During my eighth week of teaching kindergarten, a tragedy occurred within my family back in Australia. It hit me hard and I took the day off from school. When I came into school the next day, my kids were ECSTATIC to see me. I walked through the corridors hearing, “ALEISHA, ALEISHA!” When I walked into every class I was greeted with warm hugs. And when I left every lesson the kids blew me kisses and hugged my legs goodbye while calling, “goodbye, Aleisha! See you later!” It warmed my heart. Any doubts I’d had about being a TEFL teacher instantly disappeared. These kids were attending kindergarten from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon and they deserved the absolute best. I would strive to give them the absolute best.
Being a TEFL teacher isn’t for everyone. There are long hours, repetitive classes, and language barriers. Plenty of my kids run up to me speaking mandarin and I have absolutely no idea what they’re saying. Just nod and laugh. They’ll think you’re silly but that’s okay.
If you love children, seeing them learn and grow, inspiring them, making them laugh, and getting plenty of cuddles, then I would definitely recommend teaching English to kindergarteners in China. They are sincerely appreciative of the time we put into their education, and will treat you with so much love. I can’t walk past certain classes without children chanting my name. While it is frustrating for the teachers to try and regain their students’ concentration, it makes me smile and definitely brightens my day.
It’ll take you a bit to get used to, especially if you’re transferring from a job that is completely child-free. Transferring from my retail job to a classroom position was definitely a shock to the system. I went from being in control of one register, to being in control of a class of thirty tiny children. But while customers can treat you to the most interesting of conversations, they can’t display the love and affection that these kids will develop for you. I have missed one day of school so far, and I honestly missed my students very much during those few childless hours. The last day is going to be a struggle.
You’ll have opportunities to teach your students about your home country’s traditions. We spent three days teaching the kids all about Easter and immersing them in Easter traditions ie. Easter egg hunts. They absolutely loved playing Easter games with their English teachers. I dressed one of my classes up in bunny ears after doing an Easter egg hunt. Of course we had to substitute eggs for lolly pops as Easter eggs were virtually impossible to find, but they enjoyed the experience none-the-less. 
In the mornings, myself and the two other foreigner teachers in my school perform songs and dances for the school. Their glowing faces are enough to bring anyone joy early in the morning.
At the end of the day, we farewell the children and their parents at the front gate. The best day is Friday. Everyone is excited for the weekend, and the kids are especially eager to introduce their parents to you before they leave. The students treat you to hugs and high-fives and scream, ‘see you next week!’ before disappearing through the gate. Their smiles when they return on Monday are the purest things you’ll ever see.
If you’re considering becoming a teacher, I would definitely recommend becoming a TEFL teacher first. It gives you a whole new perspective of the career, and changes your outlook on life.
I will not be returning to Australia as the same person that left. These children have already changed me for the better, and they have inspired me to continue to pursue my dreams.
