Trading Cultures in the Classroom

In looking for other books about teaching English in China, I found Trading Cultures in the Classroom: Two American Teachers in China by Lois & Siegmar Muehl. They went to teach English at an engineering college for two semesters in 1987-88. At first, I debated whether to get this book, since I was going to be teaching much younger students. Now, it turns out that this was a propitious choice, since we are teaching college students after all.

This book, unlike An Island of English, is much more a personal memoir from the teachers than it is an analysis of teaching techniques. The Muehls reflect some on their own lives in China and at the college, and a great deal on their relationship with the students in class, what they learn about their students' lives through their writing, and what the students' responses were to their teaching methods. It was an interesting read, which may or may not end up offering me a lot of relevant insight into what my time in China will be like, considering the time that has elapsed since then. For people simply looking for an interesting book about teaching experiences in other cultures, it would be a good one.