Core values of cell.

 
a) How to be self-reliant, in terms of educational philosophy.  We all have our own educational philosophy, which we either picked up from our teachers, or derived from study, or synthesized over time by thinking about many things.  In a sense, a lot of my educational philosophy is contained in this book.  Take what you like, and throw out the rest!  However, since you will be “on your own” as you study English, you need to have a basic idea of what you believe, in terms of educational philosophy.  Then, this philosophy needs to sustain you as a teacher, as you go out and teach.  You need to be self-reliant, for you will be working on your own, without someone to mentor you. (Remember: your teacher, if you have one, is teaching you English, not how to teach!)  If you do not have an educational philosophy, or what you have is as yet “partly formed” in you, then sit down with paper and pen and try to write down what you believe.  It doesn’t have to be set in stone forever, but it can be a starting point.  These concepts have been helpful to me: love, patience, and “Is it effective?”  However, you are free to make your own way!  (Here, I say “Thank you!” to all of my supervisors, bosses, and professors who allowed me “freedom within limits”.) 
 
b)  On the “phases” (stages).  To review, the phases of the cell’s activity are as follows: Instruction, Practicum A, Training To Propagate, Practicum B, and Consulting.  On Instruction: here, you teach the content material that your student wants to learn.  You teach, and they learn.  On Practicum A: here, you leave your student alone for a week or two, to see how well they can learn English on their own.  They can take notes on their experience, what worked, and what did not; then, they can discuss these matters with you afterwards.  On Training To Propagate: it is hoped your student will want to propagate.  Therefore, you two can discuss the art of propagation, in particular as it applies to your student’s local conditions.  Different parts of the country will have different conditions.  On Practicum B: here, you are like the mother lion teaching its cub to hunt.  Send your student down to the local middle school to find a student who needs some help in English, make acceptable arrangements, and let your student get some practice in tutoring.  If this is not possible, then your student can look for a neighbor with children.  It might be better for your student to do this work without you; you can discuss progress over the telephone.  However, if some of you want to directly supervise your student in the “classroom”, then go ahead and have a try.  On Consulting: in time, your student will leave you to lead their own life, run their own cell, and grow up in the use of English.  Of course, it is hoped that they will keep in contact with you—probably by telephone—so you can consult together.  As the Chinese saying goes, “One is a teacher forever” (“Yi ri wei shi, zhong shen wei fu.”)  Hopefully, you two can relate together, even if it is only once or twice a year.  Encourage your students as they start their own “English-language” cells! 
 

1. A case-study detailing the “phases”.  When I was teaching in Urumqi, in Xinjiang, I met some of my best students, as well as my best classes—9801 and 9651/2.  It was also a time when, having been a teacher for several years, I felt in me the urge to train up some other people to become teachers.  It happened like this.  My university had an arrangement with one of the big hotels in the city, to teach English on a Wednesday evening to some of the hotel staff.  They asked me to do this job.  At first, I went alone, but soon, I brought my two best students, Wang Ji Hong and Liu La Mei.  I told them what to do, and they did it very well.  First, I taught and they took turns translating, then we broke the class up into three groups and we each taught one group, then they taught by themselves and I watched them.  By the end, I was doing nothing, and they were doing everything.  We still keep in contact, and they are doing very well.  I am very proud of them.  Although the exact pattern of behavior is a little different, some of the “phases” can be seen in this story.  The bus rides to and from the hotel were long, and they gave us the chance to discuss what we had experienced and learned. 

2. On the “across” friend.  If you are a new schoolteacher, or if your English is fair to good, you can make an “across” friend with another school teacher—but not someone who works near you!  Middle school teachers, and especially primary school teachers, like to speak English with others; their school duties limit the range of English they can practice.  Otherwise, as you go through life, always keep an eye open for that “someone” who you will discover by chance.  Sometimes, “finding” is a better strategy than “looking for”.  If you go to “English corners”, then you can examine many people to see who is suitable; or, you can join the “English-speaking crowd”—the ones who like to hang out in “chic” coffee houses or internet cafes—and see what comes up.  It helps to have something in common, so as to give you actual, real-life experiences to talk about.

3.  A case study detailing the “across” friend.  Obviously, I have no English-speaking friend, but I had a number of Chinese-speaking friends.  They were typically service workers, small business owners, small restaurant bosses, telephone kiosk operators, public toilet supervisors—not one of my own students, but local people, and with little power or influence in their society.  They were all gentle and kind to me.  I would go to them on a regular basis, as they were the owners of the local businesses I often used.  Therefore, a variety of simple, low-level, everyday encounters was guaranteed.  Most of them had not been to college, so they were very unlikely to “practice their English” on me, as my students and certain others do.  In short, I learned my everyday Chinese from service workers (and how to curse from bus drivers and taxi drivers).  These people were my “across” friends.  With one couple in particular, I talked about many things; in the process, I was able to further develop my everyday Chinese.  What a pity that the service workers and the owners of small businesses are not able to speak simple English!  They are a gold mine of reality, of kindness, and of simple, upright honesty.  They would make perfect “across” friends—all over China, for all the people who want to learn English on their own, on the go, without a foreign helper.  China is awash in “not-yet tapped human potential” in these people, but for various reasons they were not able to get into college and let their great potential blossom.  Instead, they must take another way through life.  I hope that one day, many of them will be able to attend some form of “continuing and vocational education” (C.A.V.E.).