“Spoken English” teacher Sheila Mengel ’07, center, is surrounded by many of her senior-school students at Tongliao Number One Middle School in Tongliao, China, Inner Mongolia province.

by Sheila Mengel '07

Editor’s note: Sheila and six other PC alumni are spending a year as “spoken English” teachers in China.

Last spring, as graduation from Providence College approached, my future was uncertain.  As my friends made decisions about graduate school acceptances and job offers, none of my choices left me excited about my entrance into the “real world.” Sitting behind a desk could wait; I had my entire life to do that.

For the past year, I had kept a piece of paper that I often looked at when I questioned my future. It came from a 2006 Providence College Commencement Address given by John O’Hurley, a speech I never heard in person, but that I had read countless times. [John O’Hurley ’76 & ’06Hon., actor, author, musician, and philanthropist, is best known for his role as “J. Peterman” on the legendary Seinfeld show.] 

Mr. O’Hurley had recounted a simple conversation in which a man had told him, “John, you have only two choices in life—you can have an ordinary life, or you can have an extraordinary life. That’s it. It has nothing to do with money, or power. It has everything to do with the power of your choices.” 

In every cover letter I wrote and in every job interview, I questioned whether that job had the potential of being extraordinary. Days before commence­ment, I got a phone call from John McGrath, director of PC’s Career Services for Seniors. He said, “Hi Sheila, I ran across your resumé today and understand that you were interested in working abroad. You have probably secured a job by now (I laughed) but if you are still interested, there is a position available in northern China.”  

After two days of extensive research, constructing pro/con lists, and John McGrath interrogations, I made a decision. The morning after commencement, with confidence and great anticipation, I signed my one-year contract. 

A double major at PC in history and elementary/special education, I am one of seven spoken English teachers working at Tongliao Number One Middle School in Tongliao, China, Inner Mongolia province. The others are PC Class of 2007 members Michael Colelli of Milford, Mass. (political science and Italian), Kim Krupa of Massapequa, N.Y. (psychology and history), Caitlyn MacAllister of Syracuse, N.Y. (history and French), Ian O’Keeffe of Loudonville, N.Y. (philosophy and math), Anthony Politelli of West Warwick, R.I. (political science and finance), and Julianne Spohrer of Freeport, N.Y. (psychology and English).

Puzzling, wonderful country
On September 22, 2007, we left America for the most difficult, confusing, and oftentimes hilarious year of our lives. We have survived wild travel throughout China and learned that charades is the best form of communication in a city where English does not exist.

Strangers follow us daily, sneak a photograph, and/or stop us to converse with the first foreigner they have ever seen. Some daily routines take twice as long to complete. A dinner out often leaves us asking, “What did we just order?” and a simple cab ride leaves us with a confused driver, at the wrong destination, with a headache. 

Depending on our students’ grade level, we teach the Chinese government’s curriculum for primary school, middle school, or senior English. While we follow student and teacher textbooks, we are encouraged to teach culture and traditions unique to the U.S.A.  Every day, I stand in front of a classroom of 75 broken-English-speaking teenagers, and attempting to follow a strict curriculum in spoken English is quite the task.

The greatest skill I learned in the education department at PC was classroom management. I use PowerPoint presentations, American music, and many NBA references to keep my students engaged and asking questions (in English). 

There are many rewards. Our jobs have allowed us to become close with some of China’s best. Our students are the future of this country and their 15-hour school days, seven days a week, are just the beginning of the extreme pressures of the Chinese educational system. Our presence lightens their load and allows them to open their eyes and see the other side of the world in their own classrooms.

As we begin the inevitable job search that awaits us, our new language skills, world travel, and lifetime experience have already opened doors. I’m looking forward to the cover letters and the job interviews. I am confident in my experience and my growth in the past year and when the day comes that I have to make a decision, I will be prepared. 

We have all been asked what our favorite experience has been since moving to China.  For me, it is the guarantee that each time I leave my apartment I will see something new, be involved in a bizarre yet always interesting situation, or meet an individual that intrigues me.

I have learned that in the embarrassing moments of my failures, this undoubtedly grows character.
I have learned that in order to fully understand the Chinese culture, you unavoidably spend many of your days in a mess of laughter. I accept and embrace the fact that being completely lost in this strange, puzzling, and wonderful country is the greatest of challenges. And what can be more extraordinary than that?