#My100Days: Working as a teacher’s assistant in Taiwan
Clara Sudol (CGS ‘21), used the gap semester as an opportunity to get out of her comfort zone. Clara spent the semester in Taiwan where she worked as a teacher’s assistant in an elementary school. We spoke to her about her time abroad and how it prepared her to succeed at BU.
What made you choose to attend BU and CGS?
When I started applying to colleges, I wanted a school that would help me get out of my comfort zone, as well as help me discover who I am and what I want in life. Boston was the perfect distance away from home. It’s close enough for me to drive back to New York during long weekends, and far enough away for me to stay in the dorms. Also, I really wanted to go to a big college in a big city, because I could never be bored in a metropolitan area. Boston is just such a gorgeous, historic place, and when I toured Boston University, I could really picture myself there.
However, what really convinced me was the College of General Studies program. I liked the idea of students getting to frontload their general requirement courses during their freshman and sophomore years of school and getting a strong foundation in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and writing. As someone who’s undecided, being able to get a lot of these general education courses out of the way while simultaneously taking other classes towards a possible major sounded like a great option.
What major are you considering pursuing after CGS? Why does that interest you?
I’m currently deciding between something in communications or early education. During my senior year of high school, I interned at a film production company and did everything from managing their social media to helping out on set. I’d be open to other fields besides film, such as journalism, advertising, and media science. To me, communications seems creative, and I’d like to think of myself as someone who could thrive in a creative field.
Another career that seems creative to me is education, and from my experience, every day is different and fun. I’ve had a lot of experience with kids, from being a literacy advocate for elementary schoolers to being a camp counselor for grades 2-9, and I’ve loved each opportunity that I’ve had. But what really spiked my love for teaching was interning in the classroom of my former kindergarten teacher. It really inspired me to go back to the classroom that I began learning in, and help others find a love for learning, just like I did.
What did you do over your gap semester?
During my gap semester, I wanted to go abroad so I could get out of my comfort zone, as well as find something meaningful that could help me narrow down a major. Even though I knew that being alone in a different country would make me nervous, I realized that working in a foreign place would be an incredible opportunity and that I should jump at the chance. I wanted real-world experience and I knew that if I pushed myself to try something totally new, I could begin to discover the best version of myself. After applying for internships and teaching aid positions at numerous schools, I was given the chance to work at Hsinchu County American School, in Zhubei, Taiwan, where I worked as a teacher’s assistant and substitute teacher for elementary school students.
Had you been to Taiwan before? What made you decide to go there?
My mother is Taiwanese, and I have a few family members around the country, so when I was younger, my parents and I would visit them every other year. Last year, my mother helped me get dual citizenship; I have a Taiwanese passport and National Identification Card, so I have permission to live and work in Taiwan. I chose to look for internships there so I could experience life as a Taiwanese citizen and explore the country, since I had only been to two cities in Taiwan, Taipei and Taichung. I’m proud to say that I’ve gotten the chance to explore and discover several other amazing cities. I also wanted to visit my family and improve my Chinese. When I first got to Taiwan, I only knew basic phrases in Chinese. But as the months went on, my Chinese improved greatly, and now, I can hold conversations and communicate with my family, without constantly using Google Translate.
Why did you choose this internship? How did you learn about it?
When I visited Taiwan this past May, I applied and interviewed at several places to find an internship for my gap semester. I searched for schools that were looking for teachers and emailed tons of places to ask if they’d be willing to take an intern or student teacher. I ultimately ended up choosing to intern at HCAS. When I was interviewed by the principal, he gave me and my mom an extensive tour of their elaborate facilities. All the staff members were immediately so friendly and welcoming, even though I wasn’t yet a part of the team. Throughout my time there, their attitudes remained kind-hearted and generous, which really helped Taiwan feel like home for me. I could truly sense a strong feeling of community and cooperativeness, which is remarkable for a private school that’s only about four years old.
In addition to the wonderful community, they offered me my own room in the teacher’s dorm on the top floor of the school, as well as lunch in the cafeteria every day for free. I really liked the convenience of being able to live at school, and I feel like living in a dorm helped me prepare for college a little bit. I had to get used to meeting and depending on people within the dorm. Thankfully, Hsinchu County is pretty much in the middle of Taichung and Taipei, the two cities where I have family members, and the High Speed Railroad Station is a ten minute walk from the school. The nearby HSR helped me see my family, either North or South, in about thirty minutes, which helped me feel more secure.
