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‘East’ literally meets ‘West’ during visit
(by Kathryn A. Burger - February 20, 2008)
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STAFF PHOTOS BY KATHRYN A. BURGER
The Woodcliff Lake School District recently hosted a contingent of visitors from the Zhenjiang Pearl S. Buck School, China. After a full day visiting both Dorchester and Woodcliff Middle schools, the visitors and their hosts met to talk about their experiences. Pictured among the students, all of whom are wearing their new sweatshirts, are, back row, from left, Kejia Lu, a teacher of Mandarin who is scheduled to teach in the district this fall; student guides Rachel Levy and Ali Cantor; Mrs. Li, who teaches English at the Pearl S. Buck School; student guides Joe Purritano, Jason Scatena, Gabby Mongelli and Dylan Feinstein; and at far right, Patricia Montini, the Woodcliff Lake teacher who facilitated the visit. Mr. Wu, the deputy principal of the Chinese school, is pictured in the front row, center. |
“The individual student is important here and teachers help them do the best they can.”
This was one of many observations made by a group of students from who visited the Woodcliff Lake School District recently. The teens, all juniors and seniors at the Zhenjiang Pearl S. Buck School, near Shanghai, were accompanied by the school’s deputy principal, Mr. Wu, and English teacher, Miss Li. The students had been chosen for the trip based on their academic achievement.
The students spent the morning at Dorchester Elementary School and the afternoon at the Woodcliff Middle School and were escorted throughout their visit by six Woodcliff eighth-graders.
The opportunity to host the Chinese delegation was timely. Peter Lisi, the district superintendent, said the district hopes to offer classes in Mandarin beginning in the fall. The district is partnering with the Saddle River School District and plans to share a teacher of Mandarin, Kejia Lu, who accompanied the group during its visit to Woodcliff Lake, serving as translator. This initiative coincides with the Pascack Valley Regional High School District’s decision to offer Chinese language classes for the first time this fall, at both Valley and Hills.
Lisi said the idea of offering Chinese language classes in Woodcliff Lake came from a meeting of teachers who met to discuss the future of education in the district. “We recognized that American kids don’t have exposure to the world and our world neighbors,” he said. “Our ultimate goal is to have our children be world citizens, to be able to appreciate the similarities and differences in others and to find ways to work together for mutual benefit.”
Woodcliff Lake teacher Patricia Montini arranged the visit with Pearl S. Buck International, and helped coordinate the day’s activities. Last November, she learned of the group’s upcoming visit to the . “Their travel plans had already been confirmed. But I asked if there was any interest in having them visit the Woodcliff Lake schools as part of their itinerary. The response was, ‘absolutely!’ ”
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Mrs. Li, an English teacher from the Zhenjiang Pearl S. Buck School, second from right, is pictured with some of her students during a roundtable discussion with Woodcliff Lake students and staff.
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| Peter Lisi, Woodcliff Lake superintendent of schools, center, discussed plans to forge a partnership with the Zhenjiang school with Mr. Wu, the deputy principal. Kejia Lu, at right, served as translator. She is scheduled to teach Mandarin in the Woodcliff Lake School District this fall. |
One of the goals of the visit was to forge a partnership between the two schools and their students. By the close of the day, it was clear that had been accomplished when the visitors, faculty and student guides gathered to talk about their experiences that day. The visiting students offered their impressions of the schools, the students and teachers. One said, “Everyone was very friendly to us, even though we are foreigners.” Another said, “The teachers are good friends to the students. Chinese teachers are not like American teachers.” This brought a mock protest from Miss Li, the English teacher who accompanied the group. All of the students were impressed with the friendly, open atmosphere and the ease with which students and teachers interacted.
These impressions are easily understood knowing that there are 2,000 students in their school and the average class size is 45. Teachers move from class to class; the students stay in the same room. Individual attention is virtually non-existent. One student said, “Our teachers talk and we listen.” This also explains why one of the students was so amazed that, “all the classrooms here are different,” from one another. Another student observed that it seemed to her that “all the teachers love their jobs” and enjoyed interacting with their students.
It is important to note, too, that the school day in Zhenjiang is long – 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. – six days a week. There is time only for academics – math, science, social studies, reading and writing, among them. Performing and fine arts are not in the curriculum. Students who want to study in those disciplines have to do so on their own. One student said that, in “the only goal is to get high marks.” She recognized that good grades were important here, too, but had now seen that it was possible to achieve academically and have a less structured school day and positive relationships with teachers.
The Woodcliff students learned from their visitors, as well. Jason Scatena, one of the student guides, said he’d always thought of as, “old,” meaning behind the times. He found out differently. “It isn’t old in that sense. These students are just as ‘modern’ as we are.” Ali Cantor, another guide, was surprised to find that one of the visitors loved professional basketball. “She knew the names of NBA players,” she said. Another visitor talked about one of her classroom visits. “It was very moving. The kindergarten students all sang a song in Chinese!”
In his closing remarks, Mr. Wu, the deputy principal, said, “We can learn a lot from you. There are friendships among teachers and students. Your methods of teaching are something we need to learn from you. I truly hope this visit has begun a long relationship between our two schools to exchange students and teachers. I hope we can learn from each other and contribute to the improvement and development of the world. I hope the friendly relations of the two schools will continue. You are welcome to our school anytime.”
As the day drew to a close, each of the visiting students was given a “Woodcliff Lake” sweatshirt and each of them put them on immediately. Then there were lots of photos taken and e-mail addresses exchanged among the students. It was clear that at least one of Mr. Wu’s hopes for the visit had been realized – friendships had been forged.
The Chinese students were off to New York City, the last stop on their trip before returning home. They had begun their visit in Chicago. Then they drove to Washington, D.C. and then to Philadelphia.
With all they had seen and done during the past 10 days, they said the day they spent in Woodcliff Lake had been their “best day.”
For further information about Pearl S. Buck International, its Teacher Ambassador Program, and the Zhenjiang Pearl S. Buck Middle School, visit www.psbi.org.
Kathryn A. Burger's e-mail address is burger@northjersey.com.
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