Grandpa Mike Came to Visit

English

Some teachers stay with you long after the lesson ends. For students across Changhua, “Grandpa Mike” — Michael Dishnow (1943–2025) — was one of them. A retired American educator, he flew to Taiwan again and again, at his own expense, simply to teach English to students he had never met. He worked alongside My Culture Connect (人師教育協會) and the Changhua English Resource Center, and in 2019 he set out to tour the county school by school.

On this 2019 visit, Grandpa Mike came to Fusing Junior High School. He brought no textbook drills and no pressure — only patience, a warm voice, and a belief that every student here could speak up in English. He listened, encouraged, and made a foreign language feel friendly and within reach. For many of our students, a real conversation with a native speaker who had traveled across the world just to meet them was a moment they would not forget.

Grandpa Mike passed away in 2025. We share this short film in his memory — a small thank-you for the kindness and confidence he gave the young people of Fusing. The best way to honor him is the one he would have wanted: keep speaking, keep learning, and stay open to the wider world.

中文

有些老師，下課之後仍長久留在我們心裡。對彰化許多孩子來說，「麥克爺爺」——Michael Dishnow（1943–2025）——正是這樣的一位。他是一位退休的美國教育工作者，多次自費飛來台灣，只為了教這些素未謀面的學生英文。他與人師教育協會（My Culture Connect）及彰化縣英語資源中心攜手合作，並在 2019 年展開一場一所學校接著一所學校的全縣巡訪。

在這次 2019 年的行程中，麥克爺爺來到了福興國中。他沒有帶來生硬的反覆操練，也沒有任何壓力，只帶來耐心、溫暖的聲音，以及對每一位福中學生都能開口說英文的信任。他傾聽、鼓勵，讓一門外語變得親切而可親。對許多同學而言，能和一位遠渡重洋只為與他們相見的母語人士真正對話，是難以忘懷的一刻。

麥克爺爺已於 2025 年離世。我們分享這支短片以茲紀念，感謝他帶給福興孩子的善意與自信。而紀念他最好的方式，也正是他所期盼的：持續開口、持續學習，並對更寬廣的世界保持開放的心。