For Windham native Nate Bennett, what began as a desire to learn Chinese has evolved into a career teaching English as a second language halfway across the world.
After graduating from the University of Southern Maine, Bennett figured the best way to get a sense of Asian culture and learn the language would be to teach overseas.
Now eight years later, Bennett is still living overseas with a wife and three children in Taipei, Taiwan where he is the headmaster of his own English school called “New Hampshire English.”
And this summer, he’s looking for twenty teachers to join him in Taipei to educate university students there.
On the top floor of an office building in the city of Taipei, Bennett and the teachers at his school help Taiwanese students advance their English skills.
Students arrive at 5 p.m. for intensive English classes after a day’s learning at regular Chinese schools.
They focus on subjects found in most American schools like history, science, literature and the arts. However, Bennett adds, the primary focus is reading. Students are now studying popular authors like Judy Blume and C.S. Lewis.
“Taiwan is saturated by schools of our kind,” Bennett said. “We differentiate ourselves from most others by being a school that presents a balanced approach to speaking, reading, listening and writing… In addition, we make it a challenging experience as close to an American system as possible.”
Bennett’s life is now rooted in Taiwan, though he still considers Maine his true home.
Bennett, his wife Nini – whom he met in Taiwan – and their three children live in the WenShan District settled back against the mountainside and separated from the main city by tunneled hills.
“It’s a beautiful spot despite the number of buildings,” Bennett said. “The side of the mountain is dotted with countless teahouses along a narrow, steep and windy road. It’s relatively peaceful walking or driving up through there and you get a great view of the city from most spots as you have a terrific meal and tea.”
This life of teaching in Taiwan has become normal for Bennett, though it took several years to get used to living without things he took for granted in the United States.
“It’s a unique experience to be outside the U.S. interacting with people from a different culture,” Bennett said. “I experienced a change of perspective upon returning to the U.S. for a short vacation after my first year here… I think it’s that we realize, after time away in a completely new environment, what we take for granted back in the U.S. The world seems bigger and smaller at the same time.”
Through a relationship with the National Taiwan University of Science & Technology, Bennett began a pilot program last summer teaching 200 university graduate students advanced English reading and vocabulary skills.
Retired teacher Carole Lovely-Belyea of Windham made the trip across the globe last year and plans to return this year with her daughter Kim. Her former students in Taipei are excited to hear she’s coming back, she says.
She built a friendship with many of those students last summer, inside and outside the classroom. The students took her on several trips to show Lovely-Belyea what life is like in Taiwan, exploring Taipei and the surrounding countryside.
“I’m going back because last year was such a rewarding experience for me,” she said. “I enjoyed meeting the people. The students were outstanding.”
With twice as many classes scheduled for this summer, Bennett is in need of 20 teachers of varying experience levels and backgrounds.
“Experience is a plus, but we’d also like to have some teachers who have just been certified,” Bennett said. “The program teaches mostly graduate-level students, but teachers from primary, elementary or high school would be welcome.”
Airfare and lodging are provided by the university as well as a biweekly salary. The eight week program begins on July 3 and ends August 19. But teachers should try to arrive a week earlier, he says, in order to get acclimated to the culture.
Bennett plans to move back to Maine someday where his father, Windham town councilor Lloyd Bennett, awaits his return. But in the meantime, he continues to teach in Taipei and learn the traditional Chinese language.
“I only considered being an educator as a means of staying in Taiwan so that I could learn Chinese and learn about Asia,” he said. “However, the Chinese I speak now is not that much better than my seven-year old son. I get by, but I do feel guilty that my Chinese should be better having been here for so much time.”
Though he may not have perfected the Chinese language just yet, Bennett is helping many Taiwanese students perfect their English skills and offering an eye-opening experience for any brave teacher that will make that trip to the other side of the world to share their knowledge.
To apply to teach overseas in Taipei, contact Nate Bennett and his wife Nini via e-mail at natenini@gmail.com.
Teacher Nate Bennett and his wife Nini stand with their children Eliza, Jeremy and baby Emma. Bennett and his wife run an English school in Taipei, Taiwan.Send questions/comments to the editors.
