Final Day

The last school visit was of Beijing Royal School. It was an impressive school with nearly all of its students spending a semester abroad.

We also had the opportunity to meet with all 420 American delegates and learn more about their experiences in their province assignment.

Finally, we attended the closing ceremony. The program organizers, Hanban and The College Board, gave speeches and articulated the purpose of this program. The closing events included an excellent dinner and performances by students. The best part was enjoying the company of our colleagues with whom we had experienced so much.

It was a fitting end to this amazing educational experience. Tomorrow we began our journey home at 9:00am with an expected return home by 9:00 pm. Due to the time difference and a 14 hour flight from Beijing to New York, this will be a full day of travel.

Harbin No. 18 High School

We visited a school this morning. It was an amazing experience. Students were genuinely excited to see us. They greeted us as dignitaries. That is not an experience I have had as a middle school principal.

One student, in a science class, was so excited when we walked into the classroom she dragged me over to her microscope. She and her lab partner were working on looking at the cells of an onion. She encouraged me to look through the microscope and then proceeded to explain, in very good English, what I was looking at. She asked to take a picture with me and hugged me before I left. She was so genuine I was overwhelmed.

We were also treated to some student performances. They were all exceptional, but there was one that was particularly interesting. One student performed a traditional tea ceremony while three students played a traditional Chinese instrument. A fourth student wrote in calligraphy on a scroll. The
scroll was presented to our delegation as a gift.

All of the pictures taken are on my camera. I will send them later. It was a great visit.

Today we fly back to Beijing and get ready for another school visit tomorrow.

Back in Beijing

Today was the last full day of our visit. We began the day by visiting the HIgh School Attached to Capital Normal University. We met the headmistress and toured the school. The highlight was sitting in on an English class. Students read a short passage and answered questions related to the purpose and intent of the passage. The passage was on lifelong learning. During the second half of class a small group of students interviewed me. They asked questions about my lifelong learning and the experiences of American students.

This afternoon we are going to the British Royal School to see the school and attend closing ceremonies.

Primary School Visit

This afternoon we visited Haer Bin Zhaolin Primary School in Harbin. When we arrived we met with administrators, teachers, and students. It was an amazing visit. A grade 5 student, Alex, showed me around. We visited classes and saw students creating calligraphy, working on a stamp, and watched student performances.

It was a great visit that reinforced why I became an educator. The students are so much like ours with their enthusiasm and their willingness to show us what they were working on.

I am very interested in pursuing a relationship with this school. I think this would prove to be a great experience for students at both schools. It would give our students the opportunity to experience a different culture.

St. Sophia Church

The St. Sophia Church was built originally in 1908 after Russia occupied Harbin. It was rebuilt as a masonry structure in 1923. It was originally built to give soldiers away from home a place to worship. It has been renovated and sits in the middle of Harbin surrounded by modern buildings. The architecture is not what I would expect in China, but reminded me of an upscale shopping district in Europe or the US.

Heilongjiang Province and the City of Harbin

We arrived this afternoon after a short flight from Beijing. Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang Province. Heilongjiang Province is the home to more than 38 million people. Harbin has a population of almost 10 million people. To provide perspective the population of Massachusetts is approximately 6.5 million. The population of the US is approximately 307 million. Harbin is in the northeast of China and a 12 hour train ride from Moscow. Harbin is colder than Massachusetts at this time of year.

We attended a welcoming reception and meeting with education officials from the province as well as principals from schools throughout the province. During the welcoming reception, a number of people spoke to share their impressions and purpose of the trip. I was proud that our superintendent, Dr. Evans, spoke on behalf of our delegation of 61 American educators. In her remarks she shared our belief that helping our students develop global skills is critical in today's world. She represented the delegation and the Medway Schools very well.

After the welcoming reception we had the opportunity to talk with Chinese principals and administrators. We shared our goals for this trip. I was able to connect with two schools that I believe may be great partners with Medway Middle School. I will be in further communication with the principals of these schools in the coming weeks.

Finally, we were treated to a dinner of traditional Chinese cuisine. Dishes are served in the middle of the table for all to wshare. The delicacies included sea cucumber, shark fin, grubs, and roasted duck. The shark fin was very good. The grubs were spicy. It was truly an amazing show of hospitality.

We returned to our hotel, which faces the Songhua River and got some rest before our visit to schools tomorrow.

A day of culture

It was a busy day. After our visit to the Lama Temple we visited Hanban. Hanban/Confucius Institute is one of the sponsors of our trip. We were able to explore interactive exhibits that gave us a better sense of Chinese culture. There was display of traditional musical instruments, paper cutting of our Chinese zodiac, information about Chinese characters, and examples of teaching materials. There were also a number of displays including a terra cotta soldier and traditional costumes.

In the afternoon we went to the Beijing Foreign Studies University and listened to a lecture from Dr. Zhou who studies comparative education. He provided an overview of the Chinese education system and drew comparisons between the Chinese and American system.

In the evening we attended a special welcoming banquet. The banquet included he 420 educators from the US who are attending the Bridge Delegation. There were also dignitaries from the provincial ministries of education and the deputy ambassador to China from the US. During the banquet we were treated to traditional Chinese dance and music performed by students. It was a great event.

Tomorrow we are traveling to the province where we have been assigned. We are going to Heijilong Province and it's capital Harbin. The province is located in the northeast corner of China. We will be visiting schools and have the opportunity to meet with Chinese principals and educators.