Bridging Taichung and Daegu: When Months of Preparation Meet Jazz, Bubble Tea, and an Uninvited Typhoon

Video Credit: Chen Wan-jing/KMJH Academic Office/

KMJH-KNUMS 2026 Educational Exchange

歷經數個月的跨國訊息往返、接待家庭招募與緊湊的行程籌備，這三天在光明國中交織出的溫度與感動：從 I.C.E. 孩子們化身英語校園導覽員，在二樓國際廊道與川堂時光膠囊前以「破冰提問、故事介紹與互動搶答」把英語開心地用出來、在入班共學與春水堂珍奶 DIY 中搭起台韓友誼，到送別遊覽車後於會議室裡聽見接待同學們最真實有趣的真心話與省思，以及夜晚坐在臺中爵士音樂節草地上，與韓國金老師、徐會長及略通韓語的會長千金暢聊，甚至因颱風攪局而讓韓國師長在台北多留一天、意外解鎖最道地的「台灣颱風天體驗」。

What happens when months of careful color-coding, host family matching, and minute-by-minute scheduling collide with live jazz, milk tea shakers, and a late-season storm?

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You can plan an international school exchange down to the exact second, but reality always has a way of writing a better finale. Right after our Korean sister school delegation wrapped up three vibrant, action-packed days at KMJH, an autumn typhoon grounded flights in Taipei, threw our schedule into reverse, and gave our visitors an unforgettable crash course in Taiwanese resilience.

It Takes a Whole Campus Village

Pulling off an exchange from October 20 to 22 required months of cross-border LINE messages, homeroom coordination, and host family recruitment. But the magic happened because of pure, grassroots KMJH teamwork.

Director Tseng steered the complex academic affairs logistics, while homeroom teachers, Class 715's dance mentors, ping-pong showdowns, and hands-on Chun Shui Tang bubble tea DIY sessions. Above all, our incredible KMJH host parents opened their homes and hearts. Without this village of dedicated co-pilots, none of this would have been possible.

How Our I.C.E. Guides Turned Hallways into Classrooms

Wednesday morning's undisputed highlight was watching our International Cultural Exchange (I.C.E.) students step up as English campus tour guides. Living out our core mantra—USE English with joy—they turned our school architecture into an interactive stage using a three-step engagement framework:

1.     The Hook. Up on the 2F International Hallway, our guides flashed welcoming grins and challenged our guests: "If you could jump through a magical portal right now, where would you fly?" Down in the Main Foyer, they leaned in close to whisper that a secret was sealed inside the walls.

2.     The Introduction. They framed the International Hallway as a "magical boarding gate" featuring our global partner map and landmark windows. Downstairs, they shared how founding faculty members sealed historical papers and mystery keepsakes inside a cornerstone time capsule when KMJH first moved to this campus.

3.     The Interactive Q&A. Upstairs, guests compared landmark heights—guessing whether the Eiffel Tower, Tokyo Tower, or Daegu 83 Tower reigned supreme—and spotted Bibimbap on our Korean cultural window. Downstairs, visitors deciphered the foundation inscription to calculate the capsule's opening date: Year 186 of the R.O.C. (2097)!

Thoughtful Reflections: Growing Together Toward Daegu

The moment the farewell bus rolled away, our Principal and Director Tseng gathered our host students in the conference room for a warm, constructive debrief.

Our students thoughtfully discussed how teenagers from different cultures naturally adjust to new environments at their own pace—some warming up instantly, while others take a little time to find their rhythm. These shared moments taught our kids valuable lessons in empathy and international etiquette, leaving them excited to represent KMJH and Taiwan with grace, attentiveness, and open hearts as we look forward to visiting Daegu next year:

1.     Building Connection. Embracing friendly smiles, warm nods, and sincere words of gratitude as a universal language.

2.     Inclusive Hosting. Actively reaching out to ensure every partner feels included in the circle.

3.     Practical Language Use. Turning everyday classroom patterns into living tools to express curiosity, care, and friendship.

Jazz Under the Stars and a Fond Farewell

Some of the most rewarding moments happened after the official bell rang. I deeply treasured bonding with my counterpart, Teacher Kim, and the visiting Korean staff.

