“Although I am from one of the most remote and least populated places in the U.S.–Helena, Montana, I lived abroad in one of the most populated places in the world for 7 years–China. During that time, I dedicated a tremendous amount of effort learning Mandarin Chinese, which many students are shocked to learn I read, write, and speak fluently.”
While studying in college, the future was unknown to Mr. Rankin. “Nobody really knows what will happen next,” he said. But, with an opportunity to study abroad in China, it turned his life around. “[I] Served as an education volunteer for two years in the Peace Corps in Gansu, China. Turning a remote desert oasis town into a home is an adventure for a lifetime that l will never forget.” During his time, he volunteered at schools in a town teaching students western history, literature and English pronunciation. This experience not only helped him establish a new perspective but also ignited his passion for teaching.
Traveling back to the US, he joined the Peace Corps Fellow, where he was organized to help out high need schools such as Fort Hamilton, using his ability to write and speak fluently in mandarin to contribute and teach students with language barriers. With his skill, he taught English Language Learners classes, passing on his knowledge to the students.
But there are always silly encounters: “While teaching the concept of the ends justifies the means in my U.S.history class,my student blurted out, ‘In the way!’ l responded with pure excitement, ‘Yes! That is exactly the mentality people might use to justify their wrongful actions for a potentially good cause.’ The entire class roared with laughter. Turns out, he was telling me that l was in the way because he couldn’t read the notes. We all laughed together.”
His happiest moment at Fort Hamilton was “watching the look on my student’s face when he finally beat me in a chess game at chess club.”
