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Published: June 22nd 2006
Whitney Houston sings I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. ...
This perfectly describes what we saw at two schools today. Keep in mind that the schools we saw today were the best of the best, teaching the brightest of the brightest and being taught by the best of the best. If they meant to impress...they succeeded.
Our first visit was with Beijing No. 8 Middle School. This school teaches 2500 students. There are about 40 students per class. The teachers are paid about $10,000 per year. The students are engaged and bright. We visited with the principal for about an hour who had an interpreter. He said there are three things that are focused on currently in the school. That is driving, (note previous email comment on drivers), computer skills, and English. Very interesting combination don't you thing? Students wear uniforms and are not allowed to date until they are in college, though we all know they do date because one student confessed that her boyfriend had dropped her recently.
The school was nice, but I don't remember anything making it memorable as far as infrastructure. We visited an English teacher's class and watched her teach. She now...she was remarkable. It was very obvious she loves her students and they love her back.
After this we had lunch, I think I have commented on food enough for now, and then to Beijing Yumin Primary School. This has students from first to sixth grade. When we entered either in small groups or individually we were greeted by clapping and "Welcome to our School" by little uniformed seven year olds. They were also waving and saying "Hello".
We were then greeted by a teacher and led to the conference room. This conference room was full of overstuffed leather chairs. There were over 40 in just our group and there twice to three time that many chairs left. They offered us beverages (nonalcoholic) and we talked with the pincipal for a while. There were several things after that that are worth noting.
*There was a presentation of 900 students who exercised for 25 minutes in perfect unison. I believe they were 3, 4, and 5 graders.
*The teachers have an exercise room with a ping pong table, exercise equipment and get this two massage chairs.
*There is a room where they can get their hair washed and cut.
*A second conference room as nice as the first though not as big.
*An eating area for teachers only.
*The students and teachers gave a presentation that was nothing short of professional. They perfomed many chinese dances complete with professional looking costumes. They received many standing ovations from our group. Words fail to describe how well it was done, so I will not try. I will try to post some pictures later.
*After the talent show, each child presented each of us with a gift. Because there were so many children there were multiple gifts.
*A banner about 50 feet long was presented to us that the students had done. We were asked to sign it and then EVERYONE, performers, teachers, and us, got on the stage and had our picture taken.
As we left the children lined the hall and waved and shouted goodbye. The lined the lower halls, they lined the street and the teachers and the principal shook our hands and waved us away.
It was pretty powerful.
Changing from our dress clothes to streetware in the allotted 15 minutes we were whisked off to Hutong
Hutongfor a traditional rickshaw ride and then supper in a traditional home. We were broken into groups so we could fit into the homes.
While this may have been where the couple lived, I don't believe it was a traditioanl house because it had a western toilet and not the traditional eastern toilet.
Well I better go it is 2:42 and I have to be up about 7. Not bad, but I need to get to it.
I will have to post the pictures when I return.
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Cassandra Depew
non-member comment
China
It sounds like you are having a truely amazing time. I hope you can put the pictures up from the schools. I would love to see them!!