The Time to Say Good-bye

    As an English teacher in China, what a precious opportunity it is to study in Yale University in USA this whole summer.
    Totally the days we are on this campus and in the classroom are only six weeks! What a short period of time compared with what we are expecting from this place of treasures of knowledge and arts and surprises.
    I shall remember forever the marvelous libraries it boats, especially the Sterling. The architecture of the library is Gothic, originated from a church, so you can imagine how solemn and grave it is with tall and arched roofs and elaborate sculptures on the stone walls. There is no doubt that the most valuable is its huge storage of books, from which you always can meet those books or writers you dream of. It is a place where you think you can realize your dream and achieve what you want.
   In this academic palace, you shall see churches here and there, which adds to the quietness and holiness of the environment.That is a place where you see the conflict between the tradition and the modern, the old and the young, and the time passing and coming. But it shall be a place existing forever for it is the support of people's dream and pursuit.
   What counts most is the classroom for which we come. In the classroom of our own, we meet two teachers, Siggy and Carrie.
   We come here to learn, and actually we are like sponges absorbing all useful and beneficial knowledge and information to the fullest.
   Thanks to her,Carrie, we have learned the ways of doing researches and have been provided with so valuable and helpful academic resources on line.Especially, what I want to mention is the opportunity to make a speech on the Chinese Tradition and culture in the New Haven public library, which all should be attributed to her. And personally, this is a chance I have got myself enlarged and extended. I am such a person who is so likely to be nervous in a new environment that seems out of my control. So to make a public speech in an environment I do not know is really a challenge to me. With her help and patient instruction, I have finally succeeded in completing the whole speech in a way at least to my own satisfaction . As she said, what we needed to do is to enjoy the speech, forgetting ourselves but concentrating on what we tried to say.It shall be such a permanent and valuable and beautiful memory in my mind!
    Siggy, the other brilliant teacher, is pretty and passionate. From her class we have learned various ways of how to get the students involved and engaged in the lessons or the activities arranged by the teacher.It seems that she is the spring of the innovative and creative ideas of how to make an interesting and meaningful teaching. We are all so engaged in those activities and games introduced by her, from which I learn that there shall always be a better and properer teaching method, and the teacher should take it as a duty to to be better, better and best! And personally, from her I have learned that one's attitude towards life determines where he is. So I shall cherish her smile and creativity and sparkling wisdom of teaching and life the whole life. It is so meaningful to me that anxiety has another name, Challenge, which is repeatedly mentioned in the reading offered by her and so well illustrated by her.
   Thanks to Siggy and Carrie, we have got the opportunities to observe more and different classes given by other teachers. By observing their teaching, we have a broader idea of English teaching: whatever ways we use, the purpose is to get the students fully interested and totally engaged in the class and let them play the main role in it and achieve the biggest effects of the teaching, or to some extent, it could be out in this way that the less teaching, the more learning! Also, I would like to say thanks to all the teachers for their classes I have attended.
    All in all, Yale trip and life will be a new start for me to go on with my teaching career, and also a moment, short but permanent, enshrined in my memory.