A Different View of the World

詹孟儒（Christopher）

What is most important to a child's development is his or her sense of autonomy, which, in a way, grows well into adulthood and old age. It is that which, when provided by parents or educational systems, allows the child to find his or her own path and to learn from his or her own mistakes. A person can be considered independent in a number of ways. For instance, one can have enough money to be considered financially secure. In an emotional sense, some people are more dependent than others. Perhaps it is not right to say one is only independent, but secure, whether spiritually, in terms of self esteem or in terms of how happy one is with their life, etc. It is nevertheless something people spend a lifetime working towards.

Selah's teaching trip in Taidong is one way in which we reach out to the people outside of the immediate Taipei area. Over the course of four three days, we were able to impart certain fundamental lessons about music appreciation, performance, basic rhythm, etc., and I felt the effort as a whole was a success because we were able to keep the kids active, involved, and working as a team while still making sure everyone was happy and cared for.

For the trip, I was paired with a friend of mine, Nelson Yu, who attends the same school I recently graduated from, Dominican International. I saw that his time there brought out aspects of him I had not seen before. I learned that he is very receptive to the kids, and he holds more authority with

them than I do; that, from his own experience, he can sensibly lead a small singing rehearsal; and that the both of us were two sides of the same coin and could had different strengths and weaknesses that

could compliment each other.

Everyone's methods are different, and this much could be seen in the variety of classes and activities led by the teachers. This in itself was a learning experience and motivation for each of us to do the same. Of the four student groups, we were second youngest. The chemistry and skill of the two groups above us were always awe­inspiring, and the sheer energy and knack for invention of the group below us could not be possible with any other.

Seldom do young people, when asked to make important decisions, find that they have never made a mistake. It took time for me to warm up to the prospect of teaching the kids a song, but I quickly learned that one shouldn't think too much about doing something rather than doing it. There, though I found giving even a self­introduction nerve­wracking, I was able to practice my Chinese and said a few words before everyone at the end. It took time for me to learn everyone's names (each of whose I found fit them very well), and, at the start, I felt that I was always one step behind in terms of knowing what was going to happen next. Eventually, routine kicked in, and everything seemed to come naturally after that. I focused on what I could do best: listening. And by being receptive to each student's needs and habits, whether one kid loved being the class clown and others.