Yantis ISD Geography Teacher, Carol Darlin, as she rode a Yak, in her final days in China.
Yantis Teacher Recounts Last Days in China
and Heads for Home
by: Bobby McDonald
Confucius says, "If you walk with two people,
one should be a teacher!"
"I want to begin my last installment from China by thanking everyone who has made this trip a reality and by hoping that each of them will get to experience something like this in their lifetime," states Carol Darlin, Yantis ISD Geography Teacher, as she reflects on the past month, traveling in China. "It's been an awesome experience and one that I'll never forget, and hopefully I can instill just a 'glimpse' of what I've seen, in the minds of my students!"
"I first rode a camel, and now it's a Yak!" exclaims Carol, as she recounts her last animal ride. "He was a big, white, hairy thing, and I kept wondering if he'd run away!"
Darlin recounts that she and her entourage hated to leave the city of Lijiang, with its snow-capped mountains and friendly people. But, had to return to Beijing to the National Academy of Education Center and get prepared to leave for home. She related that even the pizza in China was different, as it had an egg in the middle, between the crusts! And, that they'd been served bee larvae and dragonflies.
Carol also sent a "quick lesson" in crossing streets in China. "In America, the pedestrian has the right-of-way, but in China they are the lowest in the pecking order!" states Carol. "You are sure to get run-over if you try to cross the street, by a bicycle, bus, taxi, or some other conveyence. We finally learned to cross streets in groups and to try to get in the middle of the group, so you wouldn't get flattened!"
Carol reports that vehicles like this are common on the streets and roads in China and that
you should "watch out" or you'll get run-over!
Darlin also reported some great "reads" on her Kindle, while on the trip, as they related to the country in which she was traveling. She recommends: "Wild Swans," "Oracle Bones," "China Road," "Girl With the Dragon Tatoo," and "Turtle Moon."
As a summary of some of the things that she has learned about the education system in China, Carol reflects:
Some observations about education in China: *Students are VERY motivated to succeed. It is an honor to be in Sr. Middle School (our high school) *3years of high school and all paid by their parents *teachers are accountable for student success on their final exams with results posted *large classes-usually 60-80 students *all high schools in the cities have dormitories on campus and average 1,200-1,800 students *central govt. decides the curriculum (no surprise here) *little student interaction or involvement in class *6-8:30 p.m. student day *morning exercises, mid morning eye exercises, nap after lunch *teachers only teach 2-3 classes per day-rest of the day is office hours *no G/T kids, no special ed (they stay at home), no arrangement for the handicapped children *Little creativity-only one school had an art display. No school newspapers, yearbooks, or visible signs of student work (One school did have ag projects: raising koi and sheep.) *No air conditioning *Teachers are very respected. Students bow at the beginning and end of class. Students clap for the teachers. (He claps for himself, also.) The one-child policy has made many young people spoiled. More lack of respect for parent but teachers still respected.
*Student computers are in the library and are used for research. *Each classroom had an Elmo and smart board. *Teachers used a lot of powerpoints. (After all, they have plenty of time to make them.) *Students use a workbook updated yearly. *All Sr. Middle Schools have a lot of space used for a school museum. *Primary school-6yrs for ages 6-12 *Jr. Middle school-3 years for ages 12-15 *Sr. Middle school-3 years for ages 15-18 Tuition paid by parents. Schools recruit based on exams grades from Jr. Middle School. Tests after Jr. Middle school and as a result of these tests 70% (so we are told) go to Sr. Middle School *students were uniform-Nike type exercise outfit (This is wonderful. We have a couple girls who dress so revealing that they make a hooker look holy.) *Compulsory ed for 9 years-to age 15 *21% of students from Sr. middle school go for higher ed *Teachers are paid well. *5 years loans from government for higher education *Teachers are required 240 hours of in-service every 5 years (This is what the NAEA does here.) *Rural areas hire what they call "substitute" teachers. They work full time but are not certified and are paid a fraction of the salary of a real teachers. The rural areas hire whoever they can find. *Principals are hired by appt from the government and election (not clear on that) *Private school exist for the: rich, migrant workers children, international students *The schools we were allowed to visit were all "model" schools. *Lack of creativity among their students. No Chinese has ever won the Nobel. *Student test scores are publicized-causes lots of anxiety *Some nice private schools for 3-4 year olds who even study and memorize ancient poems *No disrespectful students tolerated. No need for a discipline committee ever. *So many people vying for the jobs available that there is intense pressure to do well in academics.
Following session to discuss their trip and to make notes for a project presentation that is to be presented in December 2010, Darlin reflected on enjoying a fine dining experience with girls pouring tea with experience. "The tea house was a unique experience with girls providing a ceremony using the tea kettles with the 1-yard long, spouts," stated Carol. "They poured the tea from a great distance and were skilled enough to get it in the tiny cups, from that distance! We rode a rickshaw to the Red Theater, that was build as a Communist Hall, and watched the musical, 'The History of Kung Fu.' It was amazing and worthy of a Broadway run!"
As the final day was spent with a final dinner an reflections at NAEA, who sponsored the trip.
Carol submitted the following assessment of her month, spent in China!
I guess you are wondering "Is this the country that will surpass the USA as an economic power? Wish I could answer. Where is Walter Cronkite? After visiting Shanghai and Beijing, I could answer "yes". But after visiting the rest of the country, I would have to say this country still has a long way to go. The amazing thing is the accomplishments they have made in the last 20 years. While the market economy has changed dramatically, don't fool yourself that the government has changed. The C Party is still very much in control here and a strong force. Some things I will miss: 1. the people=they are happy, content, kind 2. the food=amazing (the pictures were the extremes) 3. the ancient history of this land. Some things I will not miss: 1. the squatty potties 2. the squatty potties 3. the squatty potties 4. the lack of blue skies You get the picture! I developed a limp on this trip. Don't worry. Nothing serious. It happens only when I get around a public toliet that MIGHT have a regular potty. Then I really limp so I can use the 1 regular potty labeled for the handicapped. I know that I am not a trooper! But my knees are not what they were when I was a kid doing cartwheels. Never told you there were actually worse potties than squatties. These are roadside toliets (water closet, they call it) where you pay .15 to potty inside a small room with a rectangular trough. They stand butt to nose in a line to potty straddling the trough. It would be a 100% better to just pee behind a bush. And smell a heck of a lot better. But that is hard to do when you get off a tour bus with a load of folks milling around. I could never live over here for the toilet issue. We had a wonderful closing ceremony. They gave us each t-shirts and a nice gift. I had to get another suitcase to hold all the stuff I have accumulated. Wish me luck on the 17 hour plane trip. We leave at 4:30 tomorrow (Thursday) and 17 or so hours later we land in Houston at 10ish Thursday. What a long day this will be!!! Any movie recommendations? I have the Kindle battery charged and ready for the ride. Thanks for the prayers and encouragement. Keep me posted on your travels this summer. I have been blessed to have you for friends! Love always, Carol
"The End of my Journey to China!"
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