Trip Takeaways

I am writing this on the plane from Hong Kong to Newark. I know that I will do a lot of processing in the days, weeks, and months to come, but with the experience fresh in my mind I wanted to gather my thoughts together. I have divided these thoughts into three different categories: themes/topics, lessons, and hopes.

Themes/Topics
-the pace of growth and change: in so many ways the pace of growth and change in China is extraordinary. Everywhere we went the skyline was dotted with cranes, and it was obvious that we were driving on many new roads and highways. What was farmland when I visited Xi'an in 1999 is now an urban area. Stores that boast luxury goods from across the globe are being opened in high numbers. It is important to remember, though, that not everyone is benefiting from this boom and that there are other consequences as well, like terrible traffic and pollution.
-the Chinese education system: the focus and academic achievements of Chinese students are impressive, and a system that creates students that consistently perform at a high level internationally must be doing many things well. This is in contrast to what many feel about the US system, which it is filled with what Ted Sizer, one of my college professors, called "shopping mall high schools," which offer so many different courses at the expense of mastery. But a system based on rote memory, single-minded achievement, narrow goals, and test scores is missing something crucial- the opportunity for students to discover and explore their passions; the encouragement of students to take academic risks, problem solve, and be creative; the focus on students becoming well-rounded people.
-shifting educational landscape in China: the government has allowed the creation of private schools that follow the national/provincial curricula but are allowed to have some flexibility and are able to create their own school cultures. The boards of these schools are generally made up of current parents, not government officials. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over time.
-one child rule: this issue was discussed several times during our trip. The challenge is how to protect people's human rights while making sure that there is not a population explosion that could lead to incredible hardships, shortages, and other challenges that would mainly affect the country's poor. Several Chinese expressed the concern that the policy is creating a generation of indulged, spoiled children.
-Chinese history: Chinese history is rich and fascinating. The fact that sizable remnants of it are still present all over the country so that one can experience them first-hand is incredible. There is nothing like it in the US. The oldest historical site that I have visited in the US is the Kahokia American Indian mounds in Missouri that date back to around 1200; it was interesting to visualize a city of thousands along the Mississippi, but I had to do just that since only large mounds are visible.
-beauty of China: whether looking at the Great Wall winding its way through the mountains or a lake filled with lotus flowers, the country is filled with both man-made and natural beauty.
-freedom: in mainland China freedom of speech and expression are limited. The Internet is blocked and monitored, protests are illegal, and there is no freedom of the press. One might be surprised by the fact that there is not much of a visible police presence in China; I know, though, that there is a vast, behind the scene apparatus that is ready to spring into action when necessary. The consequences of crossing the line are swift and severe.
-technology: it is amazing that one can get cell phone access all over, even on The Great Wall! And it was incredible that I could post an entry through my Blogger app in China one moment and it could be read by someone in the US the next. On a personal note, I did not bring my laptop on this trip partly because I wanted to test the capabilities of the iPad. It was an amazing tool- it was easy to carry, has a long battery life, was easy to use, and has an incredible camera (I only used my actual camera when I needed a flash or to zoom with video.)
-pride: the Chinese people are extremely proud of and knowledgeable about their history. They know the role of their particular provinces in the history of China including how many emperors were born there. Everyone was eager to show off their local dishes and delicacies. It is certainly a history and culture to be proud of. And all of the people working at the schools we visited were kind and gracious hosts.
-traditions: traditions run deep in China. Everyone seems to know the symbolism of different animals, plants, foods, sculptures, etc. and these traditions often come up in conversation, during meals, and when visiting historic sites. I really don't think there is an equivalent in the broader US culture. A major reason is probably that our country is truly multicultural while China is largely homogeneous.
-firsthand knowledge and experience: there is no substitute for learning things through experiencing them firsthand. Short of that, it is powerful to learn from someone who experienced something him or herself. I will never forget some of the stories that Xiumin shared about growing up in China. It is a good reminder of the importance of primary sources, guest speakers, and field trips in education.
-children are wonderful everywhere: unfortunately we did not get to spend too much time with middle and high school students because they were in exams, but the ones we met were delightful and acted exactly as one would expect them to- I will never forget it when the seniors began singing "Country Road." My time at the elementary school in Wuxi was so special- I had so much fun speaking with, learning how to make dumplings from, and dancing with the students. I feel so lucky that I get to experience this joy at SSSAS every day!
-professional growth: I have learned and grown so much from being in China, but I have also learned a great deal for my independent school colleagues on the trip. I have a long list of ideas to follow up on! This highlights the importance of building a PLN (professional learning network) outside of one's own school.


