ELIZA: I heard you were teaching English over there.
Tell me about it. Did you like it?
SUE: Oh, yes, it was very interesting.
ELIZA: What were the schools like?
SUE: Oh, I didn't actually teach in the schools.
I taught after school. I taught in English institutes.
ELIZA: But you taught children, yes?
SUE: Yes. That's right.
But children in Taiwan are very different from children in America.
At least as far as studying is concerned.
Many children in Taiwan go to special institutes after school
ELIZA: They actually study after school?
SUE: That's right.
After their school day is over, they go to a special institute to study math or English.
They are very serious about learning over there.
ELIZA: Hmm. That sounds pretty oppressive for the kids. Don't they ever relax?
SUE: Of course they do.
You know, Eliza, before I went over there I thought the same thing.
I thought that maybe kids in Taiwan study too much.
But now that I've worked there, and taught them, I feel it is a good thing.
Their parents are very concerned about their education. More than American parents are.
And that is good. American kids don't study enough.
ELIZA: Asian cultures value learning very much. I know that.
SUE: So it was interesting for me to see parents very concerned about education.
They would come to me after the class and ask how their son or daughter was doing.
I don't think that's a bad thing. I think it's a good thing.
In America, too many parents don't pay attention.
ELIZA: But aren't the kids tired out?
I mean, they go to school all day, and then they go to school in the evening too.
SUE: As an English teacher, I tried to make the lessons as fun as possible.
I tried to have a good time with my classes. The students often enjoyed it.
And if the students enjoyed it, they learned more. So it was a good experience.
ELIZA: Are the kids in Taiwan very obedient?
SUE: That's a stereotype we Americans have.
We think that Asian kids are very obedient and quiet.
But it's not true. There are plenty of naughty kids too.
ELIZA: Hmm. I know you taught in Costa Rica also.
Which did you like better--Costa Rica or Taiwan?
SUE: I don't know. In Costa Rica, I taught adults.
So it was a very different thing. So I really can't compare.

爱莉莎：听说你在那里教英文。
说说看，你喜欢吗？
苏：是的，非常有意思。
爱莉莎：那是什么样的学校？
苏：我不是在学校教。
我教课后的，在英语培训机构。
爱莉莎：你是教小朋友吧？
苏：是的，没错。
不过台湾的小孩和美国的小孩非常不同。
至少就读书来说是这样的。
很多台湾的小孩在放学后都上补习班。
爱莉莎：他们放学后还学习？
苏：没错。
放学后他们上补习班学数学或英文。
在那里他们非常认真地学习。
爱莉莎：听起来相当压迫孩子，他们不休息吗？
苏：当然有休息。
爱莉莎,我去那里之前也是这么想。
我认为台湾的小孩念太多书了。
但是现在我在那里工作，教他们，我觉得这是好事。
他们的父母非常关心孩子的教育，比起美国的父母要关心得多。
那是好事，美国小孩念的书不够多。
爱莉莎：亚洲的文化非常看重学识，我知道那一点。
苏：看到父母这么关心教育，对我而言很有乐趣。
下课后他们会来问我儿子或女儿表现得如何。
我不认为那是不好的，那是好事。
在美国，相当多父母都不关心。
爱莉莎：但是小孩子不是累垮了？
他们白天一整天上学，晚上还要去补习班。
苏：身为英文老师，我尽可能把课上得好玩。
我试着和全班学生玩得愉快，学生通常都很喜欢。
如果学生喜欢，他们就学得多。所以这是很好的经验。

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