Finally, since HCAS is an American school, they immerse their students in the English language to encourage learning in and out of the classroom, and the students and I only spoke English to one another, except during their Chinese classes. The school primarily teaching all the students in English improved their speaking and listening skills each day, and I don’t think that I would have been able to help the tenth graders with their ESL and Literature homework if I had to teach in Chinese.
What was a typical day like for you during your gap semester?
I worked a minimum of 24 hours a week and I would mainly work in the 1st grade classroom as a teacher’s assistant. I also would tutor a few 10th grade students in an ESL class to get some experience teaching older kids. I ended up working from Monday through Wednesday each week. During my time there, I gradually took on more and more work until I was teaching full lessons to first and second grade, as well as being a kindergarten substitute teacher for a few days.
Typically, I would start work around eight in the morning. Every Tuesday morning, I’d work with one of the kindergarten classes during their circle time and drama class. They would practice talking and their spelling words, and sing songs to improve their English vocabulary. Occasionally, I would also assist the older kids’ classrooms when the teachers needed help managing the kids. However, I mostly helped out the first graders by teaching their lessons and assisting them with their classwork or giving mini lectures, as well as monitoring and supervising them during their free time.
This experience taught me how to manage my time every single day, so I had a proper balance between work, my social life, and errands or everyday tasks. Thankfully, I had four days to see my family, meet new friends, and explore Taiwan. I can honestly say that being in Taiwan has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I’m so happy that I had the opportunity to go outside of my comfort zone.
What was your most memorable moment from the gap semester?
I’d have to say Halloween was one of the most memorable moments. The elementary school that I went to, it’s typical to give out candy to the students and participate in a Halloween parade around the neighborhood. Children get to dress up as anything they want to be and show off their look to family and friends. I didn’t think that people in Taiwan would celebrate Halloween, so I was a little disappointed that I wouldn’t get to help the children have their own Halloween memories. However, because I worked at an American School in Taiwan, the administration did their best to celebrate American holidays, while also providing a unique perspective by including aspects of Taiwanese culture.
For Halloween, all the students, from kindergarten to twelfth grade, dressed up and went on a field trip to Leofoo village, a theme park forty minutes away from the school. Before that, we had a costume contest in the gymnasium and ate lunch with the parents who were coming with us on the trip. I helped chaperone first grade that day, and we toured the Wild West themed location of the park, where they had an enormous parade with professional dancers and actors. We were the only elementary school that participated, and the students were thrilled.
Then, we explored the zoo exhibits in the park, and took a monorail around to see all the animals. And of course, the kids got lots of treats and candy, and I was so ecstatic that I could be involved in developing memories that some of the kids might remember when they’re my age. I also loved being a part of these American holiday experiences because they made me feel less homesick. These moments helped me discover new ways to spend my favorite holidays and realize that no matter where I am, I can create new memories and traditions.
What advice do you have for future students about how to get the most out of their gap semester?
If a student really wants to make the most of their gap semester, they should pursue something that they really want to do persistently. I was really nervous to be living in a country where I couldn’t read or speak the native language, especially since I would be pretty much on my own. More than anything, I was scared to be away from home. I’ve always felt like I lived in such an amazing place, but I think I’ve been pretty sheltered for most of my life, and I was so used to living in that bubble.
Thankfully, everyone I knew was so supportive of my gap semester plans, from my teachers, to my friends, to my family. They were all so excited that I would be spending so many days in a foreign country. But what was most important was that I really wanted to get out of my comfort zone; it wasn’t my parents forcing me to do something that they thought would help, or peer pressure that made me do something cool, my decision and my motivation is what truly helped me try to get an internship abroad.
So the best advice I can give is to do something that you want to do, and to do everything in your power to make that happen. Try super hard to get that fun internship, work part time so you can go on your dream vacation, or take a really interesting class, even if it might be difficult. There are a million possibilities, and even if one opportunity doesn’t work out, it might send you along an even better path, as long as you keep trying.
How do you think the gap semester prepared you to take on college?
Taking this gap semester prepared me for college in so many ways, but I think the most important one was teaching me how to be on my own. I’m not the most independent person, so being so far from home really was nerve-wracking. However, even doing small tasks such as eating by myself in restaurants, and buying my own groceries really changed my perception of independence. Before I knew it, I was going on mini vacations around Taiwan during my days off, taking public transportation to visit my friends and family, and spontaneously exploring new cities every week. I’m so grateful that I had the experience to be more self-reliant, because it’s definitely a valuable skill. This newly discovered self-sufficiency helped me find a new love for traveling and meeting new people from unique cultures, which has definitely helped me grow as a whole.
— Compiled by Natalie Seara