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Ruben Smi is one of the English teacher in GTIIT preparation period. He comes from New Zealand and received his bachelor, master and Ph.D degrees in chemistry in University of Waikato, New Zealand. And then, He worked for a large American corporation in Europe. He moved to China twelve years ago and became a teacher in universities in Wuzhou and Luoyang. Four years ago, he came to Shantou and teaches organic chemistry in Medical College of Shantou University. Now, he is one of the faculty in GTIIT. When the formal semester starts, he will teach technical English and Foundational Chemistry.

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The following is the interview of Ruben.

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Q: Why you move around from places to places?

Ruben: Well, I am always looking for new adventures. I love it.

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Q: You have been teaching in GTIIT for a week, what do you think of GTIIT students?

Ruben: Impressive! They have good level of ability. They are curious, love asking questions and have great motivation to learn.

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Q: How do you feel about becoming a GTIIT teacher and could you share some experiences with us?

Ruben: I feel very good. I would like to share with you three things. The first thing is quite interesting. On the first day of the class, last Wednesday, students were very nervous. They remained quiet. But next two days, I am happy to see that lots of students became more comfortable in classes and started to speak out more. That¡¯s good!

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The second thing is, some students speak very quietly. I have to walk all the way over to them in order to hear what they were saying. That¡¯s a funny situation. Their English is good and their answers are right. But I cannot hear them clearly so I have to walk around during the class. I think Chinese students should be more confident and dare to express themselves.

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The third thing is, it is so nice to have a city tour with students on Saturday. Meeting students outside classrooms makes me know them better and they can know me better. In class, we maintain the relationship of teachers and students. Outside classrooms, though the relationship doesn¡¯t change, but we are more relaxed and more conversational. I enjoy it. It¡¯s meaning and good. We can talk wider range of subjects. For example, when we visited a museum in downtown, we found a beautiful chess set. Then, we started chatting on Chinese chess and western chess. That¡¯s great because this kind of conversation normally doesn¡¯t happen inside class.

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Q: Could you please give some advice for students to learn English?

Ruben: Yes. They need greater exposure to English, both the amount and the variety. They can listen to English songs, watch movies and read novels, making the learning process more interesting.

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Text/ Photo: News and Public Affairs Department