌輸信心給讓我的學生們

Similarly, I've strengthened my relationship with my LET outside of school through

讓他們勇於用他們

aerobics class

最擅長的方式去溝通

at the local university, where I pracice my Chinese and express myself to a

生活在異地加上語言隔閡，每天下課後

different beat.

最輕鬆的選擇是回到舒適圈，待在只說英語的傅爾布萊特朋友身邊

I hope that these teaching methods instill confidence within the students to

這樣我就不用絞盡腦汁

communicate with whichever tools are most comfortable

用我有限的中文來跟在地人交流

and natural for them. While living in a foreign country

然而，這樣我就放棄了許多瞭解金門豐富文化資產

with an unfamiliar language, it would have been easy to come home after school each

的重要機會

day

也損失了認識金門朋友的可能性。我用來闖蕩金門的兩句話

and retreat my own Eglish-speaking bubble within the Fulbright community.

包括

This would have required less effort and energy than racking my brain to use my

"洗手間在哪裡?"

limited Chinese to communicate with locals.

和"我想要一碗牛肉麵"

But then I would have missed out on Jinmen's many cultural offerings as well as

在我的課堂上並不靈光

the opportunity to meet

因此我決定報名加入社區大學的課程

the friendly people call Jinmen HOME. I decided to involve myself in the

我選擇中國傳統舞蹈的主因之一

community

是在跳舞時，我並不需要瞭解老師說的每一句話

by registering for classes at the Community College. Since my go-to

舞蹈是一種世界共通語言，透過它我們可以傳達思想和情感

phrases of

也因為和舞蹈班的同學有共同的興趣

"where's the bathroom?" and "I would like a bowl of beef noodle soup"

我們也變成了好朋友

were little use in class, I was forced to improve my Chinese communication skills.

中國舞蹈更激發我對在地的文化的興趣

One reason that I joined a traditional Chinese dance class to participate

我非常期待以後回到美國以後

without needing to understand every word the teachers said.

和我的美國學生分享我在金門所學到的舞蹈

Dance is a universal language through which ideas and emotions can be expressed

就像我能透過舞蹈

I was able to develop relationships with some women in the clss

跟我在金門的學生分享美國文化一般

through our shared interest in expression through movement.

今年秋天，我換了所學校，開始在金湖國小工作

Chinese dance also motivated me to learn more about the local culture.

我和之前的學生們一起參與快閃

I look forward to sharing what I learned in this dance class with my future

藉由這樣和他們保持聯繫

students in the states,

週末時

just as I was able to share aspects of American culture through dance with my

早上和學生約在六年級教室

students in Jinmen.

準備開始練舞

In the fall, i switch schools and began working at Jihu Elementry.

還記得在當我在中正國小

Participating in the Jinmen and flashmob has enabled me to continue a

走進教室時

relationship with my former students.

我看見了一群滿臉興奮但困惑、睡眼惺忪的小臉

On weekends, I wake up early in the morning

我開始表演舞蹈後

to meet with my former students -whom, of their own accord,

有些學生覺得很興奮，有些則是有點猶豫、害羞

gather in the sixth grade classroom of the school campus to dance

但到了最後，整間教室的學生都動了起來，他們非常享受當下的舞蹈，玩得非常開心。

I remember walking into the classroom at Zhong Zheng elementary

我教的這種舞蹈是一種傳統的非洲舞蹈-Skelesu

in the morning and facing a classroom

廣受當地大眾媒體

of excited, sleepy, bewildered and intrigued sixth graders.

及國際的喜愛

I performed the dance for them and some were immediately excited

來金門之前

and some were hesitant and skeptical.

我從沒想過會藉由這支舞蹈

In the end, the entire classroom was learning the dance and enjoying themselves.

來分享我奈及利亞祖先的文化遺產

The particular dance and i tought- the "skelewu"

此外，我更從來沒有想到教舞

is a Nigerian dance currently circulating in the African media

會加強我們之間的關係

as well as internationally.

舞蹈是一種奇妙的媒介，因為它不需要文字就可發展成一個故事

Prior to coming here, I never would have imagined sharing my Nigerian American

透過這次經驗，我的學生不是只學到了

heritage

一個個的舞蹈動作

through dance with students on Jinmen. Moreover,

而更是了解多元文化與傳承

I nI never would have thought that teaching thithis dance would have strengthened our

舞蹈最美的地方是不用透過文字便能溝通

relationship.

今年初，我來自台灣的同事相當熱情，非常地歡迎我

Dance is a wonderful medium because it tells a story without words,

但我知道在我們之間有著語言的隔閡

and through this experience I have been able to teach my students not the steps

有限的字彙，總阻礙著我們的溝通

of a dancing toutine,

從九月到十一月

but about diversity.

所有的老師都參加了在我學校舉辦每週一次的健美操舞蹈班

The beautiful thing about dance is that you don't need words to communicate.

在這種環境下，我們離開了我們的舒適圈

At the beginning of the year, my Taiwanese colleagues were friendly and welcoming,

搖晃我們的臀部跳恰恰，雖然感到有點笨笨呆呆的

but I was certainly aware of the barrier between us. My limited

但它有助於打破僵局。

Chinese and their limited English restricted our communication.

