Agilent-TWB China 2007

Jennifer Hong – Punahou School

 

( For TWB – SOUTH AFRICA  reflection, pictures – see Jen’s blog: http://JensSouthAfricaReflection.blogspot.com )

 

We have all heard in the news how China is poised to be the next global power. We also know that the fate of a country rests in its ability to provide for the next generation of leaders…which therefore puts China’s teachers in a very powerful position. I will always remember the two weeks I spent in Dujiangyan and Chengdu because they have provided me with a unique perspective of our changing world.

 

The Chinese teachers we worked with reminded me of myself in my first years of teaching. I followed the textbook and made sure my students were prepared for the following grade. As the years went by, I found that the most effective methods for teaching any concept were ones in which the children were personally engaged and at the same time purposeful. This was the idea I tried to share with the teachers in China.

 

Though we met and discussed curriculum before arriving, we did not seek input from the teachers that were attending the workshop. We had feedback from the year before, but the teachers were different, as were their needs. One focus from the previous year was on speaking and reciting the English language, but we found the teachers to be pretty well-spoken. That was wonderful news, but it also meant changing our plans…which was not a problem with the talent of my colleagues Andy, Lyla, Lani, and Gora. This year the teachers wanted to teach from their textbook in engaging ways. But, they kept in mind their final goal of having their students pass the end-of-the-year test. While we discussed at length the purpose of schooling and engaging their learners, that test loomed constantly overhead. It made me wonder if the most powerful lever of reform is changing culture, curricula, pedagogy, or professional development. It is a question we also tackle in America.

 

We spent much of our free time in the afternoons preparing for the next class, after assessing the needs of our teachers. It was truly a pleasure to work with the English team, in creating lessons and sharing methods. I felt we worked well and complemented each other’s strengths. One thing that Andy reinforced in me was the value of feedback. If we didn’t ask, we would have been facilitating a workshop that was helpful, but not ideal. As teachers we are always looking for excellent professional development, not just average workshops. We had to hold ourselves to the same high standards.

 

When we weren’t working, we were able to enjoy the culture and sights of China from the revered Mao statue and $1 noodles to my Starbucks vanilla lattes. Bicycles whooshed by us and children begged for money. Thanks to Yunus and his daughter for finding us a hotel close to the school (although Andy found a variety of combinations of right and left turns to get between the two locations). I had the opportunity to get to know a teacher I never had at Punahou, Harold Lee. He and Carol Brennan brought the inquiry method to these Chinese teachers and demonstrated how powerful it is to look at knowledge not as something to accept, but as something to question. I also got to meet and talk to Carl Ackerman, his wife Lynn, and their daughter Jennifer. Carl works at Punahou but it took a visit to China to finally get us face-to-face to discuss the PUEO program that I’ve been interested in for years. 

 

At the Principals’ conferences, Lani and I looked forward to Fred’s speech about the seed that he planted that grew into a tree. It not only remains a strong tree, but it is bearing fruit and its seeds are blowing around the world, planting more trees in the countries that need them most. Fred’s vision and dream are extraordinary and inspiring.

 

The Chinese teachers we worked with were dedicated and enthusiastic. They were engaged, interested, and honest about their challenges. They were anxious to practice their spoken English, and it seemed as though sometimes they just wanted to hear a native speaker. We were able to share songs and games, and to learn a little more about each other’s cultures. Though some were initially shy, we impressed upon them each day the importance of being role models for their children. If they were more comfortable with English, they would more eagerly teach their students.

 

We could tell many of the teachers did not have experience with creating their own lessons. When we did an activity where Andy and Lani role-played packing for a trip, one teacher thought she could only use that teaching method for the unit on traveling. It seemed to me that teachers in China have been treated like blank slates. They were told to teach something, given the method, and then passed that information onto their students, as if their students too were blank slates. But in this modern world where outsourcing is becoming the norm, we don’t want the Chinese students to grow up and answer our phone calls. We want them to have jobs that cannot be replaced by someone else. They need to be creative, critical thinkers who work together to invent and innovate. The teachers need to take the lead in this respect, and model how to take a lesson and create or change it to fit their needs.

 

We made sure we were able to sustain support even after the workshop was over. Andy showed the teachers how to register for the Annenburg website and this literally opened many doors. They could view teaching videos, listen to songs, download curricular ideas and adapt them, and browse a multitude of possibilities…all to improve instruction. But as they are not blank slates, we hope they take the time to search for other educational websites and collaborate with fellow teachers to bring their nation into the new era of learning.

 

Something that I did not expect to be so moved by, were the pandas. In learning about the culture of a school, I have read about how symbols and traditions play an important role. I have seen pandas in movies, on postcards, and in pictures. But nothing prepared me for the grandeur and pure joy of seeing them in person. On our way home from the Principals’ conference in Wolong, we decided at the last minute to stop at the panda reserve. I could have stayed there all day. There were baby pandas, toddler pandas, and adult pandas. For a large donation, one could even hold a panda.

 

As I walked to the different areas, it was enlightening to see how a large and powerful bear used to be a small and cuddly animal, bouncing and waddling around in the grass. It was wonderful to see school officials taking a break from their jobs to marvel in the wonder that is the panda. We met American tourists who flew all the way to China to assist in the care of these beautiful creatures. As the panda is a symbol of China, so are the children a symbol of China’s rise to power. They are to be watched and marveled at. They are to be nurtured and celebrated. And when they grow up, they will be powerful because of the guidance they have received from their teachers. These children need to be treated even better than these pandas. They need to have creative teachers, safe homes and schools, and a country which supports and values education and critical thinking. It is only then that they can grow up and embody the responsibility of being China’s new national treasure.

 

At the Shamrock in Chengdu, Sichuan:

Standing: Harold Lee, Jen Hong, Lyla Berg

Seated: Cindy Patten (TWB-Canada), Yunus Peer, Carl, Lynn, and Jennifer Ackerman. 

 

( For TWB – SOUTH AFRICA  reflection, pictures – see Jen’s blog: http://JensSouthAfricaReflection.blogspot.com )