'Learn another language,' urges former teacher

DINGMANS FERRY — Kevin Smith, former science teacher at the Dingman-Delaware Middle School (DDMS), recently surprised longtime colleagues during a brief visit in the states.
Besides catching up with faculty friends, he also guest-lectured in several classes about his time teaching overseas. Smith left DDMS in 2013 to live closer to his wife’s family in the Philippines. After teaching for one year in Cambodia, he moved again two years ago to his current position at QSI International School in Chengdu, China. There he teaches advanced physics and statistics to American children whose parents are ambassadors or diplomats.
“He was really interesting,” Madison Kelly said. “He spoke Chinese for us and told us how the same word with different tones can mean different things.”
He also talked about the lives of people in the Philippines.
“Mr. Smith knows several languages, including Chinese, and told us that learning additional languages opens up greater possibilities for careers—so take those classes seriously," said teacher Eric Cooley.
Chengdu is bigger than New York Cityand has a mall that is the largest building in the world. Still, the world is a much smaller place than students realize.
Smith advised students, “Learn another language. Chinese is an especially good choice for anyone going into business. And travel.”
Smith also offered to stay digitally connected by partnering his classes with DDMS classes for future learning exchanges.