View Content #20438

Qu Yibing is almost done with her five-month internship at a Springfield, Oregon, elementary school as part of the Oregon International Internship Program (OIIP). The program sponsors students from universities in China, Japan, and Taiwan to come to the Eugene-Springfield area and gain valuable classroom experience by shadowing a mentor elementary school teacher for four days a week. Qu Yibing, who is studying language education at her university in China, is participating in the program because she wants to learn about the American school system and to see if she would enjoy teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language here in the United States in the future. 

Qu Yibing, on the Oregon Coast

Currently she is busy in her internship, shadowing a teacher in a 2nd grade classroom. She teaches Chinese language and culture lessons twice a week to two 2nd grade classes, as well as helps out where needed in her placement class. During the school day she helps lead small reading groups in order to provide students more indvidualized instruction. She also visits the special education classroom in the afternoons for one-on-one tutoring with students. In addition to helping in the classroom full-time 4 days a week, she also runs the school's Chinese club on Tuesdays and is happily surprised to have more than 30 students attending each week.

When asked about her favorite part of her internship, Qu Yibing says how rewarding it is to see students with reading difficulties or other challenges progress everyday "because they are getting good attention from teachers." She believes strongly in the important role of teachers in students' development. "Teachers have a deep influence on their students, and their teaching philosophy plays an important role." 

After her internship with OIIP ends in January, Qu Yibing will return to her university in China to finish her studies there. After that she plans to attend graduate school in the United States for education, with an emphasis in language education and bilingual/bicultural studies. When asked what she will take back home with her from this experience, she says she will take with her the ideals of "valuing every student and believing in every student’s potential."

For more information about OIIP, you can see our prior spotlight on the program from Sept 14th, 2015, and/or please visit the website for more information about OIIP, how to become a homestay family, or how an OIIP intern can join your classroom.