Delegation splits up to cover more ground, gather insights from Chinese education system

While some of the education delegation was at Tianjin High School No. 41 on Tuesday, other members – those from Catskill, South Colonie and Schodack – visited Tianjin High School and Junior High School No. 57 where they were treated to a tour of the campus, lunch, student shows and meetings with education leaders. Members of the delegation from Schoharie were dispatched to Tianjin High School 13 for a similar itinerary.

What is clear in all of the schools is an extreme focus on the math, sciences and arts with top-of-the-line equipment in science labs and classrooms available to students.

Another observation: Class size is not an issue in China. Classes in all three high schools routinely exceeded 40 students and in at least one instance, a teacher stood in front of 56 students teaching Chinese language.

Chinese educators said discipline matters rise infrequently in class because students and their families are committed to education – another result, they said, of China’s policy restricting families to one child. As a result of the policy, the entire family – from grandparents to parents – strive to make sure that sole prodigy succeeds, the educators said.

Educators will meet with several more school leaders on Friday in southern China.

More pictures from China



Capital Region BOCES Assistant Superintendent Kathryn Gerbino addresses a gathering of Tianjin High School No. 41 students.

Capital Region BOCES Assistant Superintendent Kathryn Gerbino and Questar III Assistant Superintendent Diana Conroy present a gift to Mr. Xu Changqun, principal of Tianjin High School No. 41.

A student at Hexi No. 18 Kindergarten School shows off a gift of a candy bar that he was given by the Tech Valley education delegation.

Tianjin schools warmly greet local educators

TIANJIN, CHINA
Schools across Tianjin rolled out the red carpet for a delegation of educators from the Tech Valley Region of New York State on Tuesday. The group – representing Capital Region BOCES, Questar III BOCES, Tech Valley High School(TVHS), Schalmont, Schoharie, Schodack, Catskill and Cobleskill-Richmondville schools -- met with educators in three high schools and an elementary school.





Schodack School Superintendent Bob Horan presents a book to Hexi No. 18 Kindergarten Principal Ms. Li Xiaonhong.



At Tianjin High School, the delegation discussed expanding the current agreement, while officials with the other New York Schools were dispatched to schools across the fourth largest city in China (with a population of 11 million), to create their own partnerships.

At Tianjin, school officials announced plans to send another delegation of students to TVHS in January, following up on a delegation they sent last February and delegations TVHS sent in 2010 and 2011. 

Members of the delegation pose with Tianjin HS No. 41 school officials in the lobby of the school.



To be an international school is very important to us,” said Mr. Xu Changqun, principal of Tianjin High School No. 41. “We want to learn foreign language to learn foreign culture.”

Earlier in the day, the entire 18-person contingent was greeted by hundreds of smiling three-,four-, five- and six-year-old students at Hexi No, 18 Kindergarten, another of Tianjin’s elementary schools.

Students perform morning exercises for delegation.



There, Schodack School Superintendent Bob Horan discussed with Principal Ms. Li Xiaonhong the process of creating a telecommunication agreement – a modern day pen-pal pact between the elementary school students in his district and students in Hexi.

“This has been a tremendous opportunity for our schools,” said Questar III Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Diana Conroy.

As part of the fact-finding mission of the trip, the New York educators learned about China’s dedication to giving its youngest children a jump-start on their education.



Xanu _ Hexi kindergarten student presents a gift to delegation members.



“It is our philosophy that kindergarten education does not mean only educate the kids, but educate the parents,” said Li. "You start pre-school programs at the age of two, but the Hexi school starts exposing youth and their parents even before they turn one through Sunday gatherings at the school."

“All future success  depends of the foundation established in the early years. It’s very clear that you value creating a strong and lasting foundation,” said Capital Region BOCES Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Kathryn Gerbino.

Blog posting delays

Just an FYI to our eager readers: 

Members of the delegation are unable to post to the blog directly from China. All posts and pictures are being emailed to colleagues in Albany who will be updating the blog. Please be aware that this process — as well as the time difference — may result in a short information lag.

Every effort is being made to ensure that the delegation's blog posts are as timely as possible.

Day two

Did you know that Chinese youth go to school six days a week and even at the youngest grade levels, spend copious amounts of time completing homework? This info was among the lessons learned Sunday (Chinese time) by the delegation of Tech Valley region educators who are in China to partner with educators in the country.

Chinese youth in the primary schools spend at least three hours a day completing homework assignments and that amount of time grows as the students go through the grades. This combined with the government requirements that family only have one child has left some youth isolated, Simona, a Chinese representative guiding the delegation said.

At the same time, the delegation learned that families with means in China will spend up to $25,000 Yuan – between $6,000 and $7,000 American – to simply enter their child into a preschool. Tuition is added to that.

News and notes

The delegation visited the Great Wall of China with some members climbing to the highest section of the wall of the Badaling area of the 6,000-kilometer-long world wonder.

The wall is amazing when taken into context that some sections were constructed 220BC and the most recent sections were created in the 15^th and 16^thcenturies. The wall is quite steep and ADA compliance is not even an afterthought – some steps in the wall are only a quarter-inch high and other steps are three-feet high. Some sections lack steps altogether and instead are traversed by walking at a 45-degree grade. It is all quite amazing and different.

 

We've arrived!

Educators from Catskill to Schoharie, South Colonie to Schalmont landed in Beijing, China early Saturday morning (EST), departing from a jet into a bustling city filled with youth and energy. While the clocks in Albany read 1 a.m. Saturday, it was already 1 p.m. Saturday in Beijing – a 12 hour difference in time that might as well be a lifetime difference in terms of the city, culture and yes, educational systems.

The delegation of teachers, school board members, superintendents and administrators are here on a mission to close that gap – to maximize the abilities that technology has given us to break down cultural barriers and take it to the next level.

With the exchange agreement between Tech Valley High School and Tianjin High School No. 41 in China serving as a model, the Tech Valley Region delegation plans to ink agreements with other schools in China that will bring Chinese educators to local classrooms, and send American educators to China. The agreements may also serve as a basis for student exchanges.

Educators from both countries are looking to capitalize on each others’ strengths to benefit the respective students. For example, Chinese teachers are looking to the Tech Valley Region teachers to learn how to better craft creativity in their students.

Notes:

While to most in the Tech Valley Region, the name Beijing brings about instantaneous thoughts of Chinese culture and dancers, the reality is that Beijing is quite westernized. Street signs appear in both Chinese and English, “Buckle up for Safety” signs greet drivers, and there are countless American restaurants in the city – from McDonald’s to Pizza Hut to Starbucks.

Delegation arrives: Erika Loucks, from Schoharie, Diana Conroy from Questar III BOCES 

and Katherine Gerbino from Capital Region BOCES

Schodack Superintendent Robert Horan greets our Chinese education liaison at the Beijing airport minutes after arriving

 

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