Lessons
-be flexible: our itinerary changed daily. Going with the flow makes everything more enjoyable!
-be adventurous: I tried so many new foods and saw many amazing things. Be safe, but push yourself to try something new and discover your own interests and passions, as we always encourage our students to do.
-it's okay (and even good) to feel uncomfortable sometimes: I was tentative about jumping into a taxi by myself in Beijing to visit Travis Thompson '07, but it was so wonderful to see him, especially in his own neighborhood. It's good to take risks and be uncomfortable sometimes, because it's an important aspect of truly growing and learning.
-don't assume that everyone does things the way you do: Did you know that the Chinese exchange business cards in a formal way- with two hands and much focus on what is printed on it- and that they'd never write on someone's business card upon receiving it? Being aware of another person's culture is broadening and enables one to act in a respectful way.

Hopes:
-My greatest hope is that we will be successful in creating meaningful connections with some of the schools I visited. There are certainly barriers such as time zones, government bureaucracy, and Internet platforms, but if both schools want to make it happen I am confident that we can!
-I want to share my journey with members of the SSSAS community in a way that will be thoughtful and helpful to everyone. I hope this blog is a start.
-I want to make sure that I carry the knowledge and experiences that I gained from this trip with me always. One of my high school teachers would often say that "life is cumulative." Experiences build upon each other to create new ideas and perspectives.

Hong kong

This morning I was determined to fulfill one of my trip goals of visiting a magic shop in China! I went to the concierge of the hotel and explained my quest. She went online and found a magic shop not too far away. In about 20 minutes by cab I found myself in front of a hallway entrance to a building and located the magic shop on the directory. I went up to the 12th floor where I found that it was...closed! Not knowing if it might open later in the day I took a picture of a sign on the door and showed it to someone at the building entrance, who confirmed that it was closed for the day. Foiled!

I decided to walk around the neighborhood to explore a little and came upon a massive row of stalls being set up with all kinds of items. I walked several blocks and was even able to buy some last minute gifts, as I will be leaving China tomorrow. Then I went back to the hotel to change into some nicer clothes for my last school visit of the trip.

I feel so fortunate to have ended this educational journey with a visit to the Hong Kong School of Creativity and with Ada Wong, its director. This visit gave me new information about education in mainland China and a unique view into the Chinese system. The backdrop for this is the fact that the school is located in Hong Kong. Hong Kong enjoys a unique place in the political and cultural life of China. Even 15 years after the handover from the British, Hong Kong has more freedom than the mainland. One major freedom is access to information- Facebook, Twitter, and other social media tools are available here. There is also freedom of the press and speech. There are elected representatives (although there are many appointed ones as well.) Ultimately Beijing calls the shots, and everyone knows this; there is the understanding that the national government could restrict these freedoms if it chooses to do so, which does lead to some self-censorship. But the people's voices are heard here. In fact, each year on July 1, many activists and different political groups take to the streets in protest. There is a belief here that one needs to take every opportunity to speak out and act in the name of freedom or it may be slowly eroded. It is an important reminder that we in the US should never take our rights for granted.

The HKSC nurtures creativity through knowledge and theories, creative and expressive techniques, and thinking and imagining skills. Its school brochure says that it "provides young people with all-rounded creative learning experiences and opportunities for self-fulfillment:
-with less examinations and greater flexibility for effective learning
-through inter-disciplinary curricula responding to the development of a civil society and a knowledge-based economy
-by fostering positive values, cultural literacy, competency in communication, as well as creative and critical thinking
-as a cross-culture hub for the sustainable development of creative education."

