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After years of sending graduating seniors to other countries as Fulbright teaching assistants, this year Lafayette applied to the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant program and was awarded its own Fulbright teaching assistant.
Lu Lu, a lecturer in the School of English for International Business at China’s Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, is spending this academic year at Lafayette. She is a teaching assistant in the department of foreign languages and literatures, helping students in the beginning and intermediate Chinese language classes. She tutors students in the writing of Chinese characters and the pronunciation of the difficult four tones in Chinese. She also hosts Chinese conversation lunch hours for students to practice informal conversations in Chinese.
“When we decided to offer Chinese language courses several years ago, we knew we wanted to offer as strong a program as possible and realized we would need a native speaker of Mandarin Chinese from China to assist the main instructor,” says Margarete Lamb-Faffelberger, professor and head of the foreign languages and literatures program. A former Fulbright teaching assistant herself at the University of Illinois, “I knew the program was fantastic and could convince the administration that we should apply. The support that Miss Lu Lu is giving our program and our students is truly outstanding. It’s incredible how quickly our students are learning the language and Miss Lu Lu has a lot to do with that.”
Although a full Chinese immersion program is not possible, Lamb-Faffelberger said that there is a significant Chinese-speaking community at Lafayette and in the Lehigh Valley. In addition, the American government has recognized Chinese as a critical language for the country after 9/11 reinforced the need for good language skills in employees at all levels of the government.
Lu Lu teaches English, English writing, and American and British cultural studies at Guangdong University. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Guangdong, specializing in translation and interpretation. She earned a master’s degree from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom, with a focus on British cultural studies and English language teaching.
As part of the Fulbright program, Lu Lu will take two courses each semester while at Lafayette. She is currently taking an American studies course and another one on cultural anthropology.
One difference Lu Lu noticed in teaching in America versus China is that “American students are more willing to talk and offer their opinions in class. It’s not that Chinese students don’t have opinions, but they are less willing to share them in a class setting,” she says. She adds that in China, students begin learning English early. But even though her current students did not start studying Chinese until college, she says her Lafayette students “are very motivated.”
Lu Lu is enjoying her stay in America. “I feel lucky to be here,” she says. “The people are very friendly.” She particularly liked watching the presidential debates and observing how America chooses its leader. She hopes to travel to the West Coast and see more of the U.S. during Lafayette’s six-week winter break.