原云大附中外教、我校中美交流学生项目发起人David Knapp先生来稿：Fond Memories of YUSS
Fond Memories of YUSS
The first time I came to Kunming from my home in Alaska was with my wife in the 1993-94 school year. I taught English to high school students full time for two years and enjoyed it. My wife also enjoyed teaching at Yunnan University. I asked a person in the Waiban if I could come again on a part time basis and he said yes. This time with some classes at YUSS.
It was probably 2 months into the fall term when one of my girl students asked me if I had a Chinese name and I said no. She then asked me if I would like one and I said yes. About 3 weeks later she said she and her classmates said they had made one and it was “Long Fu Gui (龙富贵)” and it meant something like “Noble Man of Worth” or something like that. Any way I love it.
My biggest surprise was the amount of English the students already knew! The best thing I could do was help with pronunciation, idioms, and new words, especially with maybe two words that sounded similar but meant things very different.
The custom for students who are late returning to the classroom is to ask for permission to come in. I thank that is a nice custom and rarely needed. One time I heard a boy asking for permission. I looked at the door, which was closed, and there at the open window above the door was a boy smiling. I thanked him for asking and told him yes he could come in and smiled back.
Once my students got permission and somehow got all supplies and equipment together and invited me to attend from the beginning. They made and we all ate jiaozi right in our classroom. It was GOOD!
I remember meeting a few administrators who are no longer there now, and a couple who are. They took me to meet my classes and introduced me. The students were all very friendly and seemed like they looked forward to classes. I found that their knowledge of English language was much more than I expected.
During that time in Kunming I would sometimes be invited to have lunch with other teachers who also spoke English. That was fortunate as my knowledge of Chinese language was very small. I came back the following year but this time I also got dinner invitations from the parents of some students. That happened in a 3rd year but now it seemed that I should carry an appointment book.
We developed a student exchange program with Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka Alaska where Kunming students could come and study for a semester. That continued for many years, but now the students can stay a full school year. The last time I helped with that program was in the fall of 2012, and it is now with the involvement of another person from Sitka who is younger and plans to come to Kunming every year. One of the joys of my life is the success of that program and how it helped the relationship between Yunnan and Alaska despite the small amount.
An anniversary is a time to remember some things that happened in the past. This year is the 90th anniversary of the beginning of YUSS and it is in new and delightful buildings. There are always some fond memories that are part of it.
Sooooooooooooo — let’s celebrate!!
David Knapp
March 28,2017