There are many people who comfort others saying, "When God closes a door, He opens a window." It has gone on so many times I wonder if it has not become a cliche because people see the word God. Former lawyer and attorney Michael Josephson's quote has a stronger message than just passively waiting. "If one door to opportunity closes, find another. There are more doors than you need. Just keep looking until you find the right one." As my English debate training expertise has become more and more widespread, I forget that there are always naysayers and also doubters. The strength of my training is not so much about the techniques or strategies, but rather, how I inject a sense of unity and purpose for committed students. I am an advocate of developing talent and fighters who know what they are doing and why they have to keep at doing their tasks. Always looking for the long run. That's how winning is done. Sometimes the victories along the road are just little markers on the highway that signal to us how far we have come along the journey. While I have been working as an English debate coach, I have also worked to make MUN better in Taiwan. Having experiences in training students from CIS (Columbia International School, Longtan), Taichung Second Senior High, and teachers from Ger-Jyh Senior High, the qualifications for MUN teaching advisor seemed well rooted in the experiences themselves.
Things went a bit different when I spoke with an MUN club president from outside of Taipei. While I offered my services and was being quite straightforward, I could feel that not only did she know who I was but also did not have any true interest in understanding what I bring to the table. It left a bad taste in my mouth. Sad to say, but that school would have to wait until next time. My initial contact student understandably empathized with me but as I texted with her, I felt a bit childish. Why was I wallowing over the lack of recognition from a minor? Then it hit me. I have gotten used to being respected and treated as an amazing teacher from students I have taught or spoken to in person. The truth, as always, is that there are always people who don't feel like knowing me and there are more to come in the future. What matters is the lives I touched and changed. While I need a bit of time to re-calibrate my state of mind, it was surely a great wake-up call. The fact that many MUN clubs in public schools are self-taught and loosely supervised by their teachers shows how much work is left to cement. It also highlights the lack of empathy and active listening for many otherwise talented students. The makings of future leaders can not take these two traits for granted. I won't back down. I will beat on every door until I get the answers. Pitching myself forward is the only way if I ever want more people to be involved in the movement towards improving Taiwan! Have a great week everyone!
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May 2022
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