The school itself has such a creative feel to it, with student art installations everywhere, even in unexpected places. Three stories above the ground level three handmade basketball backboards and rims hang in the air. One story below that, green netting is stretched in a concave manner with a hole in the middle. Running from the hole down to the ground level is a tube of green netting that ends in a receptacle. Ada explained that a student created this to encourage students to recycle bottles instead of throwing them in the trash by turning it into a basketball shooting game!

In addition to taking core classes such as Chinese, English, and math, students choose among electives such as Design and Visual Communication; Multimedia Performing Arts; and Creative Sound and Music. I was fortunate to visit during what is the "finals" equivalent of those electives- students were showing movies they made, performing, or presenting their projects during a share and critique process. One movie of street scenes focusing on different objects and people was clearly a statement about the discrepancy between the very affluent and the poor. Appropriately, the school's atmosphere was informal and vibrant, with students in chairs as well as on the floor. During my tour I was also able to see the other performance and studio spaces and many student projects, including models of indoor/outdoor spaces for buildings and the final projects of mostly visual arts students.

To apply to the school students need portfolios, an essay, testing, and an interview. The price is about 3300 US dollars per year, but about a third of the students receive financial aid- this is the first time I have heard about aid during a school visit. Most of the students go on to art and design schools. During my conversation about art schools I learned about high schools that focus on the arts in mainland China. Many of the design universities and music conservatories have high schools associated with them, so students who are accepted can focus on a visual or performing art in high school. What makes HKSC unique is that it focuses on creativity through a variety of art forms and media so that students don't need to specialize. Another important difference is that the creative process, and thus the works created by students, emanate from the freedom of expression that being in Hong Kong affords. When asked about what enables people to be creative and innovative, Ada emphatically declared that this comes only from this freedom. Artists, in particular, thrive without restrictions and limits, especially when they are making political or social statements.

When I shared some of my experiences in schools over the past two weeks, especially in the new schools with high tuitions and beautiful buildings, Ada reminded me that this is not the norm. When one sees the incredible growth and building going on in Chinese cities and the amount of money that families are willing to pay for their children to attend and board at these schools, one must remember those who are not experiencing this economic boom, which is most of the population.

I think that many trips that Westerners take to China end in Hong Kong because it is truly straddles East and West. There are more things here that are familiar- 7-11's, more English speakers, churches and religious schools, more recognizable foods and products. But much is different as well- Buddhist monks walking down the sidewalk, people waiting to meet the pharmacist at a Chinese medicine store, Buddhist temples, an extraordinary array of unfamiliar snack foods and the display of animals and animal parts that are generally disguised in US supermarkets. But, as I post this blog directly on the Blogger website for the first time, what stands out to me is the most important commonality between the US and Hong Kong- freedom.

As my group meets for dinner in a few minutes for our last night together, I know that we will discuss some of the major takeaways from our journey, and I will share them here. I also wanted to say that I have learned a lot from them and will take many ideas back to SSSAS. Xiumin, who grew up in Kunming, experienced the Cultural Revolution, became an English teacher in China, and then moved to the US where she sent her children to an independent school and serves on its board, gave us a very special and personal perspective on China past and present. Claudia, Kristen, Ken, Mike (first half), and Matt (middle of trip) were also wonderful travel companions.

I feel so fortunate that I was able to go on this incredible, enlightening, and inspiring journey. Many thanks to the APT and the school for sending me to China!

Chongqing Day 2

Today we visited the Chongqing Jianshaw High School for grades 7-12. During the drive we got a better sense of the layout of this massive city. Chongqing consists of six different districts, which contain areas that would be considered cities on their own. Altogether it has over 33 million people, making it one of the largest cities in the world. It is known as the "fog city" because of the fog that hangs over it; it is said that dogs in Chongqing bark at the sun when it comes out because they don't know what it is! The sprawling metropolis is located in a mountainous area, very lush and containing everything from farms on the hillsides to factories in the valleys. The famous Yangtze river runs by one of the city's central business districts. During the hour and a half drive to the school we would pass farms and go through a tunnel or over a bridge and find ourselves passing through an area with tall buildings and a million plus population. I also learned that this area was the seat of Chiang Kai Shek's Nationalist government in the 30's and 40's. In fact, his headquarters was in the building across the street from our hotel.

