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Connecticut-Shandong Province Principal and Teacher Shadowing Program

The goal of this program is build partnerships between school leaders, promote mutual intercultural understanding, and create opportunities for professional development. Since 2004, Connecticut has established over 120 partnerships with schools in Shandong. I will be visiting Huojiajie Primary School in Jining, Shandong Province. The school has 86 classes with 5,897 students and 258 faculty members. This should be quite a contrast to any school in the United States, especially Colebrook Consolidated School with only 118 students.
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Day by Day - Summary of Events

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The Last Day – April 26, 2010 – As I sit on the plane preparing to land in DC, I share the same sentiments as my fellow travel mates. We are all very happy to be back in the U.S.A. They actually offered us noodles on the flight home. No noodles!

We had spent Saturday in QuFu, home of Confucius. Unlike Europe and America, the places I’ve traveled, China does not restore their “tourist sites”. The buildings are pretty much as they were 1000 years ago. It’s amazing to be standing next to something that is 1000 years old. You admired the skilled craftsmanship and the detail but they are certainly not “beautiful” buildings. Not sure any new wisdom was gained from walking on the same ground that Confucius had walked in 500 B.C. Saturday night we had our final banquet, with our group hosting the dinner which included local education officials. We had a huge rectangular table that seated about 35 people. Delicious food! Sunday we boarded a high-speed train and traveled back to Beijing in half the time. It traveled at 240 km per hour at some points. It was a comfortable ride and a treat after being on a tour bus for so long. Last night we were on our own. Three of us climbed in to a cab at the hotel heading to the silk market. We were ready to shop and haggle for the best deals. That really was a lot of fun, especially once we had our strategy figured out. Leaving the silk factory in the rain at 9pm, we were at the mercy of the taxi drivers. They originally 500 yuan ( $65) to take us back when we had paid 27 ( $3.50) yuan to get there. We haggled a woman down to 100 ( $15). She called her husband and then lead us to a van. We were very nervous being in what we were sure was an illegal taxi, but returned safely to our hotel. He had worked in the silk market and learned very good English for his interactions with the customers. This morning before heading to the airport we stopped by the site of the 2008 Olympics. There were many beautiful structures, with the Birdsnest being the most popular.

Reflecting back on the adventure to China, the time at the school was incredible. It was a great way to get to know local people and get a strong sense of the culture. The Chinese were very friendly and incredibly gracious host. I’m not sure we could ever give them the same level of treatment should they visit our school. We would certainly try hard, though. The site-seeing outings were great to see but seemed less significant after the school visit.

Many new friendships were made with my fellow travel mates. We spent many hours together laughing and sharing the joys and challenges of our adventure. For now, however, this traveler is happy to be home with those I love, real toilets, and food I can identify.

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Friday, April 23, 2010 – It is the last day of my visit here in Jining. I am sad to leave as I have really enjoyed my stay, working with the teachers, but mostly interacting with the students. I have not carried my own bag, opened a door, poured my own drink, or served myself food for most of the week. I’m sure reality will set in as soon as I am back home. I went to the school this morning for only about an hour and a half. A woman from the banquet the previous night came to school to get her picture taken with me. She had a young girl with her. She was in grade two and didn’t tell me the relationship, but I think it’s her granddaughter or a grand niece. I had my picture taken with the young girl and about 5 different groups – just me, me and principal, and grandma, then all of us with some teachers. It really did matter who you knew this week as to how close you could get to the American and if you could get your picture taken with her. I did “private” photo sessions with the administrators’ children, teachers’ children, teacher leaders, and those teachers who knew how to find me. My last photo session was with the Teachers of English. They were shy at first about asking me questions and actually talking in English. By the end of our time together, we had exchanged email addresses and were hoping for them to visit the US. I taught them to cross their fingers and hope it comes true. They got a real kick out of crossing their fingers for good luck.

I have arrived back in Jinan and been reunited with my group. It is really fun to hear everyone’s stories. They are very similar in some respects (how well we were treated and the food) but different in others. One duo stayed at a different family’s home each night. At another’s school class consisted of the students standing up to repeat what the teacher had said and then sitting back down. More of what I had expected to see on my visit. Everyone had a great week and came back with many gifts. How to fit scrolls into a suitcase is the newest challenge. We shall be quite a spectacle on the plane Monday.

I did Skype with my students both Thursday and Friday mornings. It was great fun and hopefully helped them to feel a part of this adventure. They asked great questions. I have many pictures to share with them so they can get a sense of the life in China that I saw.

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Thursday, April 22, 2010 - I had the opportunity to observe two more classes and to meet with teachers and teacher leaders to talk about education. It resembled a job interview as we sat around a table with the 15 or so of them each asking me a question. It was a great exchange. As my translator and I were walking back to the hotel for lunch and a rest, three teachers invited us to dine with them. They were insistent and so not to offend, I said of course. We went into a local restaurant and lots of food was brought out. Many dishes were very spicy. I did manage to avoid pig’s feet and snake at this meal. They all enjoyed those delicacies. The big highlight of the day was the signing ceremony. I was the first one to visit the Huojiajien School from Colebrook (and Connecticut and even the US, I believe), so I was the one to sign an agreement stating that we would have a sister-school relationship. Well, this was a HUGE deal. You have to see the pictures to really understand. Area government and education officials were invited to attend. Many of them were faces I had a seen a few times during the week. We wore corsages, gave speeches to the 300 guests, smiled for many cameras, signed the document both in Chinese and English, and then enjoyed a student performance. This event was taken very seriously by all who attended. The pressure is on as the expectations are high. I’m really hoping some of the Teachers of English will get the opportunity to travel to the US or another English speaking country. These are Chinese people teaching English and they had never spoken with a person whose native language is English. Tonight another banquet was thrown with the dignitaries and a few new guests. There is a Board who advises the school. Some of the members were there and the principal was doing some schmoozing ( sp) which all good principals do for the benefit of their school and students. There were many, many toasts given and a lot of food eaten. Amazing amounts of food were on the table this week as the Chinese show their pleasure in having you visit by preparing and sharing food with you. They are very proud of their regional favorite dishes. It was a great day.

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Travel Pictures and User Comments

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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Beijing National Stadium (the bird's nest)
Sunset on the Flight Home
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(click on picture for larger view)

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Jinan Teachers of English and a War Memorial
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(click on a picture for a larger view)

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Sister School Agreement
Signing Ceremony
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(click on a picture for a larger view)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Visiting with Teachers, Well prepared Students.
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Visiting with Students
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Monday, April 19, 2010

The Banquet
(photographer appears to have toasted one too many times)
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Street life in Jinan
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