My Fulbright Year in Taiwan

Welcome, and thanks for taking the time to read this post. You’re probably here because you got a link from me. This post is some introductory and background information about my plans for the 2009-2010 school year.

Huge news:

I was selected to be a Fulbright scholar in Taiwan. Specifically, I will be in Yilan County, which is on the northeast coast of the island. Yilan county is marked in red on this map:

My job responsibilities will focus on training and mentoring American English teachers who will be teaching in select elementary and junior-high schools throughout the county.

As I’ve talked with various people about my Fulbright award, I noticed a theme in the questions that they asked, so in true computer geek form, I’ve compiled a of frequently asked questions (FAQ).

Why Taiwan?

I got my start in language teaching in Taiwan. I spent a year there while I was in college, and I fell in love with the island, the culture, the people and the language. Subsequently, I lived in Taiwan for many years. My interest in language and language teaching originated from my experiences in Taiwan. So when the opportunity presented itself to spend a year there doing what I love, I jumped at it.

Wait, I thought you were a computer guy. Now you’re telling me you’re a language teacher?

While it’s true that technology-related work is my bread and butter, remember that I work in the Language Learning Center and the Center for Language Education And Research. I’ve always been in the language field, and my professional work has always involved language teaching and learning.

How long will you be there?

The award is for 11 months, from August 2009 through June 2010. We will return to the US in late June or early July.

Is your whole family going?

Yes, we operate as a team, so we’re all going along.

Your wife must be excited.

Even before our children were born, we thought that it would be great for them if we were to spend some time in Taiwan. My wife’s family is still in Taiwan, so this is a great chance for her to be geographically closer to them for a while.

What about your kids’ education?

Our boys will enroll in the local schools. Their Chinese is good enough for essential communication, and although their language skills aren’t high enough for academic work in Taiwan, that’s part of the point of bringing them. As a linguist and language teacher, I am convinced that the best (and possibly only) way to achieve high proficiency in a language is to spend a significant amount of time in country.

While we’re in Taiwan, they will take a few online classes through the Michigan Virtual High School, subjects that aren’t offered in Taiwan, so that they can articulate back to the US schools when we return, without losing time to graduation. We’ve talked with the schools, and we know what we’re doing. Trust us. 😉

Are your kids excited? Anxious?

As any parent can guess, they weren’t on-board when we first announced the plan. We got the silent treatment for a while. My wife and I are convinced that once they’re in a routine over there, they will be fine, and afterward, they will look back on this as a worthwhile experience.

While we wish that they had the same level of excitement that we do, we recognize that as the parents, we have insight and perspective that they don’t. They don’t like eating broccoli, either, but we make them eat it, because it’s good for them, and they will thank us later for making them. Sometimes parents have to make unpopular decisions. As I sometimes tell my boys, the family isn’t run as a democracy, but as a benevolent dictatorship.

Where will you live?

The Foundation provides an apartment for us. We actually found it ourselves when we visited Taiwan in June. Here’s my wife in front of the building:

Will you still be in contact with us in the States?

Of course! Taiwan has terrific Internet connectivity, and aside from the 12-hour time difference, we will be able to communicate via email, Skype, Facebook, and of course this blog. Feel free to drop us a line.