#105 Teaching at Taizhou Teachers College, China ("Superior" Evaluations for TTC by the Education Department of Jiangsu)

One of the important Blogs I have neglected to publish earlier this year, 2008, concerns our school's evaluation by the Education Department of the Province of Jiangsu, China. It is a process that is mandated for the provincial educational institutions every 5 years, and Taizhou Teachers College was ready for this rigorous examination of its academia and facilities.

I observed the faculty and staff of our college work day and night and into the weekends, making sure that no questions would be left un-answered for the visiting team of educators, who would look into every aspect of college life at Taizhou Teachers College. Our school was well prepared, and under the guidance of TTC President, Mr. Xu, they presented the best our small teachers college had to offer to its students.

Taizhou Teachers College deservingly received its "SUPERIOR" results after this lengthy and detailed accreditation process by a legion of provincial officials from Jiangsu's Capital, Nanjing. Their examination was detailed and exhaustive. The result and the scores were merited and accepted by our school with great pride.

The score assigned to our school, "SUPERIOR", is a great honor for all of us, and is credit to the leadership of our wonderful College President, Mr. Xu, his capable and knowledgeable administrative staff, all of the competent and hardworking teachers, and our very special and loving student body. But the work does not stop here, and improvements continue every day, making ready for the next visit of the evaluation team. Their recommendations are already the focus for implementation at Taizhou Teachers College.

Having been named as one of the outstanding colleges for aspiring teachers in Jiangsu, everyone on our garden-campus, as well as the city, is deservingly proud of this recognition and this praise by the provincial government. The "SUPERIOR" rating by the evaluation commission has raised the profile of our college, as more and more students from around the Province of Jiangsu are seeing our campus as a place, where dreams for a successful future can be actualized and realized.

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****Let me remind you of our location in the Province of Jiangsu, on the center east-coast of China:

Taizhou Teachers College is the oldest college, with the most beautiful campus, in the city of Taizhou, one of the important and fastest growing cities in China's most developed and most progressive provinces, Jiangsu.

Rapidly expanding as a dynamic, economic powerhouse within the province of Jiangsu, Taizhou is located by bus only 3 hours north of Shanghai, and China's former capital, Nanjing 2 hours to the South. Taizhou's famous neighbors are its sister cities, Yangzhou, one hour to the West and Nantong, one hour to the East.

The Yangtze River borders the outskirts of Taizhou as one of China's most important waterways, with access to the China Sea.

The area surrounding Taizhou is known as one of the great "bread baskets" of China.

Since 1996, Taizhou has developed in to a governmental city as a "prefecture-level municipality".

The importance of Taizhou can be measured by its spectacular and modern new "railway station" reaching all parts of China, and a developing new airport, now under construction. ****
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On the last evening of the "Evaluation Commission's" visit, our talented students of Taizhou Teachers College surprised the dignitaries with a very special performance. It is always one of my favorite moments on our campus, when I am witness to the many talents at our college.

I see them as students during the passing of the school days, but on these special evenings they become performing "stars", who take me deeper into the history and culture and traditions and the arts of this amazing country. Their talents mesmerize me, and I leave more satisfied, having selected this wonderful small college as my new home.

Most of the Chinese students and Chinese teachers will have witnessed these traditional performances all of their lifes. But I don't think they truly understand, that when as a "foreign teacher", I am given the opportunity to enjoy one of their performances, they offer me something very special. During those special moments they do much to satisfy my imagination and joy in being part of their lifes in this still enigmatic changing country called, China.

***SOMETHING TO CONSIDER, SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:

For those of you, who are about to retire as teachers in the United States, Canada, Australia, England or New Zealand and are not satisfied in passing your days in front of the TV "Boob-tube", overwhelmed by a barage of daily, desponding news, but are still looking for an amazing adventure to carry you through life, you should consider and investigate the possibility of teaching in one of the thousands of schools in China, who will be eager to welcome you and whose students will love you. And when you are deciding, why not consider one of the many schools here in Taizhou, Jiangsu, PRC?

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