Chongqing Jianshaw High School is located on a mountain overlooking a beautiful valley. We toured the campus and met with the vice principal, a party official, and a teacher. We spoke with them about different ways to connect our students. One of the most promising is through a class that they have on research and experimentation, in which the students develop questions about real world problems and do research and experiments to determine how to solve them. They thought it would be great to do this together! We also mentioned other ways to connect students like sharing pictures and writings about "a day in the life" of American and Chinese students.

We were curious about the level of English proficiency of the Chinese students, and they shared their English textbooks. While their proficiency, of course, varies based on the individual student, the level of the curriculum was very high. This would make such exchanges possible!

We also learned some more about the examination process. At this school 1000 students apply for 100 spots for 7th grade. They go to regular local schools if they do not get in. In 9th grade students take a test in math, science, Chinese, English and other areas. If they do well on the test they move on to a top high school; the level of the school they can attend is based on their scores. (80% of student in this 7-9 middle school go on to the high school there.) If they don't do well they either go to a less selective school, a vocational school, or right into the workforce depending upon their scores. (In China mandatory schooling is only through 9th grade.) In 12th grade they take another multi-subject exam. These results determine the level of college (1st through 3rd tier) they can attend or if they will be able to attend college at all. Everything is based on test scores and nothing else. It is interesting to note that the top middle and high schools all have boarding components so that students who live in far reaching parts of the provinces can attend them.

Here are some random facts that I have learned:
-Chinese has only one syllable words except proper nouns.
-We noticed that we did not see any cemeteries in our travels and learned that everyone is cremated.

I also forgot to share that we experienced a traditional Chongqing dinner two night ago- a boiling hot pot in the middle of the table divided in two, one spicy and one not. The broth is so hot that you only need to cook most thing for about 15 seconds. It was delicious! Here is the list of what we ate:
Duck intestine
Eel
Cold cut beef bologna
Cow stomach
Beef meatball
Pork
Beef
Ham
River fish
Mushroom
Squash
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Yogurt drink: aloe
Lotus root
Winter melon
Dumplings
Tomato

This evening we flew into Hong Kong, our final destination. It's interesting to note that mainland Chinese need to get a visa to visit Hong Kong and we needed to go through passport control and customs, as if it's a foreign country. Today is the 15th anniversary of the handover of the city from British to Chinese control, and it will be interesting to see what noticeable differences there are, if any, between Hong Kong and the cities we have visited thus far. I am curious about Internet access in particular.

Chongqing

This morning we drove about two and a half hours from Chongqing to the Dazu District to see the Baodingshan Rock Carvings. These carvings of Buddha and Buddhist teachings were done almost 800 years ago. At that time, and even up to 20 or 30 years ago, it was a very remote, mountainous area, so it is incredible to think of all of the carvings being done so long ago. Fortunately, the overhanging cliffs have preserved the carvings beautifully over time. Along with a great number of well-preserved carvings, the site boasts the largest sleeping Buddha carving in China and the second largest sitting Buddha in the world. (It was the third largest before the Taliban blew one up many years ago.). It was a long trip but very much worth it!

Last Day in Shanghai

Today we visited the Shanghai World Foreign Language School. It is a first through fifth grade school with a specific mission to give students a global perspective. Many of their classes are taught in English by native English speakers. It is a private school with an extremely competitive admissions process - only 120 students are accepted from 3800 applicants! Our first impression was that the school is a warm and welcoming and positive one, and that was certainly confirmed during our visit!