透過這些課程

From September through November, all of the teachers at my school attended a weekly

我感覺到與同事

aerobics dance class together.

處在同一個空間不那麼拘謹了

In this environment, we all felt silly and out of our comfort zones,

隨著時間的變化，放學後

shaking our hips and doing the cha cha but it helped break

我們開始會一起吃晚餐或喝茶聊天

the ice.

這個活動的高潮，是我們校慶100週年的表演

Through these classes, I was able to get to know my coworkers

從服裝搭配到所有的準備工作，對我們來說是一場大秀

in a sace that felt less formal and where I felt less conscious

藉此我融入了學校這大家庭，就像是多年的老朋友一樣

of differences between us.

我的人際關係持續增長

As time went on, my coworkers started to reach out to me,

現在，不論我獨自或協同教學

inviting me to chat me relax over tea or dinner after school.

本地老師們更願意幫助我，並嘗試和我用英語溝通

The culmination of our aerobics class was a teacher performance at our school's

隨著時間增長

100th

我們的相處更加融洽

anniversary.

我想這要歸功於舞蹈課

It was quite a show, matching outfits and all.

提供了培養友誼的平台

I felt like a real part of my school's family, like I was among friends.

在金門教課的經驗對我來說比較像是場冒險

My relationships have continued to grow, and now,

一開始我並不清楚學生們的英語程度，加上我的學生是高年級的班級，我感到有些緊張

teachers are more willing to help me in the classroom when I'm teaching alone,

因為這年齡層的孩子比較有自己的主見。學年剛開始時很順利，我也希望這能持續下去

and are more open to trying to communicate with me in English.

與學生建立一個良好的關係對我來說很重要

Whhile the improvement in our relationship is obviously due to

無論是在校內或是校外，我相信我都做到了這一點

the increase comfort that grows with time, I really do credit our dance class

在課堂上我總希望嘗試用有趣、活潑或合作等教學方法

for providing the platform upon which I have been able

這讓我有機會去了解我的學生，也讓他們

to cultivte this friendships.

增加自信心

My teaching experience in Jinmen has been an adventure. I didn't know what to expect in terms of

當然，這不是完美的

the student's English skills, and I was nervous about teaching upper elementary

有些學生比較害羞而有些則是調皮，要讓這些學生一起

at the age kids are sassy. The school year started off smoothly and has continued to be so.

加入是有點困難，特別是因為一些班級有多達20多個學生

Forming a good relationship with my student is important to me,

這就是為什麼我喜歡在課餘時間與他們互動，例如午餐時間或課外活動

and I believe I was able to do that both in and out of class.

我可以了解學生在其他環境中的表現，知道他們各式各樣的才華

In class I've tried to teach through fun, dynamic and coopertive and activities.

我高年級的學生大多對於英語和美國文化很感興趣

These classes offer me opportunities to get to know my students and for them to gain

特別是歌曲，電影或音樂影片

confidence.

瞭解到我的學生如此喜歡音樂和舞蹈後，我知道我們的快閃舞計畫

Of course, no class is perfect-

將會很適合他們

some students are shy while others are nughty. Connecting with these students

當LEAH來學校教舞時，許多孩子既興奮又緊張

can be difficult, especially since some classes have up to 20 students.

有些舞蹈動作是比較困難的，那些自我意識強的學生

That's why I enjoy time outside of class, such as lunch or extracurricular

立刻就想放棄

activities,

但我知道他們只是需要一些鼓勵和不斷地練習，就會發現他們自己的潛力

when I can see my students in other environments and learn about their talents.

我們第二天再一次練習，把每一個步驟慢慢地教

Most of my older students have become interested in English language

讓每個人都可以跟上

an American culture- often through songs, movies, or music videos.

雖然有些學生會抱怨，但課程最後總是以歡笑收尾

Having seen how much my students enjoy music and dance, I knew that our project would

我喜歡教舞，因為它給了我一個機會

be perfect for them.

讓我與學生建立友誼的橋梁，幫助他們克服種種挑戰

When Leah visited my school to help teach the dance, many were both excited

我想他們是因為上課沒有壓力所以感覺相當興奮吧

and nervous, some of the dance moves were difficult and the sassier your students wanted to give up

他們也學了金門其他所學校學生的舞蹈

almost immediately,

努力的成果將在最後的表演呈現出來

but I knew they just needed an extra push and more practice to realize their potential.

在山外的公車站的快閃舞令大家十分興奮

We practice again the next day, breaking down each part slowly

家人、朋友們都特別前來觀看我們的舞蹈

so everyone could master the steps.

在地等車的乘客也都感到驚喜

Even though some students complained, class always ended in laughter and smiles.

這個活動將學生原本消極的態度轉化為積極的行動

I enjoy teaching the dnce because it gave me another opportunity

而我讓他們認識到舞蹈再加一點點創意就能展現出...

to connect with my students and help them over come a challenge.

"我最型"

I think they were excited to be in class with no pressure.

They were also excited to learned the same dace as so many other students in Jinmen.

All of their hard work finally came together in the final performance.

Performing the flashmob in Shanwai bus station was exhilarating-

family and friends came to watch us all dance

Locals waiting for the bus aslo pleasantly surprised.

By channeling some students' more negative attitudes into a positive activity,

help them realize that mixing dance and sass can only produce

one thing: Swag