We spent an evening seated on the lawn at the Taichung Jazz Festival, letting live music wash over us beneath the autumn night sky. PTA President Mr. Shu—an accomplished lawyer holding a PhD—joined our circle; since we both teach at Providence University, we hit it off immediately, while his daughter effortlessly bridged cultures in Korean with our guests.

Thank you once again to every single KMJH parent, teacher, and student. You worked tirelessly, and you are absolute superstars.

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藉由108課綱、雙語/全英語轉型、國際交流以及專任輔導員職責等多重視角，及面對教科書教學與會考準備的現實拉扯下，我試著記錄自己在體制裡找到的平衡：從帶孩子在台日視訊連線中用音樂與動漫搭起跨國友誼、在原創讀者劇場的故事裏裡刻劃台灣的國際處境與韌性，到晨光七點半辦公室裡的那杯手沖咖啡、跨上重機騎進山區的思緒沉澱，在 NativeCamp 累積超過三千堂課、以及重回學生視角的對話練習。這是一份即將翻譯成日文的跨國分享，更是一段寫給在教育現場持續尋找動力來源與專業熱情的同行們的真誠記錄。

感謝台中教育大學英文系洪教授的引薦與信任，讓我有機會受日本筑波大學教授邀請，為他們即將由出版的「語言教師心理學（Psychology of English Language Teachers）」學術專書第六章執筆台灣篇，聊聊台灣第一線國中英語教師的真實心境與日常。 

Li Guo-jhen 李國禎
Kuang Ming Junior High School & Taichung Junior High School English Advisory Team

1. Teaching and Teacher Education in Taiwan

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用學生優惠升級Gemini PRO的這一個禮拜以來，每天很有興趣地在嘗試錯誤中學習，摸索Spark的各項主動代理的功能。之前就很喜歡自建Gems的流程，用同樣的觀念在今天成功地試出Tasks真的可以自己一步步完成工作，超級開心! 接下來，想要根據自己不同的學習與工作角色，改用Skills來自動化完成。

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~優華語計畫- 大手攜小手 教學工作坊~

應中興大學國際事務處的邀約，針對教室滿滿來自美國和德國的大學生，發想如何設計既有文化差異亮點、又有活潑和互動性質的主題。

藉由多年累積的實務經驗和教學設計架構，在短短的2節課裏一步步引導他們聚焦自己的主題和鎖定可行的小活動，目標在於讓本地的國小、高中生們感受到來自不同國家的文化、學校生活等精彩分享內容。

A passionate university student from New York stands in front of thirty Taiwanese fourth graders. He clicks to his next slide, which is packed with a solid paragraph of English text, and starts explaining his hometown at his normal, lightning-fast speed.

The kids just stare in silence, completely overwhelmed.

From Snack Tubes to Ciphers: Teaching WWII Cryptography in a Second Language

 

6月時觀到了一堂很棒的輔導員夥伴公開課，當下對於閔嵐老師將全英的講述和洋芋片密碼機的製作結合的如此之好留下非常深刻的印象，所以立刻決定在自己學校的暑假資優營也來使用這個有趣的活動。可是，當自己實際要備課的時候才發現困難重重，因為理解背後運作的原理及如何轉化成易懂、可理解的英語就已經有挑戰性，加上如何使用一個又一個的activity/task讓學生在整整一個上午都能專注、不無聊，更是花了最多時間在準備這次的上課。

Picture this: a teenager is staring intently at an empty Pringles can, a pair of scissors, and a sheet of scrambled letters. They aren't just doing a summer camp craft; they are wrestling with World War II cryptography—and they are doing it entirely in their second language.

Recently, after observing a brilliant lesson by a fellow EAT member, I traded in our usual ESL activities (like brewing bubble milk tea or extracting banana DNA) for something with significantly more friction. We built simulated Enigma machines out of snack containers.