First we met with the school's founder, principal, and a few board members. We watched a video about the school and then asked some general questions before taking a tour. Then we walked around the school and saw so many things: we saw a science class on the phases of the moon, we watched a calligraphy class, we saw a dance performance, we watched students make dumplings and even made some ourselves, I did a magic trick for a class, and then we joined a grade in a dance!

After the tour we returned to the meeting room to discuss ways our schools could connect. We discussed everything from teacher exchanges to joint Internet projects. What a joyful and fruitful visit!

This afternoon we flew to Chongqing.

Visit to Wuxi

Wuxi Yucai Middle School

This morning we took the bullet train from Shanghai to Wuxi. The bullet train itself is an amazing experience- it travels at 185 miles per hour and is incredibly smooth! An educational consultant who does work with the Wuxi Yucai Middle School (grades 7-9) met us at the train station and took us to the beautiful Tai Lake Park to tour the Li Garden, which is about 300 years old. The stone in the garden and from the general area is known for its unique shape due to water erosion through the years. What struck me were the beautiful screens in the garden walls- each one was different.

After touring the garden we had lunch at a restaurant in the park. The food was displayed in a unique way but that was nothing compared to the food itself. Over the past week we have learned so much about Chinese cuisine, which is very regional in taste, type, and presentation. I am a very adventurous eater and feel lucky that I have gotten to try so many new things! Here is what we ate:
Turtle soup (shell included)
Crab with soy noodles
River shrimp
Poisonous river fish (becomes un-poisonous when cooked by a specially trained chef)
White river fish
Tripe (cow stomach)
Tongue (cow)
Free range chicken (feet included)
Free range black pig meatballs
Watercress
Chicken with pigs feet
Taro
Raddish leaves
Pork & potatoes
Roots and blue berry sauce
Veggie soup with dumpling
Pork & prawns
Watermelon juice
Hot tea
Hot soy milk

And it was all served on the biggest lazy Susan I have ever seen!

After lunch we visited the Wuxi Yucai Middle School. It is a very prestigious private school that was founded by the granddaughter of a high level government official. At first it was a public school. Then it was a privately run public school. Now it is a private school. In China, the distinction is mainly that you can use private funds to enhance your school and you are able to create a distinctive school environment, but there is little flexibility in terms of curriculum. In our discussions with school administrators and board members, we talked about pairing middle school students up with our schools to do joint projects over the Internet, maybe around environmental issues or other common concerns. They said that there is no flexibility in the curriculum for that and it would have to be done after school. It was interesting to learn that the schedule at this level is just as packed and rigid as it is at the upper school level. We did talk about how to make such a project work, and we also had interesting and fruitful discussions about many opportunities to work together, from student exchanges to the joint creation of online courses. As has been the case at the other schools, our hosts were very warm and gracious.

1st Day in Shanghai

This morning we visited the Pearl Tower, which is one of the tallest buildings in the world. From the top of the tower we were able to get an incredible view of the city and, in some ways, see illustrations of its evolution. On the west side one can see European style buildings that are the result of the European occupation of China that went one for a hundred years. One can also see the new buildings on the east side surrounding the tower, most of which were built during the past twenty years. The growth in Shanghai over the past twenty or thirty years is staggering. A couple of decades ago there were few buildings between the downtown area and the airport, which is about forty-five minutes away. Now it is packed with buildings. The area where the Pearl Tower is was a fishing village twenty-five years ago. Locals say that the city map changes weekly! As with the other cities we've visited, cranes dot the skyline. I wonder how this extraordinary growth has affected the people of Shanghai as well as the entire country.

After descending the tower we went to the Shanghai City Museum at its base. It is a wonderful museum that documents the long, rich, and often contentious history of this financial capital city of 25 million people.

In the afternoon we visited the Yu Garden in the old part of the city. It was created by the Yu family in the 1550's, which sold it a century later when it fell upon financial difficulties. It consists of a series of beautiful wooden structures, fish filled ponds, trees, rock gardens, and statues. It was interesting to learn what the city looked like hundreds of years ago. This evening we went on a dinner cruise on the river and got a wonderful night view of much of what we saw earlier that day.