Summer English camp!

Chinese parents are eager (understatement) for their kids to learn English. We’ve been asked countless times, usually by perfect strangers, if we would be willing to teach or tutor. For those who are properly certified, and have a work visa that allows them to make money, teaching English can be very lucrative. We have only ever been on student or tourist visas (which prohibit you from earning money), plus when your vocabulary consists of “that is so sick”, “cool”, or “what’s up dude” you’re probably not qualified to teach.

But this summer we rented space at a local hotel and held a 4 day camp for 80 elementary students. Fortunately we had qualified teachers that came from the States to teach, so my job was to provide entertainment, exercise, discipline, and to take kids to the bathroom. Each day, I was a different sports athlete… day 1: basketball player, day 2: ping pong player, day 3: swimmer, and day 4: kung fu master. I got to start each day by putting on a skit, and during break time I was in charge of games and exercise.

Below are a few pictures and a video that gives you an idea of my role… sorry for blurriness of some of the pictures, I pulled them off social media… I almost went viral 😉

Above: All 80 students (they were split into morning/afternoon groups)
And below: the skit from day 1

Here is a video clip of one of the skits: Kung Fu. I asked in Chinese for the kid to perform ONE kung fu move and I would try and copy it. Something was lost in translation and this is what ended up happening…

Overall, the camp went really well. The kids had a blast and we received great feedback from parents. Our plan is to host it every summer!