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Combine that heart with the practical steps below, and I promise you will stand out. Good luck out there. I am rooting for you.  (國中英語教師甄試-試教與問答)

Imagine sitting in a quiet, air-conditioned room. Five evaluators stare at you from behind a long desk, pens hovering over identical scoring rubrics. The 15-minute timer starts ticking. Over the years, I’ve sat behind that exact desk for teacher selection panels across numerous cities and counties. I’ve watched candidate after candidate pick up a piece of chalk, turn their back to us, and start writing. Let me tell you, when someone finally breaks that mold, grabs our attention, and proves they are the real deal, it is the absolute best feeling in the world. When a candidate I’ve evaluated lands their dream job, I silently cheer for them.

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雖然還有3個快到期限的重要待辦事項尚未完成，但今天早上還是花了3節課的時間，從發想、搜尋、成形、修改等等，一直到下午在「國際文化交流」班實施，看到學生的投入和產出，只能說真的很值得、真的很開心啊!

Watching a group of students huddled around a screen, fiercely debating how to debunk a viral propaganda piece, I felt an immense wave of professional pride. This was the exact level of engagement I had hoped for when planning and delivering this lesson. Instead of just sitting quietly, the entire classroom was alive with collaborative energy—teams actively tearing apart fake news and preparing to present the truth to their peers.

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英語口語表達能力絕不可能短時間內就練得起來，但很多考生都是筆試通過後才非常急切、窘迫的要練習教甄口試。若有一個秘方、架構，裏面包含必備的元素，可以在不管面對英語教學、班級經營或教育政策等任何問題，都能夠很有系統、組織地幫助自己用英語來表達呢？(國中英語教師甄試-口試答題架構與技巧)

Imagine sitting across from a three-person hiring panel in a stifling junior high conference room. Your palms are sweating, your tie feels a little too tight, and the principal just dropped the heavy hitter: "How do you handle a chaotic classroom?" You have exactly four minutes before their eyes glaze over and they reach for the next resume in the stack. 

3,000 Classes Later: How Talking Every Day Transformed My Fluency

就跟手機一樣，AI已經來了，我們都已經回不去了。身處到處都是AI幾秒內就生成的文章和圖表的世界中，反而我們愈需要強調”這不是AI”。在Native Camp上了三千堂課、花了超過台幣十萬元後，我持續在英語口說表達、跨文化溝通及大學的課堂上展現穩定進步的成果。正是因為這些都不是任何AI可以生成或取代的，所以更顯自己對口說的熱情及長期付出的真正價值所在!

When AI can generate perfect text in seconds, raw, unscripted human fluency is your ultimate advantage. Over four-and-a-half years and 3,000 online conversations, I didn't just learn a language—I built an unshakeable toolkit for public speaking and genuine connection. True fluency isn't about using big words; it's the quiet confidence of knowing you will never freeze when the script gets tossed out the window.

Together, We Shine Brighter: A 2026 Educational Visit to Our Sister School in Daegu

 

對很多韓國學校來說，原來我們這樣入校3天、2晚HOMESTAY的模式是多麼地難得和不容易啊! 專門承辦台、韓姊妹校教育旅行的資深業內人員非常讚嘆我們的情誼真的不簡單，連派來專門過來要協助翻譯的高級主管也自認完全沒有派上用場，因為我們師、生完全都可以用英語溝通。回想從7年前對方首次來訪那時的恐懼、擔心出錯，一直到現在第3次回訪的悠遊自得、遊刃有餘(當然還是有全新的驚喜和驚嚇)，不免感嘆時光飛逝、但也欣喜學生和我的成長!

What makes this international partnership continue to thrive and grow stronger? It is a bond that transcends language and distance, cultivated by discovering our shared values and appreciating our nuanced differences. To me, Korea used to be nothing more than a neighboring Asian country on the map. Now, I have friends here that I can gossip and laugh with at a welcome dinner without holding anything back.

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月考命題不想用出版社現成的，何不自己來寫學校的活動、故事，然後出得很像國中英語會考的閱讀測驗？這在以前非常花時間、也很有可能會出現不自然的英文。現在有了AI，幾分鐘就可以生成一篇既符合學生程度、又跟他們學校生活直接相關的閱讀測驗，而且保證非常的素養和會考!

Writing your own reading passages? It’s a nightmare. Trying to design question sets that actually mimic the discriminative difficulty of the CAP? Even harder. But I found a workaround, with a workflow that actually works so very effectively.