Alex Justice
Recruiting Coordinator
Alex just after he arrived in Taiwan
I'm a Reach To Teach recruiting specialist. I'll tell you a little bit about myself and my experiences in Asia, but first I'll give you a little background. I'm from Chicago, USA and I studied English literature and political science in University. I'm a sports junky and love to do anything athletic. I also have a strong interest in languages, language acquisition and how language instructs culture.
It was simple fortuity that landed me in Taiwan. I knew I wanted to head to Asia; the world seems to be watching Asia's every move. I was unsure about why I wanted to go and as I searched for countries and cites that interested me the list began to narrow. I finally decided on Taiwan and began really digging into travel books and web sites.
Then I arrived...
Chinese characters were everywhere, roasted ducks hung from butchers windows and dumplings were pervasive. I arrived during a heat wave and our plane narrowly beat a typhoon (flights were delayed for hours after we landed).The fist few days were particularly invigorating for me. I was on a high exploring the new world I had landed in and having never traveled remotely near Asia before, it was literally a new world. I had come well before my contract start date in order to explore, so I had lots of time to do whatever I wanted. I meandered through the city, eating everything in sight. Surprisingly, I went to very few tourist spots. The time passed walking up and down the city, block after block, soaking in the different authentic neighborhoods and shops, restaurants and smells, people and language. A week passed and I realized I had been alone the entire time. I hadn't spoken but a few fragmented sentences of English for the entire week. The first week, essentially alone with the city, made bonded me with Taiwan, and gave me some confidence.
Following the first couple of weeks, time really started to fly. I was learning how to be a good teacher, picking up some Mandarin, meeting people......everything you'd expect when living abroad. About three months in, I started to question why I was in Taiwan - I'm told this is culture shock. I had second thoughts about what I was doing and why. But, I dedicated myself to being a great teacher and the uncertainties passed.
Alex teaching his kids to play basketball!
The classroom was far more rewarding then I had expected. I, as I'm sure many people do, saw teaching as an avenue that would get me to Asia and provide a comfortable life. No doubt it's true, but my best times in Taiwan have been when the classroom has demanded a lot of me. Pouring energy into creative lesson plans, and coming up with some wonderfully wacky but effective games is not easy. However, watching things unfold amongst ten year olds is awesome! Sometimes my ideas/games would fall flat; lots of little pairs of eyes blankly staring at me as I pantomimed a word I was explaining to them. More often than not the kids would jump enthusiastically into the lesson plan, speaking, writing or reading new things without even knowing it.
My first few weeks in the classroom were immense. Never before had I felt such a mix of nerves, satisfaction, duty and responsibility. Because of my previous work experiences I was immediately able to see that teaching was a huge improvement on what I had ever done before. With teaching I felt involved and passionate about my work; a well planned lesson really does result in learning. I got a lot out of researching and trying new teaching methodologies and talking to other teachers about classes. I loved the fact my sides hurt from constant laughter both in and outside the classroom. For the first time ever, Monday mornings actually felt good! And to top it all off I was finally being paid for doing something I enjoyed.
Alex helped take the Reach To Teach football team to victory!
Now, about two years into my time in Asia I couldn't be any more certain about how lucky I am to be here. I'm a part of something interesting and challenging, and my curiosity and intellect are sparked everyday.
Alex Justice
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